ALT-1 Is it Time for Suv Restrictions – No
A proposal to place restrictions on SUV's goes to the very heart of who we are as a country and what we stand for. Our freedoms are our most precious resource and we must be eternally vigilant in protecting them from encroachment. We treasure our freedom of choice and our freedom of self-expression and I cannot support a proposal to restrict the rights of others to choose what vehicle they drive.
I will concede that large vehicles, such as SUVs, consume more than smaller vehicles, and that, when occupied by just one person, this constitutes a considerable waste of resources. I will also agree that such waste, of oil, raw materials, road space, parking space and so on, is against the public interest. It is foolhardy, not to mention greedy, to consume more than we need. Yet we should remember that some people drive an SUV through necessity rather than choice. Perhaps they have a large a family, or maybe they need to tow a trailer for their business. There are valid reasons for owning an SUV beyond vanity and pursuit of status.
So how do we balance the conflicting demands of waste minimization and freedom of choice? One option might be to authorize only a limited number of such vehicles, and run a lottery for the right to drive one. Alternatively, we could trust the government to allocate SUVs on the basis of need. (I seem to remember that the Soviet Union used a similar system.)
But we live in a capitalistic society, and I believe in the power of markets. Furthermore, I believe we can use market forces to influence the choices we make, while still allowing us freedom of choice. So how can the market influence the choice to drive an SUV? It's simple economics; if something becomes more expensive people will purchase less of it. There are a couple of ways this could be done: impose an additional tax on the purchase price, similar to the "gas guzzler" tax, or alternatively, increase the tax on gasoline. Perhaps the additional revenue could be channeled towards better maintenance of our highway infrastructure.
I realize that higher taxation will provoke protests, but I suggest this is how we balance our desire to protect our freedom of choice with our need to reduce resource consumption and our dependency on oil. This way, we, the consumer, have a choice. The alternative, for government to impose restrictions on the use of SUV's, is a step towards totalitarianism, and I for one will pay to avoid that.
