This is how the gov't goes. Money gets tight...don't cut back...find more money.

There is a group of about 140 congresmen, I forget what they call themselves, that are pushing for spending cuts in order to pay for Katrina. Whether you agree or disagree with the cuts they want to make, PLEASE be in support of the idea that we should NOT spend beyond our means.

im sitting at work and just saw the article come up on CNN. it got a real good laugh even from the truck driving crowd here

Someone beat you to this.. check the following post:

http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=12938&hl=

Gotta wonder why the Chamber isn't adovacating fro the US to invest in this countries infrastructure instead of spending billions and commiting a huge defficit to a war in IRAQ...is it because they are making money off of this war along with the rest of Bush's buddies? I shouldn't be suprised by this sort of short sighted thinking coming from conservatives and yet in my dreams, they'd be the folks truly looking out for the welfare of the country. Aye, yie, yie....let's hope this one doesn't go anywhere, but it might be worth a letter to your congressional representative/senator just to be sure.

What happened to giving tax credits to hybrid buyers? They giveth and they taketh away....

Just hook up to my money intravenously and please leave me with enough money to feed myself. Oh, and if you take all my money you will have to furnish me with some place to take a shower if I'm living in my hybrid.

5 years from now we will see dirty Prius parked in the slums of society. We are the hippies living in our cars begging for change. It's the next VW bug revolution.

The leason will be "You stupid civilian tree-huggers should have found work closer to where you live and just ride a bike or walk to work". Or "Stop whining civilian tree-huggers, if you make enough money to buy a hybrid you should have enough for the gas and extra tax".

I would not object to a milage tax as long as there was a gas tax as well, and while we are at it a multiplier for vehicle weight, and carbon and nitrogen out put. I would object to paying more than a SUV, Heavy Pickup, or Hummer.

Better than a milage fee we should have a vehicle impact fee where the charge per mile is proportional to the weight of the vehicle. There is probably a critical weight that does a disproportionate amount of damage to the roads.

If we have a vehicle impact fee we should do away with the per gallon tax. How about an environmental damage fee as well based on emissions?

It's a good idea, and it's fair considering that bigger cars rip apart are roads faster than a little ecobox, but the problem is whether or not it is feasible to judge every vehicle that way.

The real stupidity of this tax increase is that the road DAMAGE is caused by long-haul trucks, not cars. You could drive a thousand Prius' over a stretch of road and do less damage than one fully-laden 18-wheeler.

Go tax THEM if you want to fix potholes.

Let's remember that this proposal was developed by the US Chamber of Commerce - not the US Congress. They want to protect oil company profits, which will decline somewhat if too many fuel-efficient hybrids make it onto our roadways. Congress wants to keep poor-to-middle class tax dollars rolling in to support their profligate spending habits (geez, and these idiots call themselves "conservatives"?).

Back in the old days (a few short months ago), when those in control of Congress were in lockstep with el Presidente, who, in turn was - and still is - in the pocket of big business (i.e. the USCoC), I would have been more worried that this idiotic proposal would get favorable treatment in Congress. Nowadays, I'm not too sure.

A surer bet would be a tax on gas-saving vehicles that do not have their radio presets tuned to evangelical christian stations.

They seem to pay their fair share though in road taxes already. I'm not sure we need to but more of a burden on them, as it just ends up being paid for by consumers anyway!

The source of this idea is who?????

US Chamber of Commerce

The mouthpiece of George W Bush and Big Oil

This is the dumbest thing I've ever heard.

I SAY, we tax Hummers (6400 lbs) and other cars over 5000 lbs because they are putting undo weight on our roads. THEY are the ones that can make the potholes. A car like the Hummer is over 2 Prius (2900lbs) worth of weight crushing down on still, four tires on the road. A family driving two huge SUVs is like another family driving 4 cars on the road.

I have another idea. How about cutting back, ort maybe eliminating the tax breaks and subsidies to some of the Chamber's members? That ought to raise a few billion.

I would love to see the press publicize the names of the specific member companies of the chamber responsible for this brainstorm.

how much will it cost to keep track of those miles driven and how will they do it?

this is a thinly veiled attempt to bolster GM's sales by making hybrid unattractive. what they are doing is trying to lessen the impact of the inevitable bail-out that will be coming down the road here is less than 2years.

Ugh, will the 2006 elections ever come?