Another example of statism run amok

I've often said a bureaucracy has one primary purpose, compared to which all others shrink to insignificance: To exist, to insure it's own survival. As Dr. Milton Friedman once said, "Nothing is so permanent as a temporary government program." As time as gone on we've seen more examples of this...and hopefully this again awakens people that government needs to be neutered.

Yes, I used that work specifically.

From the Netherlands (not exactly Texas but some boneheads looked at this in my home state...)

In Auto Test in Europe, Meter Ticks Off Miles, and Fee to Driver

EINDHOVEN, the Netherlands — As Sander Van Dedem recalled watching the charges tick up every 10 seconds on the dashboard meter on the way to the airport, he resolved to try public transportation next time. “Looking at the money makes you realize that a car isn’t always a good idea,” said Mr. Van Dedem, a commercial sales manager for I.B.M. here.

But his pricey ride was not in a taxi. He was driving his own Volvo XC60.

The car had been outfitted with the meter so that Mr. Van Dedem could take part in a trial of a controversial government tax proposal to charge drivers a fee for the miles they drive. The meter also factors in the cost to society in the form of pollution, traffic congestion, greenhouse gas emissions and wear and tear on roads.

I love the quote on "he resolved to try public transportation next time." If it's not obvious that is the purpose. Like many a statist government it's purpose is to control people. People sometime's miss what personal transportation does to a man. It shows "I can go where I want when I want within my means...." With this program it's kinda obvious that someone wants to limit your personal mobility.

Hooked up to the Internet wirelessly and to GPS, the system tabulates a charge for each car trip by using a mileage-based formula that also takes account of a car’s fuel efficiency, the time of day and the route. At the end of each month, the vehicle’s owner would receive a bill detailing times and costs of usage, not unlike a cellphone bill, although participants in the trial did not have to pay the charges.

Governments in car-clogged regions of Europe, Asia and even the United States have shown an eagerness to explore such systems, but they face a nagging challenge in placing them in private vehicles. Even in environmentally conscious places like the Netherlands, voters and politicians often vehemently oppose the programs, citing privacy concerns about the monitoring of drivers’ whereabouts and the introduction of what amounts to a new type of tax...

I for one am astonished. The NY TImes is calling a tax a tax...accurate telling of the facts of a story from this rag...where are the other three horsemen?

...Supporters of the meters contend that the charges are more equitable than current taxes like automobile purchase and registration fees, because they derive from actual use rather than mere ownership. If imposed, they could supplant gas and vehicle taxes as well as tolls. Governments could program computers to require consistent gas guzzlers to pay higher rates, for example.

Distance charging also provides a means of replacing declining revenues from gasoline taxes as more people drive highly efficient, hybrid or electric cars, helping governments that have traditionally depended on gas taxes for road upkeep.

There is is....remember when a politician says it's not about the money it's first, foremost and always about the money.

How about this and I'll say I'm speculating that this is happening in Europe (I'll bet it's a safe assumption). The US Federal Highway Trust fund was established to provide for, get this, federal highways. It was funded by the federal tax on fuels. Simple concept, the more your drove, the more fuel you used, the more you paid. Now the US fund has been raided (routine concept in most governments) for inefficient public transit programs (light rail anyone?). Why don't we just keep fuel taxes for roads and let public transit compete for funds like everything else? Just a suggestion.

Equally important, studies have found that the meters provide instantaneous negative feedback, the kind that psychologists say changes behavior.

“At the beginning you’re looking at it all the time and thinking of costs, and pretty quickly it starts to influence what you do,” said Mr. Van Dedem, whose rush-hour airport ride would have incurred a charge of just over $5 under the rates proposed in the Netherlands.

The effect has been lasting: even though the trial was two years ago and the meter has been removed, he now works from home more in the mornings and walks to the market, he said...

“Seeing the meter helps,” Mr. Huitema said. “The old taxes don’t do that — you fill the tank, pay and try not to worry anymore.”

Like most things the leftist want, they want you to have approval of bureaucrats and statists to go about your life. But this is what left wing propagandist list the NY Puke want. They really love this crap. Anything that allows government to control the people in any way. Any you wonder why statist list this must be kept from the levers of government.