Government Prepares the Public for Cradle to Grave Surveillance
2/28/2009
Last week Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood floated the idea of a mileage tax. “The idea – which involves tracking drivers through Global Positioning System (GPS) units in their cars – is gaining support in some states as a way of making up for a shortfall in highway funding,” reports CNN.
It didn’t take long for Obama to reject the idea – at least for now. The National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission report rolling out the mileage tax is designed not to foist this intrusive technology on the American people in the short term, but rather get them acclimated to the idea of being tracked and taxed.
“The White House was somewhat premature,” commission Chairman Robert Atkinson told Bloomberg. “It’s absolutely critical that we look at it. The members of Congress that are committed to a robust transportation system are certainly very aware of the risks of that system not having as much money as it needs because of the stated policy of the Obama administration.” According to Atkinson and the panel, the so-called stimulus bill won’t be sufficient to meet highway-funding needs and financing programs in partnership with private companies “can play an important supplementary role.”
Harold
ACGR's "News with Attitude" 