VOICE: The Glenn Beck program presents more truth behind America's march to socialism.
GLENN: Yes, it's time for our march to socialism. Imagine being taxed for every mile that you drive. Sucks, doesn't it? That's not stopping several states from considering it now. Dateline Oregon, a task force is looking at having GPS devices installed in every new vehicle across the state to do just that, tax the miles that you drive. The rationale is that, well, people are driving less now and the traditional way to pay for transportation projects is drying up around the nation. So in other words, when the government implements these taxes, they never, ever factor in downticks for the income. The only solution, of course, is to create more taxes to make up for the shortfall. Isn't that fantastic? They could just make up for the shortfall by, you know, coming up with a new tax, kind of like you know the SCHIPS thing? Yeah, remember that's being paid for by 23 million new additional smokers. I thought we were trying to get people to stop smoking. And when they do, what are you going to do about it? "Don't worry, we'll just come up with a new tax." Here's a crazy idea. How about we just cut back on some of the things we're buying and can't afford? What do you say? Even a crazier idea when it comes to transportation projects, why don't we just, why don't we just all agree that it shouldn't take 80 million years to add a lane on a bridge? I'm just -- I know, that's crazy that I could suggest government would be able to finish a project under budget and maybe under time. I know that will never happen.
The other rationale is that even when people are driving more, they need this new mile tax because -- you ready for this? This is going to make blood shoot out of your eyes -- the wonderful new high-mileage vehicles are not producing enough tax revenue. So in other words, the thing that was going to pay for your vehicle -- you know you buy one of these hybrids, "At least it's a good idea because I buy less gas," no, no. Pete Rahn, the head of the Department of Transportation had an idea of pay for every mile you drive idea. He said we'll end up paying for what we drive, where we drive and when we drive. Wow, thanks, Pete, for not even attempting to think of another alternative. Rahn envisions a tax where, quote, if you drive a Hummer or whatever, a vehicle that might be from 30 years from today at 7:30 in the morning on I-70, you are going to pay a higher rate. If you are going to drive a Civic on the side streets at 10:30 in the morning, you'll pay a lower rate or vice versa. The vehicle doesn't matter. Wow. Sounds like the mileage tax is a dream come true. Only one obstacle now stands in the way of his dream. Quote: The hugest impediments to implementing this type of system are the privacy issues. Americans don't like the idea that someone or in the reality there would be some machine would know when you drove or where you drove. "Yeah, yeah, that's one of the problems that I have with it. You are not making me feel any better with the some machine qualifier." But the other thing we don't like is another government solution being more taxes! The good news is the concept now is gaining federal support.
Last year -- and I didn't even know this organization existed. You want to know how to cut taxes? Get rid of the National Surface Transportation Police. What is the National Surface Transportation Police? Or, the Revenue Study Commission. It was established by congress and it reported that a mileage tax should be strongly considered. There's already a study underway looking at implementing the mileage tax. The original reason for doing this was the loss of revenue due to less driving, or those pesky high mileage vehicles that the government is trying to make us drive and make GM build. So after one of the most severe gas price spikes in decades, a shock to the people's system, the state net loss on tax revenues had to be huge, right? Had to be enormous. The states are just panicking, yeah. In Missouri the revenue from the 17 cent gasoline tax and diesel tax is expected to be $498 million, down from $520 million. That's a 4% drop in revenue, and they want some machine now due to a 4% drop in revenue. They are going to do it no matter what we say. We're on a march to socialism, ask the loss of tax revenue is just their way to implement and change us into more taxes, a way for us to stop driving those SUVs all over the place. But since they're so desperate for cash, they've got to do something because that's what the American people -- you've got to do something. You've got to do it right now, and the government will say, "You're right. It's an emergency. We've got to act now." So while they are waiting for that government study to finish up on the mileage tax, some of the states are just going to jack up the gasoline tax another 2 cents per gallon.
VOICE: That was even more overwhelming evidence that we are destined to be a bunch of socialist pigs very, very soon on the Glenn Beck program.
