GAS TAX HOLIDAY A JOKE IN ITSELF
By Schuyler ThorpeAuthor and Political Activist
Today, oil went to $120 a barrel on news of a further weakening US dollar. (That means it will take more dollars to buy our oil and many other precious commodities.)
But despite acknowledgments that a gas tax ‘holiday’ will not work in the best interest of the American consumers’ pocketbooks (not to mention the devastating ripple effect it will have on our nation’s roads and highways infrastructure system), both John McCain and Hillary Clinton are still advocating such a thing–even though passage of such legislation is in the realm of impossibility.
The whole notion behind the new political ploy is just a classic Washingtonian gimmick designed to buy people’s votes–at least the stupid ones anyways. (More than likely? They are from the same voting bloc whom gave Bush his second term of office.)
Getting down to it, a $30 savings in gas over the summer isn’t going to buy you, me, or anyone else peace of mind or financial security. Not when we are faced with (still), high energy prices, high food prices, the mortgage meltdown, the credit crunch, and job insecurities.
Most of the people whom are against this idea knows this. But those who are for it…? They either must be dumber than a stump, or blind as a bat–if they think that this money saved is a good idea for all of America.
In reality, it isn’t. Like I said before, this will have a deeply negative impact on our nation’s roads and highways. This gas tax that both McCain and Clinton are in favor of eliminating for the next 3 months will also eliminate much needed funding for our nation’s infrastructure!
Roads, highways, even bridges. Does anyone remember the W-35 bridge which collapsed last year? McCain was quoted as saying that it was due to state government waste–but he backed off the unproven claim before that gaffe damage could be made permanent.
Well–in any event–every bridge span, road section, or highway overpass is going to be vulnerable should this tax be eliminated. And not just that, but all those hundreds of thousands of jobs (300K+ by some estimates) whom depend on this vital gas tax to keep things going and them employed.
Our foreign oil needs are so severe that we need to start taking a real look into how we can safely develop alternative energies and ways to wean our butts off the Saudi teat.
But we can’t do it when we have politicians like Clinton and McCain going around and parading idiotic (and destructive) energy policies which will do nothing to address the problems of energy dependence at home. (That includes drilling in the Alaskan National Wildlife Arctic Reserve–or ANWAR–for oil that won‘t even put a dent in our daily consumption levels. Or current gas prices.)
We need strong energy legislation that is designed to address the problems forthright and constitutes a positively lasting impact on our energy needs.
And only then will we be off the oil kick which has held the US hostage for the last century.
Schuyler Thorpe is an author, a political activist, and a frequent letter writer to The Everett Herald of Snohomish County. He can be reached at: starchildalpha1 at yahoo.com
Labels: energy dependence, energy policies, gas tax holiday, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, oil
posted by Schuyler Thorpe @ 3:43 PM
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