rawbunzel
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posted on November 17, 2000 07:22:15 PM new
In the city where I live, Seattle, they have come up with a new way to collect road taxes.[They are going to give us a few years to get used to the idea they said on the news so it will be awhile before they start.] Anyway here is the gist:
They are going to track all commuters by satellite and then bill you every month for the miles you have driven.They seem to think this is more fair than charging you tax on the gas you use. They would eliminate the gas tax [yeah right] and just use this method.
Now, I don't know about you but I am not too crazy about the government knowing everywhere I go and when I go there. Apparently other cities are planning on implementing this same system. Another thing that really freaks me out about this is the happy way the media reported it! Like it was a good thing.
I am horrified by this possibility and wonder what would you do / will you do if they start this in your community
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Shadowcat
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posted on November 17, 2000 07:32:24 PM new
How do they plan to identify individual cars? And how does that work for those who take the bus or carpool?
Frankly, I would have a fit. Then I would start writing letters to every pinhead politician in the city AND county, join groups opposed to this policy, and generally let the pinheads know I was NOT AMUSED with this news.
I wonder what the ACLU would have to say on this boneheaded idea?
I'm glad I no longer live in Seattle...
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rawbunzel
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posted on November 17, 2000 07:37:50 PM new
Shadowcat,They didn't say how they would identify each car. It would not affect bus and carpool users. Just drivers.
SO, You used to live in Seattle? That must account for the inordinate amount of dried up HAIRBALLS I am finding around here lately!
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Shadowcat
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posted on November 17, 2000 09:30:45 PM new
Yup, on Queen Anne Hill, near SPU. We were back in that neck of the woods last year and couldn't believe how bad the traffic is now. It's like commuter traffic every hour of the day!
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Zazzie
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posted on November 17, 2000 09:35:06 PM new
It would never pass--invasion of privacy. The media reports lots of things without thinking.
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kitsch1
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posted on November 17, 2000 09:38:04 PM new
They are thinking about putting tracking devices in each individuals vehicle then? I can think of no other way to do it. I think there's a deal in our constitution about a persons right to privacy still in there no?
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[ edited by kitsch1 on Nov 17, 2000 09:39 PM ]
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RainyBear
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posted on November 17, 2000 09:45:01 PM new
I heard Ernie Brown talking about that on the radio yesterday when I was driving home, and I think it's outrageous! Most of the people calling in seemed to think so, too, so there would definitely be a big fight if they tried to implement it.
Very "big brother."
Like one guy said, it would really hurt the people who have been priced out of the housing market near Seattle and commute from the suburbs. I'm one of those people. Privacy issues aside, that in itself is a raw deal.
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Zazzie
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posted on November 17, 2000 09:49:03 PM new
I think the speculative scientists are pulling your legs---though the system would be possible---it would cost a fortune to maintain--not counting the satelite time--and the billing!! Egads!
Do you really think it would pass public approval?? NOT Don't fret-
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rawbunzel
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posted on November 17, 2000 10:52:34 PM new
Not fretting Zazzie, just wondering how that guy they interviewed on the street could think it was a good thing.I see US citizens giving up rights all the time and somehow thinking it is ok. I hope it does not come to pass but people are so complacent that sometimes I think the water must be drugged. 
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kitsch1
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posted on November 17, 2000 10:58:46 PM new
"Stepford" US citizens. 
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Shadowcat
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posted on November 17, 2000 11:05:56 PM new
Kel: Actually, Americans have no constitutional right to privacy. What privacy laws there are were done piecemeal as court cases arose.
And no, the 4th amendment doesn't guarantee our privacy. It guarantees our right to not be subjected to illegal searches.
Excellent book on the subject: "The Right to Privacy" by Caroline Kennedy and someone else whose name escapes me. Read it and find out how little privacy rights Americans actually have.
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kitsch1
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posted on November 17, 2000 11:13:01 PM new
O
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siggy
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posted on November 17, 2000 11:42:53 PM new
Agree with Zazzie. The costs of supporting such a system in a major metropolitan area would be literally astronomical. A Rube Goldberg proposal.
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