Politics – If he's talking $30 over six months or 180 days, he's talking about 16 or 17 cents a day, which means he thinks the average American family uses less than a gallon a day.
Misstep in cipherin as Obama's only short coming? Surely Goppy you jest? His judgement concerning friendship/associating with William Ayers, known terrorist & the slightly racist, anti-american Rev. Wright seem to be another tiny short coming Of Obama's. Any sitting senator that has aspirations of being a President and says he is for every American might think those friendships are questionable. You would think Obama would be disassociating himself from the likes of Ayers and Wright who's beliefs are opposite of what Obama sites in his speeches of hope and change. ?
Instead of arguing about a suspension of the Federal gas tax for 3 months, the discussion should be about whether the Feds should be involved in collecting the tax and funding a Highway Trust fund at all! Move it all back to the states except for a 2 or 3 cents/gal for emergencies
Congress has already made it clear they are unable to constrain themselves and every highway bill is dripping with pork
States and local governments should be able to set priorities for what is needed. The Feds should no longer be involved
As one article noted:
The Highway Trust Fund will run a negative balance sometime in 2009, yet the Congress and the President fail to make any substantive proposals that would alter this outcome. The Committee unhelpfully points out that the President didn't propose any new ideas, and then happily slices and dices a number of programs into 1,400 earmarks.
TCS has long maintained that earmarking is one of the problems that has led to this bleak outlook for the HTF.
Lack of prioritization has been a huge problem for our nation's transportation program for many years now.
When the money coming out of Washington is so thinly sliced, it spreads it out to too many projects for the trust fund to support. In addition, when transportation decisions are made based on political might (ie. earmarks) instead of on the nation's true transportation needs, the priorities still need to be funded.
It is no surprise that the Chair and Ranking of the Appropriations Committee (Reps. Obey (D-WI) and Lewis (R-CA)) and the Transportation-HUD subcommittee (Reps. Olver (D-MA) and Knollenberg (R-MI) were some of the biggest winners in this bill.
http://www.taxpayer.net/TCS/PressReleases/2007/...
Some of the pork:
$100,000 for the Murray Athletic Center Elmira College
$250,000 for construction at the Walter Clore Wine and Culinary Center
$100,000 for the Wakely Lodge Resort, a golf course,
$81 million (admin request was $74.2 million) for the Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (CAASD), which is a project of the Mitre Corporation
$50,000 for the National Forest Recreation Association, for construction of a National Mule and Packers Museum in Bishop, CA
$250,000 for Downtown Roanoke (VA) for Infrastructure renovations for awnings of the historic market,
$100,000 for the Town of Boydton (VA) for development of the Walking Tour of Boydton
Give me a break! Why is the Federal gas tax paying for these projects
Take control out of Federal hands
They just can't resist pork
Should we be surpirsed by his fuzzy math? How about his fuzzy US Geography:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008...
"It is wonderful to be back in Oregon," Obama said. "Over the last 15 months, we've traveled to every corner of the United States. I've now been in 57 states? I think one left to go. Alaska and Hawaii, I was not allowed to go to even though I really wanted to visit, but my staff would not justify it."
Would the Senator, please name, those other 7 states he has visited, or added to his itinerary? Come on. If you take this guy away from his handlers he can't talk at all. I guess he thinks there is really 59 states since there are two he hasn't visited. The Democrats are foolish if they think Americans will elect this man.
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Gee, I dont know capey.
This story you submitted seems liek you and the author is trying to create a tempest in a teapot.
And 'Fuzzy Math'?
I absolutely HATE it when we Christian Conservatives remind folks bout the Neo-Con invention of 'Trickle Down Economic' therory.
This authors problem is that the only thing negative thing he can find to say bout Barrack Obama is a possible misstep in cipherin.
But oddly - it completely ignores the most important part of the story ... that Obama is opposed to the gas tax holiday for completely honorable reasons. Those bein that its a blatant attempt to pander to the most egregiously ignorant voters.
Why?
All you got to do is look at the bridge collapse in Minnesota.
The gas tax goes to repairin and upgradin the nations roads inferstructure. Without it, Americas roads and bridges will deteriorate even faster.
Course, we Conservatives dont care bout roads n inferstructure. Only lower taxes.
Its our religion.
