what would it mean if gasoline were free? well, you could build a huge car, say as big a house, and then you could drive, or fly, it anywhere you wanted. voting with your feet? how would those property taxes work out, what about your address? how would the taxman milk you? and if the money stops coming in, who is going to pay for all those soldiers and senate office refurbishments. my argument has some holes, I'm sure, but the modern U.S. government's most vulnerable premise is the stationary house. so, if all those people that run the show want to keep you on the dairy farm, they need you to pay a lot for energy. lots of people can make money, and do, from you staying put, too. expensive energy is good for a lot of things, but oil pollutes, and most importantly, it takes away your ability to control your life. you can't leave when you want to or need to, and people with bad ideas have a monopoly of the systems that determine your potential.
with unlimited energy, I don't see a government being much more than a network administrator, or an enforcer of network protocols. maybe I need new glasses.
No comments:
Post a Comment