Blue States Are Moving Legislation Forward to Restrict How Much You Can Drive
For those of us who’ve been most passionate about defeating the mandates and regulations designed to impose an all-EV future, we understood that it wasn’t really about replacing gasoline-powered internal combustion (“ICE”) vehicles with electric vehicles. Rather, the goal was to eliminate all personal transportation freedom, and by outlawing ICE vehicles, the battle would be halfway won, since EVs have limited range and utility outside of the boutique niche that Tesla has carved out. (RELATED: EVs and Autonomous Vehicles: General Motors’ Doomed Focus on Unprofitable Boutique Products)
We, the people, defeated the coerced EV transition. We did it with our wallets, by effectively boycotting the EV offerings from legacy auto manufacturers, and we also did it at the ballot box, by electing a Republican Congress to eliminate federal EV incentives. And, of course, we also elected a MAGA president who eliminated the regulatory mandates designed to kill off ICE vehicles. (RELATED: EVs Are a Failed Experiment)
The left is now working toward restricting how much a person may drive, with the obvious goal of completely outlawing any personal driving.
But as Michael Walsh likes to say about the left’s war on personal liberty, “They never stop, they never sleep, they never quit.” Having failed to outlaw the purchase of gasoline-powered vehicles, the left is now working toward restricting how much a person may drive, with the obvious goal of completely outlawing any personal driving.
The “15 Minute City” concept is gaining traction on the left, especially in Great Britain, where the Labour Party and leftist cities are seeking to impose harsh restrictions on vehicle use.
Here in the U.S., blue states are pivoting toward mileage caps, which would establish maximum “vehicle miles traveled” (“VMT”) allowed for an entire state, with regulators then creating “incentives” to reduce individual driving so as to achieve the VMT objective. From News Nation: “Massachusetts bill aims to reduce driving to meet climate goals”:
A bill in Massachusetts aims to reduce how much driving occurs as part of the state’s climate strategy. The legislation, spearheaded by Democratic State Senator Cynthia Stone Creem, would require transportation officials to set goals for “reducing the number of statewide driving miles.”
Because this is such an unpopular idea, Democrat politicians in Massachusetts are trying to hoodwink their voters by naming this legislation the “Freedom to Move Act.” There is just an amazing level of duplicity in the name of that legislation, since the specific intent is to limit individuals’ freedom to move about as they choose.
As Lauren Fix correctly notes about The Freedom to Move Act, “When reducing driving becomes a formal state objective, personal mobility inevitably becomes something to be managed.”
Meanwhile, over on the left coast, California is working on further punishing its citizens for the sinful act of driving a car. The deep blue state already has the highest gas taxes and most expensive gasoline in the country, with consumers paying about $1.50 more per gallon than the national average. The state Assembly (the lower house in the California legislature) has now approved a bill that would “study” the implementation of a mileage tax. From NBC San Diego: “California Proposal Causes Confusion Over Future of Road Mileage Tax; A California bill studying a potential mileage tax has passed the state assembly.”
The study would explore the concept of a road usage charge, where drivers could one day pay based on how many miles they drive rather than how much gasoline they purchase.
Rest assured that any California mileage tax will be in addition to gasoline taxes, not in lieu of them. (RELATED: Your Mileage May Vary on New Tax Proposal)
The bill was authored by Democratic State Assemblymember Lori Wilson of Northern California, whose office said AB 1421 does not offer or endorse any specific method to track mileage. Those officials also noted that a study would allow the state to examine how pricing programs could be structured and whether discounts or exemptions for certain groups would be appropriate.
A “transportation expert” interviewed by NBC San Diego suggested the mileage tax might even be progressive, providing an opportunity for redistribution of wealth: “Maybe, based on people’s income, there would be ways for the state to give them some money to compensate them partly for the extra driving they have to do. So we just need to be more creative and to address equity problems as they arise.” Of course. Even with mileage taxes, the Marxists want to redistribute from each according to his means, and give to each according to his needs… at least until all wealth is confiscated and driving is completely outlawed.
Where there is taxation based on miles driven, there must also be state-monitoring of how many miles are being driven. And once the state starts monitoring your driving, it is safe to assume the state will also feel compelled to know where you’re driving to and why you’re driving there.
Defeating the EV mandate and compelling automakers to refocus on gasoline-powered vehicles was a huge victory. But it was just one battle that we won, not the war. The battle to preserve our driving freedom continues, and we must stop the momentum of those trying to impose mileage caps and mileage taxes.
READ MORE from Buck Throckmorton:
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EVs and Autonomous Vehicles: General Motors’ Doomed Focus on Unprofitable Boutique Products