Greg Beale, Redding

The fact is we should have raised taxes on gasoline to $2 or $3 a gallon years ago; and the goal should be to reduce the reliance on fossil fuel and to conserve what is left. That is what Europe has done and the result is a train and bus system that reduces the need for automobiles for a large segment of the population.

In America what do we have? A system that forces people to drive more than forty miles one-way to work, highways that, yes, are falling apart, because of the huge quantity of vehicles that crush them every day; and a public transportation system that many from Europe and Asia call a 'museum'.

And our country is hopelessly addicted to a lifestyle that leaves us vulnerable to oil embargoes and the inevitable crash when peak oil hits in about 10 years.

That's right, in about 10 years we start running out of gas worldwide.

And we are so ill-prepared for it, it is beyond belief.

The state needs more taxes on fuel. But now the impact will be huge because we have stupidly eliminated Plan B.

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