The sample below is an example of a weak response.
Gasoline is not cheap. It cost $15 for me to fill up my gas tank, that is with gas at $1.25 a gallon. You try to be very carefull about running you're car but the next thing you know you're out of gas. Ask anyone, running out of gas especially at night when on a highway when its dark is horibal. It is dangerous to so that is why you try to stay filled up. Gas is not the only expens. $15 would not be that much. But what about cloths, and you need some money to go out. Gas is all ready to expensive, why make it more. Added to all the other things it can mount up. For example, school books and fees. You have to make up a budget and stick to it. Give yourself room for one fillup a week, that's it. You have to save money aside for books, food, ect. If you need to go somewhere else, tough. That's all ready the way it is, if they make gas cost more it will be worst.
Sometimes I don't think our Representives don't listen to the people. They get of up their and forget who got them where they are. The voters who voted them in. May be they only come back 2 or 3 times per year. To them may be they get their expenses payed for by the goverment. Call somebody and have their car filled up and wash it. It is not a big deal. But ask anybody, it really is some thing to think about. You go out for lunch, that is 5 or 6 dollars, and you need the gas to get their which makes it even worse.
Do not make gas price any more. Less people could afford it, the way it is now. It all ready cost enough. If you want to raise some thing really some one should take a look at the way the goverment waists money, that would be a good way to save money and not put it on gas. We put them up their, we can put them back.
The sample below is an example of a strong response.
It is a well-known fact that Americans love their automobiles. In urban areas it is a common daily occurrence for Americans to find themselves jammed together on freeways, frequently one to a car, or bouncing over city streets pitted with huge craters and potholes. Streets and highways that were built just a few years ago are already worn out or are insufficient to handle the demands of increased traffic flow.
Our government lacks the resources to finance road construction and improvements at the rate required by this intensive use. What is the solution to these problems? The federal government must act at once to raise gasoline taxes in order to finance road improvements and public transportation.
Although no one likes the idea of taxes, most citizens accept the fact that they are necessary in order to pay for services that protect or benefit the public. The only thing most citizens demand is that taxes be fair. It is the responsibility of the government to place the greatest tax burden upon those individuals who most benefit from the service that is being provided. A gasoline tax would be a prime example of this kind of policy. Those who do the most driving use the most gasoline and thus should pay most of the tax. Companies with large fleets of trucks out on the public roads every day would face a high tax rate; retired people or younger drivers, who do not utilize public streets that often, would be taxed at a much lower rate. In this way road improvements could be financed by those who actually use the service.
In addition to funding road improvements, a higher gasoline tax might have an important secondary effect: It might lead to reduced gasoline consumption. Like all petroleum products, gasoline is a fossil fuel, and the supplies are not unlimited; there is a real possibility that one day the supplies will be exhausted. If the public is forced to pay additional taxes on every gallon of gas consumed, perhaps there will be a financial incentive to consume less. Commuters might be more motivated to car-pool, to share rides to common destinations, or to investigate alternative forms of transportation like busses, trains, bicycles, or even walking. People might think twice before jumping into their automobiles to drive around the block for a loaf of bread. More thought might go into examining the importance of various errands and into planning how these errands might be most efficiently accomplished.
If the federal government is going to raise gasoline taxes, however, they also have the responsibility to use some of the funds collected to develop and support alternative sources of transportation. The United States is far behind many other developed countries in terms of the availability and convenience of public transportation. Commuters in Asian and European countries utilize public transportation not just because gasoline prices are higher there, but because it is the easiest, most efficient way to reach one's destination. Whether it's a bullet train in Japan, a subway in France, or a tram in London, commuters in other countries have access to dependable and affordable public transportation. If the federal government is serious about extending the life of our current road and highway system, it must make a better effort to develop alternative systems of public transportation that Americans will really use.
Americans love their automobiles, and convincing them to cut down on automobile use or to seek out other forms of transportation will not be easy. Imposing increased gasoline taxes is the most equitable to way to pay for the use of our current road system. Such an action also makes environmental sense, and may help move Americans toward a more responsible use of public transportation.