Gasoline prices are heavily subsidized in the US, the gas price you complain about is cheap compared to other countries.
The commodity price for gasoline right now looks to be about 2 USD per gallon. Retail gasoline in the USA is at least a dollar more due to taxes and markup.
Subsidies may play a role as well, but the taxes in some countries are extreme by American standards. My take on it is that a fuel tax is effectively neutral if it brings in enough revenue to pay for the road system.
The fuel tax isn’t enough to cover the damage to the environment and quality of life, though. That’s why taxes are that high in many other places. Same way cigarettes are taxed to help discourage use and to help cover the increased healthcare costs it puts on everyone
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Peace:
“Vision of Humanity 2024 Global Peace Index ranked 132nd out of 162 countries”
…yup. sounds about right. We’ve been at some kind of war for pretty much the entirety of our existence…
Affordable healthcare
Public transit
Civilian oversight
Prisoner rehabilitation
Universal income
Free education
Separation of religion and state
Wealth taxes
Law enforcement accountability
Environmental regulations…
Where is this magical place?
Scandinavia.
Was guessing so. Thanks for your reply,
USA could be, but isn’t the greatest country in the world.
Not everything on Lemmy is US specific.
!politics@lemmy.world shouldn’t be limited to US politics. Same for !news@lemmy.world
Edit: from the sidebar
Welcome to the discussion of US Politics!
Please make US specific communities like !AskUSA@discuss.online more active instead of bringing your local issues to every community
You have a massive obesity problem that is killing you and it is not normal.
Needing two jobs to survive isn’t a good thing.
The main reason US can and could ever delude itself into being great is for having a ridiculous people-to-land/resources ratio. There is nothing inherently great about how the US does things, it just seems that way because you can do whatever you want if you have essentially infinite resources compared to everyone else.
Despite his severe back problems, Luigi mangione is the only one of you who has a backbone.
We exist as much as you do. You’re not the main character.
!AskUSA@discuss.online for USA questions
Say that to the aliens who are going to make first contact with us.
In either New York or Los Angeles, because those are the only places that exist, clearly
We can’t understand how millions can vote for a senile, convicted sexual predator as president…
Dude half of us don’t understand it either.
It’s amazing what decades of defunding education will do when you mix it with a healthy dose of conservative talk show TV and social media algorithms.
I dunno, i understand it pretty well. Lack of education, lead paint/gasoline, nationalism, fascism, racism, sexism, economic disparity, lack of healthcare to deal with neural degeneracy common in trump supporters, and finally lower borth rates among the more educated. America is a shithole, and has been for the past 40 years at least. Until we finally grow a spine and start “adjusting”, things are going to continue getting worse until were all dead and the olligarchs own everything. Then theyll move on to fucking the rest of the world (harder than they already are)
The gun rights y’all have?
Now, most people would tell you that Gun Control Works and that you should just do that and get less dead kids per month which is a generally good thing.
… But here’s another thing to consider. As long as you’re allowed to purchase weapons for cheap and easy.
You do realise you can in fact do something about the assholes in your government and your oligarchies with those guns, right? That they can be used for more than just killing children?
Luigi Mangione seemed to get it.
To some Americans, it is that the US isn’t the pinnacle of democracy but far from it. To others, that the EU isn’t better policy wise than the US, it just has far more competing interests which mean lobbyists have to hand out more than a lump sum of sucking up to people. To some Americans, that your health care system is really shit, to others, that their public health care is increasingly under attack in some EU countries by an industry pouching and locking down medicine through the profits their greed has allowed them to accumulate in countries like the US to such an extent that there are real tradeoffs now to the for-profit alternative.
You need a second civil war
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Just my own personal hell. 40 years in the making. You?
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US was founded on Capitalism and is a basket case of rampant Greedy Capitalism, Slavery, War Profiteering and Bullying. It has always been the case and has never stopped. Ever since the British tried stopping George Washington from usurping American Indians’ land. The lofty ideals were mere veneer.
The only thing that has changed is that there are many more players in the field and US’ shortcomings as a modern society is getting apparent.
founded on Capitalism
I don’t think that’s accurate. I cannot fathom why people think it’s necessary to say dramatic yet untrue things when they’re trying to get a point across. Sure, the main point you’re trying to make is true but when your opening statement is incorrect you’re just undermining your entire point.
The united states was not founded on capitalism because capitalism wasn’t a prevalent force. It was founded on slavery.
is a basket case of rampant Greedy Capitalism, Slavery, War Profiteering and Bullying
True; no notes.
always been the case and has never stopped
This is an oversimplification of history. It makes for a powerful speech but it’s pretty garbage as far as convincing anyone who doesn’t already agree with you.
Ever since the British tried stopping George Washington from usurping American Indians’ land.
I’m gonna need a citation for this it’s entirely possible this is referencing something I’ve never heard of, but it’s also possible that it’s lionizing the British because “America bad”.
I’m bored now. Critique over.
Slavery is the ultimate form of capitalism where humans are “securitized” into commodities/capital.
Capitalism is defined by the relationship of the employer and employee. Slaves aren’t employees. You’re just lumping every bad thing under “capitalism.”
