That's a fair counter, and I definitely agree there are many things that could be changed to improve the situation.I also think the US needs to move away from large vehicles, and it's a huge problem that so many people are purchasing vehicles that get poor mileage and are ultimately bad for the environment.
I would argue though that there are some issues with the motorcycle suggestion. First, in many areas of the country it's only feasible to ride a motorcycle about half the year due to weather. In the New England area, it's only feasible in the summer. Otherwise, the snow and ice make it far too dangerous. Plus, if you have a family/children, then you also need some kind of car, so now you have to buy, register, inspect, and maintain two vehicles. There are also costs for getting a motorcycle endorsement on your license and an additional fee each time you renew your license to maintain that motorcycle endorsement on your license.
The problem with the "pay per mpg" would be older cars. I used to drive a very old car with very bad gas mileage. I also lived in that car. There's risk of disproportionately impacting people with low income. Of course, that could be countered based off the the year of the car, or income, or some other thing -- but I'm sure there would be loopholes and other issues there.
Anyways, really interesting topic to consider. Thanks for the respectful discourse!
I get what you're saying, but I'm not sure you realize just how much that would hurt people. Europe is much more densely concentrated and has far better public transit options. Many parts of the US are extremely rural. My nearest grocery store is a 30 minute drive away. There are no stores in walking distance at all. There are no sidewalks. There are no busses, trains, or cabs in my area, and that is not wildly uncommon.
If costs of gas doubled, at least without viable alternatives, it would absolutely bankrupt people. And it would disproportionately impact poor people in rural areas where it's very common to commute to work 30-60 minutes of driving is a common commute. While it varies by state, US federal minimum wage in the US is $7.25/hour. Many people commute for work, and an hour drive one way is also not uncommon.
Let's take 7.25 an hour x 40 hours = $290 before taxes.
We'll keep it simple and say a person uses only 1 gallon of gas per day to get to and from work which, at $8 a gallon x 5 days a week = $40. Just that travel to and from work and no other travel at all (or maintenance on the vehicle) would be 14% of pre-tax income.
So many things need to change so I understand the perspective, but I think it's really important to consider the widespread impact. Obviously the US has a lot of issues contributing to this situation.
yes hello cat lawyer here
you're slandering my client!! no evidence
boris is a good boy
The law hasn't really caught up. There are regulations from the FCC, including in regards to distributing false information, but only for broadcast television. Fox News (and many others, such as CNN, MSNBC, etc) are cable news channels run by private providers, so they are not subject to those FCC regulations.
While companies have sued, such as Dominion, there really aren't any grounds for the audience/consumers suing. They didn't suffer any damages.
That being said, there do need to be changes in how ethics are enforced in media and journalism.
The data referenced in that quote is linked in the article. When following the link, it specifies "Americans under the age of 18"
Full info: The Gun Violence Archive
Americans under the age of 18 killed or injured by gunfire since 2014:
2014: 2,861
2015: 3,378
2016: 3,820
2017: 3,982
2018: 3,543
2019: 3,825
2020: 5,159
2021: 5,705
2022: 6,170
2023: 4,319 [in 235 days]
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