Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Going Green and Going Broke

"Electric vehicle owners might have to start paying a $100 registration fee every year under a bill that passed the state Senate on Tuesday...Senate Bill 5251 moved forward in a 36-11 vote, with supporters saying it would ensure that all drivers pay something to maintain state roads but opponents arguing a flat fee for all battery-powered cars was a simplistic approach" The Olympian 

The Washington State Legislature is trying to find more revenue to make for their shortfall this session. One area of interest is electric cars and how they "miss out" on some of the gas tax. So if you have an electric or hybrid you might be dinged for not buying enough gas. I love how our government works....

In regards to electric cars and other" Go Green" vehicles. The federal government also gives tax break to those that buy them. So some people suggest that maybe instead of making up a Hybrid/electric tax just eliminate there tax ride off. That might be a better option in my opinion. I don't think the government should give tax incentives for private business but that's just me. What ever the out come, the go green crowd will be paying a little more of there own greens.


Tuesday, March 29, 2011

The Changing of the Guard

There comes in the course of history a time were a small minority could forever change the very fate of our nation. Often people claim that those times are great areas of conflict or times of civil unrest, where the dedication of a few revolutionaries, can surpass the collective apathy of the masses. Very rarely are elections contributed with being true turning points in America history. As I have heard even political professors say, that in the end of the day elections don't really matter, movements matter.

So what, if you become a new yes or no vote in the electorate, unless your part of the majority or the deciding factor in a vote what real impact can you have, except making the lives of the other legislature more difficult? What can really changes the fate and direction of our nation is the social and cultural shifts. Often those shifts can be assisted by those we elect to higher office or the leader we prop up, but the momentum and the heart of any movement resides within the emotions of the people.

From my work in the political community for the past year, I have ridden shotgun to many of the political revolutions and issues of our time. I have seen the impact the media and our pop culture has on the direction of the people of my generation.  More importantly I have seen the end result of all the madness and "reforms" that so many groups have been fighting for. The only results from their labor are a disenfranchised youth whose very future is being taxed by the growth of our nation.

This fact is being driven home by the rise in the cost of education and the continued reduction in entry level jobs for those soon to be out of school and/or out of work. For those raised on the promise of a good life after college are met with the cold reality of the stagnate waters that seem to be the future of our generation. With students being drunkenly awaken by Obama's last election found themselves quickly sobered by the increase attacks the their futures. What will become of the entitled youth when their comforts and future hopes are wagered against the preservation of a system they believe to have no stake in?

For those of you involved in the political realm, put your ears to the ground and listen to the rumble that's a coming. There is nothing more volatile then a large number of highly trained unemployed young people. As we have seen in the Middle East, the revolutions do not come from the old and the experienced, but from the youth whose dreams seem plausible with their perceived coming victory over the very culture that raised them. The larger the deficit grows, the more the entitlement generation will lose the dream that they where promise. To that end a great cultural revolution will come to America. A great cultural revolution that will forever change America and redefine the dream my generation fights for.
 
To what end do we strive? To whom do we find fellowship? To What send will the leader of tomorrow fight for today? One thing is for sure the changing of the guard is coming and the ranks will be filled with those that wish to fight to reclaim that which many of us feel was taken from us. The American Dream.