See: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f2290.pdf
I am sorry that you were not able to get a school voucher and learn some actual history.
He won a Nobel Prize for his theories. Among other economic theories he is the father of "supply side" economic theory which is sometimes referred to as "trickle down"
He even influenced Bill Clinton. One of Friedman's favorite sayings was that if you want provide an incentive for poverty (i.e. welfare) you would get more of it. In 1996, when Clinton signed a welfare reform bill that emphasized work, he became a Friedmanite, too.
Of all people you referring to the American public as "ignorant voters" Now that is an enigma.
NTSB has taken core samples of the pavement "to get a better picture of the deck thickness," and is studying construction records for items that might show what kind of strain $9รข;;million overlay project may have put on the bridge just prior to its collapse.
Your article gives Obama's words as:
"We could suspend the gas tax for six months, but that's not going to bring down gas prices long-term. You're gonna save about 25, 30 dollars, or half a tank of gas."
Suspending the gas tax for six months will definitely NOT bring down gas prices long-term, so your problem must be with the last part.
The proposal by McCain and Clinton suspends the gas tax between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
That's NOT 180 days. It's LESS than 100 days.
But the math isn't the point. The "gas-tax holiday" does nothing for long-term prices. And more importantly, there's NO guarantee the savings wouldn't be sucked up by the oil companies or various middlemen.
We actually did this in Illinois 8 years ago--suspended the state gas tax for six months. And yes, Obama voted for it. He's learned through experience that the savings DO NOT get passed on to the consumer.
Nobody noticed a price difference at the pump.
"But the math isn't the point."
That's true
Wait until all of the areas in the country that depend upon summer tourist dollars for survival start raising local taxes, businesses start closing or cities begin declaring bankruptcy in the fall
You admit that the math isn't the point, but this article's sole (and flawed) argument is that Obama fudged on the figures.
I'm not sure what your comment about regions that depend on tourist dollars has to do with the point either. A gas-tax holiday that saves $25--or even $50--over the course of three months is not going to affect tourism.
Beau
The point of any "tax holiday" is psychological
They have a state tax holiday here one long weekend in the late summer before school starts
Everyone waits until then to buy their kids school supplies and clothing. It's absolutely crazy - stores are mobbed, parking in the lots is impossible BUT people feel like they are "saving" money. People end up spending MORE than they would without the holiday
According to the article "The federal gas tax is 18.4 cents a gallon, so accepting his 30 cents a day figure, he must think we use a little more than a gallon and a half a day, including weekends, driving to our jobs, to the mall, to our kid's soccer games, even to the 7-Eleven."
Is that calculation correct?? Looks like it to me
That would apply to me - I don't work
Does it apply to anyone I know who works - NO
My husband ran the numbers, we'd save a lot more than $30 in 3 months
My point was that the math doesn't really matter.
According to a report on MSNBC today, more people are riding public transportation. They gave the % increase in various areas of the country
What are the Feds going to do now??? Gas tax revenues will decline
That calculation is correct over 180 days. The proposals by McCain and Clinton are for the gas tax to be lifted between Memorial Day and Labor Day--closer to 100 days. That's why the assertion in the article isn't valid.
But though there may be a psychological aspect to lifting the tax temporarily, people spending more than they would without the holiday doesn't really provide relief. Though they may save on gas, by your own admission, they spend more, plunging them deeper into debt, which doesn't help consumers.
And you're right--if demand is down, and if the gas tax is lifted (and it has any effect on demand), the government will lose tax revenues. I imagine the government will borrow more to cover the loss. That can't be a good thing either.
Beau
The government is going to have to find a new source of revenue for highways in the not too distant future
As more hybrids, electric etc and more fuel efficient vehicles are on the roads, the gas tax revenue will continue to fall
If they continue to increase the gas tax, it is only the middle class and low income who will be hurt - they can't afford to go out and buy these newer vehicles
A 3 month gas tax holiday is nothing compared to the loss of revenue which is coming
Perhaps the 3 month holiday will shake the cobwebs out of some politicians heads in DC and they will look at the problem before it is a disaster
Who's talking about increasing the gas tax? I'm talking about leaving it alone.
There is no doubt that the government will need to find new sources of revenue if we use less gas.
I hope there aren't too many who will complain that any other source is an increase in taxes.