The Chron’s editorial board lists the reasons why a federal gas tax holiday is such a bad idea:
The proposal insults the intelligence of American voters, assuming they will be swayed by a few dollars over the course of the summer to vote for Clinton instead of Sen. Barack Obama, or McCain rather than the Democratic nominee, as yet undecided.
Politicians insult the intelligence of American citizens every day, whether or not it’s election season. For that matter, the leadership of the Houston Chronicle insults the intelligence of its readers on a near daily basis, but we don’t hear of any changes in the boardroom.
At a time when U.S. highways and bridges are desperately in need of repairs or replacement, a suspension of the gasoline tax would divert about $30 billion from that vital task. Even if the government shifted tax dollars from other sources to the highway fund, the result would be an unneeded and irresponsible addition to the annual federal budget deficit. Clinton says she would cover the loss with a windfall profits tax on the oil industry. All that would do is discourage production and send oil prices even higher.
Politicians divert money from specific funds all the time. If the editors are worried about irresponsible additions to the federal budget deficit, they might want to undertake a federal house-cleaning, budget-wise, to reduce the layers upon layers of federally-funded programs that duplicate efforts. Or maybe tackle entitlements.
With high energy prices likely to be a feature of life for years to come, the United States needs to conserve its use of oil and gasoline and develop cleaner, alternative energy sources. Suspending the gasoline tax would encourage Americans to drive more, not less, and postpone the day when the country adopts a rational energy policy to cope with global warming and tightening supplies of crude.
The US needs to be drilling for our own oil, and building new refineries. That would make us energy independent. Alternative energy sources, mass transit, and driving less will not keep the American engine running, nor keep us in the forefront of innovation.
Clinton asks what’s wrong with helping working Americans hurt by high food and energy prices. Nothing is wrong with that, but suspending the gas tax would hurt all Americans in the long run by sending the wrong signal to the markets and consumers. Americans need to make better use of mass transit and live in smaller, denser housing in order to be closer to work.
Congress wasn’t too worried about sending the wrong signal when it decided to send taxpayers stimulus checks. And many in Congress want to bail out the tiny percentage of irresponsible homeowners who got themselves into mortgages they couldn’t afford. How about THAT for a wrong signal!
Government has a voracious appetite and it never thinks it should go without money. Government doesn’t think it should have to make financial choices, or tighten budgets, which citizens have to do all the time.
The Chronicle‘s editors are stupid if they think rising gas prices are going to make people “live in smaller, denser housing in order to be closer to work.” It’s not going to happen.
And the final best reason for a gas tax holiday? It’s our money to begin with. We earned it, but government takes it. Let us keep a “few dollars” of our own money.
RELATED: The Incoherence of Nancy Pelosi (Power Line)
(Old) Forum Comments (24)
