Big Brother Inches Closer

I did a blog entry back in 2005 about the creeping of Big Brother government into the control of our vehicles. It is a subject that concerns me greatly because, frankly, it seems inevitable unless Americans stand up to the creeping and leaping Big Government intrusion into every sector of our lives. From light bulbs to cow farts the government is extending it's tentacles into our lives and vehicles.

Here's a tidbit from the news that should make you stop and think and also scare you as we watch the US Government seize control of car companies, plan new "carbon taxes," and generally tighten the grip of it's money grubbing fingers around our privacy and wallets. From the Kansas City Star:

"The year is 2020 and the gasoline tax is history. In its place you get a monthly tax bill based on each mile you drove — tracked by a Global Positioning System device in your car and uploaded to a billing center." Link

Now some of you might think that you could circumvent the system by keeping your old vehicle. No, that won't work because you will simply be required by law to have it installed on your old vehicle. At your expense, of course.

You might think you could find a way to disable the system or mask the GPS signal but that would be tampering with a regulatory device, akin to grinding the serial numbers off of a gun. Big time felony, fine, and jail. You would not risk it. You have too many obligations to attend to. Besides, your odometer could be physically checked during your annual someday mandatory Federal smog equipment/safety inspection and you'd have to account for the mileage discrepancy between the big government computer and your vehicle odometer just like you can be audited by the IRS and have to explain your tax filings.

Radar traps, red light cameras, speed cameras, mandatory safety inspections, by-the-mile taxes based on GPS installed in your vehicle. Do you feel those cold, slippery, tentacles of government around your wallet yet, or worse, your privacy? You should. It's happening. As I said back in 2005, it's not a question of political parties at this point, it's a technocrat and money issue. And these days the government's insatiable thirst for your money trumps your freedom and privacy every time.


Think twice next time you vote and be sure to ask the politician for whom you are voting where he or she stands on personal privacy, actually cutting government spending, and the mile-by-mile tracking by the government of law abiding private citizens for any reason.