The US federal gas tax has gone down since 1993 in any way you measure it except nominal dollars per gallon (since it has been fixed in nominal dollars per gallon since 1993). It's low enough now to neither be an effective excise tax (it's lower than sales tax in some places), nor fund the federal spend on highways.

Nominal dollars per mile: gone down by about 10% on average since cars have gotten more efficient since 1993

Real cost per gallon: gone down by more than half, since we've had ~116% inflation since 1993

Real cost per mile: just multiply the two together and it's about 60% lower than it was in 1993.

Percentage of spend on gasoline: Gas was $1.11 per gallon in 1993, and it's about triple that today.

That's political suicide. As much as I wish for what you write to become true, look at how stupidly unimportant (or unsolvable) items made people like trump from 0 to hero. This is majority of US voters, and same applies in many other countries. This would hurt literally everybody and cost given political side couple of elections.

Look at how every single politician across all spectrum is playing politics and PC and is on full PR mode 24/7 when on camera. That's not the kind of people who make good long term decisions just because... they are good. Not when they massively hurt back.

> That's political suicide. As much as I wish for what you write to become true, look at how stupidly unimportant (or unsolvable) items made people like trump from 0 to hero.

Or look at how the carbon tax is killing the ruling party in Canada. It reduces GHG emissions, is structured in a progressive way that's a financial benefit to most people, is strongly supported by most economists, and is wildly unpopular at large.

> structured in a progressive way that's a financial benefit to most people

I think most people are unable to draw a line from the carbon tax to how it financially benefits them

It has had a very visible surface level impact of making gas more expensive at gas stations, which is very clearly not a financial benefit for individuals who drive gas cars

People need a concrete reason to believe that this puts money in their pocket. Not some just some vague assurance of "This financially benefits you"

> I think most people are unable to draw a line from the carbon tax to how it financially benefits them

I probably agree, but if people can't draw that line from quarterly deposits into their bank accounts, it feels pretty hopeless.

Maybe digital money is too ephemeral and the government should have insisted on mailing paper cheques to everyone.

The guy running the office before him was elevated on a pedestal of hope and dreams and didn't really deliver. Not that he as successor did either.

There are deeply rooted problems with the elite and people will eventually realize that the frontrunner aint got nothing up against it.

I wish the politicians that also wish the same as you would also state it publicly :)

Every country has the government it deserves.

  - Joseh de Maistre