California Wants GPS Tracking Device in Every Car

HTS Member writes "California has a new excuse for more taxes. Claiming losses due to fuel-efficient cars, such as Gasoline/Electric Hybrids, California is cooking-up a new system to punish people who aren't using enough gasoline. They want to tax commuters by the mile. How would this be accomplished? By requiring everyone to install a GPS device in their vehicle, and charge them their "taxes" every time they fuel-up. From the article: 'Drivers will get charged for how many miles they use the roads, and it's as simple as that.. [a] team at Oregon State University equipped a test car with a global positioning device to keep track of its mileage. Eventually, every car would need one.'"

Comments

[anti-slash] News flash: Michael has been fired

[jihadi_fungus]

For public distribution (13 Feb 2005):

Anti-slash confirms: Slashdot's editors are dying.

In another devistating blow to slashdot's editors, it was learned that Michael was fired as an editor on slashdot. We at anti-slash are proud to have brought about this partial victory by our unrelenting jihad of bringing their injustices to light.

The specifics of this case are documented in this post: http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=138099&cid=115 70041
Quote:

I got this from a verified source who's in the know:

Long story short, michael was canned for his abusive and egotistical personality.

Rob's been building a list of complaints by users about michael's abusive patterns but he never acted on it. Well, michael managed to bitchslap one of Rob's old college buddies' accounts along with a couple of paid accounts, word eventually filtered down to Rob, and he had kittens. He convinced michael's OSTG manager to track him down and drag him into a conference call.

Rob laid down the law and started reading off complaints and michael raised his voice, saying that if Rob had a personal problem with him that he didn't need to go over his head and involve his manager in it.

During the shouting match, michael's editor flag was revoked. He was in the admin area at the time and he noticed.

At this point he went totally ballistic and started screaming about how this was why he moved, to get away from "arrogant elitist bullshit". (this is a direct quote.. michael actually did move from New York to Canada to protest George W. Bush's inauguration in 2001. Andover kept him on since it was only an all-remote job anyway.)

michael's manager ducked out of the call to page (read: wake up) Hemos (overseas on business) to three-way him into the call, to try and calm everyone down.

There was some more shouting, and michael's manager told him that things aren't working out well, and that he's going to recommend that his employment be terminated.

michael just hung up, and that was the end of the call as well as michael's employment with OSTG.

This can be confirmed by visiting http://slashdot.org/authors.pl. Michael is not listed.

Fact: Slashdot's editors are dying

Another regressive tax!

[Cryofan]

Most dipshit Americans do not even know what progressive taxation really is. Hell, I really did not know what it meant until I got on the Internet when I was in my late 30s. And I have tested genius IQ on more than one standardized test. So, I think we can assume that not too many Americans (or Californians) really realize what is going on with the destruction of our progressive tax base.

Re:A lot less invasive

[Catbeller]

Bwahahhahaaa!

Arnold and the Republicans raise a tax? Not likely. They'll simply borrow more billions and declare victory while the state goes all the way into the dumpster.

Reelect Arnold, you 'Fornians... good job playing Rove's game of ousting the ONE guy who told the truth about Enron's robbery, while installing Ken Lay's buddy. Blame the guy who told the truth, install the liar.

Oh, and good job helping Rove kick out your Secretary of State. A good Republican is taking his place. Say goodbye to proper recounts, say hello to untrackable voting machines.

You're going bankrupt while they're looting you blind. The interest alone on that loan Arnie purchased to cover up the tax deficit is going to destroy public works.

Let's not talk about your property tax caps and the subsequent death of your school system. Tho it might explain why the public can't do budget math nowadays.

It was such a wonderful state once.

Alcoholics see things in an angry adversarial way.

[Futurepower(R)]

Alcoholics generally have a lot of hidden anger. They see things in an angry, adversarial way. For example: Bush Wanted To Invade Iraq If Elected in 2000.

One thing was accomplished in Iraq. The oil profits that went to Saddam Hussein before now go to associates of Bush and Cheney in the United States and Britain. That's a huge conflict of interest.

The point of my comment is that there is a wide-ranging lack of attention to politics on the part of the people in the United States. The people are not doing their job effectively. If they were, small things like the subject of this Slashdot story could not have happened, and big things like killing Iraqis for oil profits could not have happened, either.