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LEAVE YUPPIES ALONE

You know, Corey Pein could have written a great article about the tax credit given to folks who purchase a hybrid, but instead, wrote a mass of crap with disjointed statements complete with statistics which either didn’t support each other or just made a confusing mess that much more confusing (“Tax-Guzzlers,” WW, June 25, 2008).

First off, Chuck Sheketoff’s statement that the tax credit offered was junk from day one. Not so, Kemo Sabe. The credit allowed many to get into a new product which proved to be viable and thus has set the stage for lines of 300 at dealerships today.

The new motivator of getting folks into a fuel-efficient vehicle may be $4.50 a gallon gas. But retiring the credit could be unpopular, as it levels the field by capping the number at 600,000 vehicles per manufacturer. The credit for a Prius is virtually gone but is still available for most domestic Detroit products.

I would agree when Sheketoff said, “It’s an issue of budget priorities.” Handing out $5 million last year to new hybrid owners may have screwed the poor, but so did that little OHSU Tram project. One wonders how many bus passes and college educations that little expenditure would have purchased.

Rather than bash yuppies (do they still exist?), perhaps Corey could investigate how we can help the SUV owner switch when many have (resorted) to the justification that now they have to keep their SUVs because they cannot afford to take the huge loss trying to sell.

Brian Toye
Lake Oswego

Editor’s note: Records show Toye claimed such a credit.

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07.02.2008 at 05:34 Reply

John Benton

What makes Mr. Toye think that all SUV owners want to get rid of them? There is more to life than gas mileage.

07.02.2008 at 07:58 Reply

J Osterhaus

Perhaps what all those old white folks in congress SHOULD be doing, and the rest of us for that matter...instead of attacking those of us unfortunates who own an SUV (I don't, personally..too big for my taste)..maybe we should be going after all of the big refineries and gas stations who are deliberately gouging the hell out of us hardworking drivers at the pump, just because "they can"...Maybe then we MIGHT see at little bit of relief at the pump..or most likely see five dollars plus per gallon at Christmas time.

And contrary to the hype, I really do NOT believe that biofuels are the answer...unless those of us who stand by biodiesel really entertain the thought of people starving due to farmers selling off their crops to develop the stuff.

Write to your lawmakers, people. Take Tri-Met, ride your bike. Don't spray paint someone's property or smash windows...vandalism really doesn't make an impact on the oil companies.

07.02.2008 at 09:07 Reply

Bill

So is Toye saying, because tax dollars are often wasted on frivolous projects and handouts we shouldn't question the hybrid credit?

Kinda sets a funny precedent.

And I don't think he really grasps the nature of the credit. It's not the poor who have to pay for it. It's the tax payer who doesn't drive a hybrid.

Hell, my motorcycle and primary means of transport gets 55mpg. Maybe Toye and the rest who've taken the hybrid credit should write me a check for $1500?

07.02.2008 at 09:17 Reply

bruce

J Osterhaus,

Do a little research and you'll find that the gouging is not going on at the pump. The profits from gas sale are very low.

The companies making the money on oil are those who drill for it. The world market has determined the price for a barrel of oil. That price is passed on to the gas station owner.

The oil companies could subsidize gas prices at the pump, lowering the price and making up the difference on the oil at the well, but what about all those independent gas stations out there?

They don't have the well profits to make up for selling gas for less than cost.

They end up out of business because of the oil companies.

We're not being gouged at the pump, we're being gouged in Riyahd by OPEC and Wall St. by oil speculators.

07.03.2008 at 08:03 Reply

brian toye

To Mr. Benton - I never said that all SUV owners want to get rid of their vehicle - what I did say is that there are many who do in fact own a SUV, have the desire to downsize, yet cannot because the market for their SUV is virtually gone. While it would be easy to just say to hell with the rich bastards, perhaps it is in the best interests of the world's population that a few less gas guzzlers around would be beneficial - esp if the owners want out.

To Bill, by quoting the OHSU tram project, I was making reference to the original author, Corey Pein who said that the hybrid tax credits (of 5 mil) could have been used to buy bus passes or college educations. I was merely pointing out that the OHSU project, which clearly had many critics, was a much larger expenditure and is a more direct comparison (poor bus riders vs. richer public transport tram riders.) More folks could have been assisted with the 50+mil spent than 5 mil for the tax credit.

The tax credit idea was to get people to buy products which might be a hard sell for a myriad of reasons, yet still have benefits for the society at large. We received our $1250 credit for buying a 100% electric car - clearly not on everyones' wish list. The Prius owners also got a federal tax credit whereas our electric car did not, for tax year 2007. Frankly, I would not have any problem with offering up a tax credit for a scooter or motorcycle owner as riding one of those on the streets is crazy. I used to have a bike but with the way most folks drive - the fun quickly vanished. Perhaps we do need a credit to get more folks onto those forms of transport as it would save both petrol and our air.

I get the nature of the credit - both Corey and I do. Corey said in the original story that perhaps the poor could be helped with tax dollars rather than folks who are buying a better vehicle. Neither of us said that the poor pay for the credit.

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