I was really surprised to read in the Evansville Courier & Press "Letters to the Editor" that the majority of the readers polled are against reductions in the gasoline tax. I expected, after hearing on the local news that there was discussion of lowering the gasoline tax, that most residents would be in favor of this measure, even if it only amounted to saving a few cents per fill-up. Yet, those who wrote in were staunchly against any such reduction. One reader's letter in particular caught my eye. He stated that the gas tax is actually too low, in part because it does not help cover our future needs. He noted that higher gas taxes could be used to finance alternative fuels. He further noted that higher gas taxes, as is the case in Europe, would encourage smaller vehicles and more prevalent use of public transportation.

I wholeheartedly agree with this reader's comments, although I think the gas tax would have to be very high to deter larger SUVs being purchased and to deter people from using their own vehicles in favor of public transportation. I think it is really encouraging though, that the readers of this publication, who are often against any increase in energy prices, favored the gas tax. In my mind, it makes a lot of sense to spread the funding for energy needs around by an increased gas tax, rather than try to fund it by one lump sum. If we could allocate a portion of each amount taxed at the pump to alternative energy research and development, we could make a lot of headway in this direction without too much pain to the consumer. Even if the tax was raised considerably, most consumers would probably pay it without too much resistance. Instead of waiting for the future to delve into alternative energy, we could actually do more to raise funds for it now, even while we consume fossil fuels. To me, this seems one of the most feasible ways of effecting change.