From MSNBC here, among other places:If it seems like there is something familiar about the gasoline tax “holiday†being proposed by Sen. John McCain, there is. : Back in 1996, when Dole pushed his tax cut and Clinton sold oil from the SPR to ease drivers' pain, the average U.S. price of gasoline was about $1.36 a gallon, about 14 cents higher than a year before, according to the Associated PressMcCain is proposing a tax holiday on federal taxes (18.4 cents/gal) on gasoline from Memorial Day to Labor Day. I really don't think people will benefit significantly from that, while the government loses a stable revenue stream. And it does nothing to encourage a long-term solution (conservation, R&D on alternatives). I used to like McCain, but I haven't been impressed lately.
As if $0.184 is really gonna make a difference. This is just more moronic short term thinking. Solve the fooking problem you jackasses! We've got to stop trying to paper over the cracks. The first step is to really, and honestly, admit that the way we're doing things is flawed. After that we need to look for sustainable long term solutions to our problems.
Its really the dumbest idea yet, 18 cents per gallon will be filled pretty quickly by the oil companies, thats problem number one, the oil companies will allow the 18 cent lowering, then cent it back up, so that when the 18 cents returns, it now even more expensive than it would have been without the 18 cent savings. Second, the time that the tax isn't collected, will be be just that much less for roads, which is what the tax is mostly used for. So now there is a shortfall in road funds, either less repairs or more debt, not a solution for anything. And all the while, McCain would be spending more on Iraq. McCain is old ideas, dumb ideas and more debt on waste, he isn't a solution for anything.
LOL. No doubt. Anyway, I don't think any of them have well thought out positions. Didn't McCain co-sponsor a greenhouse gas bill? I assume that would have imposed some sort of carbon tax, presumably on gasoline.
And whats wrong with raising taxes? Republicans have no plans other than raise debt, the other part of McCain's plan is to cut even more corporate taxes, but to spend even more on Iraq, thats a plan? You cut taxes only when you cut waste, and cutting domestic waste while using that savings to spend on foreign waste is the most idiotic idea yet. Republicans never had a plan to cover their debt, at least Democrats want to pay for their ideas. I hate taxes, but damn, I'm not ignorant to the debt Republicans have put on the country, a country in dire straights to improve itself.
It's a pretty simple equation between revenue, spending, and debt. You can't decrease one term without raising at least one of the others. Tom
Yes, So we can stop Borrowing from China. This could help pay for the WAR that the GOP Likes to Borrow for!! Lets see, More Debt or More Taxes?? One or the Other??
Has anybody figured out just what problem this is supposed to solve? From what I can tell, it is supposed to simply make it cheaper to buy gasoline, right? And that helps us how, exactly? Makes it even easier to squander it in our guzzlers? Keep commuting alone in our Hummers? The "poor" that I hear so much about - they suddenly have no worries if we roll back the gas prices to, say, last month? And this whole time we lose a revenue stream that trickles into our huge debt hole? Sign me up! Anything we can do to make gasoline use easier and less painful is a move in the exact wrong direction. But you all knew that...
I don't really see any other way. How can we keep spending ridiculous amounts of money without raising taxes? Our reckless spending (at the gov't and individual level) coupled with a lack of oversight on various corporate activities has gotten us into this huge mess. I used to be more conservative but the last 8 years have shown that: 1.) corporations will lie, cheat, and steal unless they're regulated 2.) fighting wars ought to require sacrifice. Borrowing money and trying to inflate the debt away is incredibly stupid and too easy. Getting rid of the petrol tax will simply make it that much harder to get this country where it needs to be (free of oil in the transportation sector). Not to mention the sad state of our roads and bridges...
If china is stupid enough to keep giving us money on a loan that we are obviously going to default on, what's the problem?
Well defaulting on the loan is one thing, the other is the annual interest they will get besides that, we might not be able to pay off the Chinese, but they do get their interest payments and get to hold the debt over our head for anything they want.
I'm not an economist, but we exchange paper (money) for goods and services. True foreign governments hold the T notes. But they can only hold this over our heads so much because the market influence is a two way street I think. Plus there is the nuclear option, our money is not backed by anything real so we print out 4 trillion and pay everyone off and hit reset then hold on...:boom: It dosnt' matter anyway..the world is comming to an end in 2012 anyway so spend away...:hurt: Virgina roads are a mess and we need to fix it. But the state government is to chicken S... to raise taxes directly so they try other ideas that are not constitutional in the long run and nothing is getting done.. so much to the taxes we already pay and the state lottery.:target:
hmm. we're taking a ~2500 mile round trip coming up here soon. assuming the worst (40 mpg) that's 62.5 gal. saving 0.184/gal saves us exactly $11.50 over 2500 miles: $0.0046/mile. boy, that would solve ALL our problems!!
I hope they don't pass this tax break on gas. I'm just waiting for the day that people decide gas is to expensive and get rid of their huge trucks and SUVs. I am so sick of opening my windows to enjoy a nice spring day and have some redneck in a huge as$ truck accelerate from a stop light and have oil and gas fumes poor out of the back of that piece of crap and into my car. Why can't red necks drive Corolla's or Civic's and give me a break?
Simple. Cut the pork spending. It infuriates me how much we spend on useless projects simply to appease some senator's constituents.
Want to guess what the BIGGEST PORK PROJECT is? Can't cut Domestic pork spending to be able to spend on a Foreign Pork Project, that makes no sense.
And even when they are regulated, but the administration doesn't enforce the regulations. The sacrifice will be made by future generations as their standard of living will be lowered compared to ours because they are saddled with debt. We are spending your kids money to finance the war and they won't have anything to show for it in the end except for badly deteriorated infrastructure. Luckily, I only have 4 legged kids, but I feel bad for everyone who has the human kind.
Aye mate. The problem is the that the people just accept this without asking the hard questions. Our elected representative should be doing this for us as they're our voice in gov't. Unfortunately, most of them are spineless tw@ts. There are some good ones in the legislature, but not enough.
