My local papers news about the VMT tax

I was reading my local newspaper yesterday, and wanted to post some interesting finds here. Its from the stamford advocate. I will try my best here, i tried to find the article on their website, but thier was nothing, so here goes...
At leat one Connecticut legislator would like to put the brakes on an idea by the federal transportation secretary tot ax motorists based on how many miles they drive rather than how much gasoline they burn. Gasoline taxes, which for nearly half a century have paid for the federal share of highway and bridge contruction, can no longer be counted on to raise enough money to keep the nation's transportation system moving.Transportation secretary RAY LaHood told the Associated Press.
"We shoould look at the vehicular miles program where people are actually clocked on the number of miles that they traveled,"LaHood said.The idea is gaining ground in several states.
Governors in Idaho and Rhode Island are talking abuot such programs, and a North Carolina panel suggested in December that state start charging motorists a quarter-cent for every mile as a substitute for the gas tax. No plan is in the works in Connecticut yet, but at least one regional agency is enthsiastic about the idea of a VMT tax. "We think this is a great idea, and it's not likely to go away anytime soon," said Ryan Lynch, senior planner and Connecticut coorrdinator for th Tri-state Transportation Campaign. The Tri-state Transportation Campaign is a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing car dependency in NY, NJ and CT.Lynch said the idea of taxing mileage is an inspired way to help fund the region's transposrtation ssytem-particularly in CT, where the roads and bridges are amongst the country's worst.
However, state REP.Antonio Guerrera, D_Rocky Hill, co-chairman of the legislative Transportation Committee, said he has strong reservations abuot such a tx.Though he said he's open to learning more about the plan, he said,"it would have to make sense." For instance, Guerrera said, if uch a tax were implemented, he'd like to do away with the gasoline tax as a compensation."If were going to end up taxing people for mileage, thier should be a benefit,". Also, he said he was concerned about how a mileage-based tax would affect those living in remote areas of CT who don't have accessto a railraod line or other public transportation."We would kind of be penalizing these people who dont have the choice to use mass transit,".
A tentative plan in Massachusette to use GPS chips in vehicles to charge motorists by the mile has drawn complaints from drivers who say its an Orwellian intrusion by governemnt into the lives of citizens.Other motorists say it eliminates an incentive to drive m ore fuel-efficiant cars because guzzlers would be taxed at the same rate as fuel sippers. Lynch siad neither issue worries him much. He called concerns about government intrusion, "a red herring," and pointed out that legions ofAmericansown cell phones, whcih can be used to track people's movements."No one seems to be up in arms about that," he said.
A blue ribbon national tranportation commission is expected to release a report next week recommending a VMT.The system would require all cars and trucks be equpiied with global satellite positioning technology, a transponder,a clock and other equipment to record how many miles a vehicle was driven, wether it was driven on highways or secondary roads,a nd even whether it wa driven during peak traffic periods or off-peak hours.
The device would tally how much tax motorists owed depending upon thier road use.Motorists would pay the amount owed when it was downloaded, probably at gas stations at first, but an alternative eventually would be needed.

Now, i was in the papers website, googled around, and couldnt find the article, incase crdibilty comes into question. It was form yesterdays paper.
Im am SUPER pissed at this. For soem reason, i fel Al Gore is in on this.Yes, it is Orwellian, the governemnts intrusion on our whereabouts, AND making us pay for it. Notice how the article also states, cell phones can be used to locate you..
Whords of people are loosing thier jobs, and now that states are hurting. I dont feel my city spens its money wisely. Last year, they spent milliions to elimiante natural grass form parks and beaches, and are still in process of installing synthetic rubber grass. Thier more concerned about corporate business being in town, than its citiziens. The reason for the articifial turff grass was to save money, and laying off the workers who maintian the parks.
Are they trying to make us lazy, so we dont or cant go anywhere anymore? I have also heard, about toll booths coming back to the highway here soon, on I 95. This si not the time, nor ever, ti impose a King george tax. Im willing to bet, important people like politicians, and business people, will find a way to get through this tax free.
Looking forward to reading and chatting with all that read and also dislke this. Im tellin you...we need some kind of striong represented petition amongst us all, and let em know unacceptable to the highest degree. If we just sit and take it, nothing will get done: (

I won't ever put one of those on my car for anyone. The government has proven it is incompetent, and it has stolen my money. It is an incompetent thief. I do not trust the government, and there is no good reason for anyone to allow such invasive recording of their vehicular movement.

The one thing the guy forgot to mention about cell phones is that they are a voluntary item.

Nobody forces anyone to have a cell phone. This on the other is equivalent to putting a gun to our heads and saying, "do this or else".

Not only that but I doubt the gas tax will go away because it is a federal tax, and they will make us pay for it and if we decide not to we will get fined.

# that!!!!

I'm seriously tired of the government, all they do is keep growing and increasing their budget. Why don't they do what everyone else does in hard times. CUT BACK!!!!

This is bull.

Yeah, government steals from us, big time. I was astounded honestly, to hear that guy in the article, say cell phones can be used to track you! Ive told many peoplet his at work, and online, and all have laughed at me...no joke. Apparently, its been confirmed, as far as im concerned. Thiers gotta be something that we can do, to let em know HOW angry we are, and how UN patrioticly american this is.
It seems they have found a way, for example, people like us here, talking amongst thsoe with things in common,...they could easlily track us down now...