Who Wants a Gas Tax Holiday ?

[tbrown 26]

So how about that gas tax holiday McCain & hillary are both proposing ? At first I thought it was just a weird idea created by a tired old Republican. Then things got a little surreal when Hillary, a supposed Democrat tax & spender, jumped on the McCain bandwagon. Guess it gave her another cheap shot at Obama, who has the integrity to call it for the pile of cowpoop it really is.

But let's see, if I could save 30 cents a day, that would be $2.10 a week, so I could save me the price of one skydive in about 12 weeks. Aw heck, let's go for it !!

Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity !

[skydyvr 0]

It's below meaningless -- well into counterproductive territory.

The more we pay for gas, the fewer Hummers and Suburbans around, and that'll be a good thing.

Unfortunately, American gas prices will need to increase a LOT in order to prompt positive change in the way we consume energy. Lowering prices in this way is detrimental pandering.

. . =(_8^(1)

[JohnRich 4]

Economics tells us that there are two ways to reduce the price of gas:
1) Increase supply, or;
2) Decrease demand.

With a growing population and economy, not just here in America but in other nations around the world, #2 isn't going to happen in large quantities. But we need to do both of these as much as possible.

So Hillary wants to increase demand by suspending taxes to make it cheaper, and also to punish the producers of gasoline by taking their profits. Yeah, that makes a shitload of sense.

How about we, for a start:
1) Convert oil power plants to nuclear.
2) Provide tax break incentives for people to drive smaller cars.
3) Produce more oil domestically, like from ANWR and offshore.

How come none of the freakin' presidential candidates can think of simple, common-sense ideas like that?

And for you stoopid citizens, if you complain about things like nuke power plants, wind farms, and offshore oil drilling, then you've got no room to bitch about gas prices - because you're part of the reason keeping them high. You can't have both. Take your pick.

And while I'm at it, we're also seeing what a stoopid idea that ethanol corn gasoline is turning out to be. It not only doesn't reduce overall gasoline demand, but it increases the price of food and other products by diverting farm crops. It's one of those namby-pamby liberal green-earth dreams that sounds good to them, but in practice is a failure.

Doh!

[billvon 2,434]

>1) Convert oil power plants to nuclear.

There are almost none of those. Far less than 1% of the oil used domestically goes for electricity production. Better to just build new nuclear plants in places they are needed.

>2) Provide tax break incentives for people to drive smaller cars.

Could work depending on how it's implemented.

>3) Produce more oil domestically, like from ANWR and offshore.

I'd say drill offshore and leave ANWR as a reserve in case our military needs it. (Or vice versa.)

[SpeedRacer 1]

The Gas Tax Holiday is like putting a Band-aid on the Hoover Dam.

the Gas Tax Holiday is one of those feel-good,do-nothing pieces of bullshit legislation that politicians do to give the illusion that they're actually being useful to the country.

Speed Racer
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[BillyVance 34]

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>1) Convert oil power plants to nuclear.

There are almost none of those. Far less than 1% of the oil used domestically goes for electricity production. Better to just build new nuclear plants in places they are needed.

I'm all for replacing coal burning electricity producing plants with nuclear plants. I just wish it didn't take 20 years and billions of dollars just to build one now. Not to mention some unfinished nuclear plants out there that were mothballed or abandoned - Bellefonte being one example in northeast Alabama.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[billvon 2,434]

How about a government spending holiday instead? Give everyone in the US government a week off, no expenses paid. (Or maybe give them a stipend as long as they spend it on hookers and booze. Purely for economic stimulation of course.)

[kelpdiver 2]

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So Hillary wants to increase demand by suspending taxes to make it cheaper, and also to punish the producers of gasoline by taking their profits. Yeah, that makes a shitload of sense.

Uh, this was McCain's master economic plan. She just glommed onto it.

[lawrocket 3]

The gas tax is one that I actually support! It's a use tax for common roads.

I like billvon's idea of a government spending holiday. Just one week, except for making regular debt payments.

Imagine how much of the deficit could be reduced by a one-week government shutdown.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[nathaniel 0]

Great, a whole weekend gosh a whole week to run afoul of the law & free of regulation! Sounds about as bright as these email campaigns that try to get everybody to skip buying gas for a day.

How about not giving away gas guzzler universal "free" healthcare plans?

My advice is to do what your parents did; get a job, sir. The bums will always lose. Do you hear me, Lebowski?

[PLFXpert 0]

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The gas tax is one that I actually support!

Same here.

It's really a moot idea anyways as I seriously doubt it will ever happen (thank goodness!).

Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

[rehmwa 2]

Just remove subsidies, allow drilling, allow alternate energy plants to be built, simplify the regulations, lower the taxes, make me a sammich

and let the industries come to a balance without all the interference


(a gas tax holiday is stupid unless it's a permanent tax reduction - and that won't help gas prices, but could help the economy)

I won't vote, it's not the "stupidest" idea around, there's just too many stupid ideas coming from the candidates - and their devotees just lap them all up

anyway, the price will just jack up artificially right before any type of cut - to offset the cut, then we'll pay anyway because that's what the market will pay right now - domestic supply has to increase

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[lawrocket 3]

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Great, a whole weekend gosh a whole week to run afoul of the law & free of regulation!

I didn't say the states should shut down.

Remember back in 1995-1996 when the federal government shut down - twice??? I know that we are still rebuilding our infrastructure from the riots, anarchy and chaos that prevailed those smoke-filled disastrous days, and that the effects of that shutdown continue to this day.

Nobody remembers the horrors and agony of those non-essential federal governmental services being shelved. People seem to think that we got by just fine. They forget...

Then again, I also support the idea of the end of the governmental gravy train...

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[billvon 2,434]

> Great, a whole weekend gosh a whole week to run afoul of the law
>& free of regulation! Sounds about as bright as these email campaigns
>that try to get everybody to skip buying gas for a day.

Who said anything about repealing any laws?

Giving all government employees a week of paid vacation would do as much as not buying gas one day a month i.e. nothing.

Giving all government employees a week of unpaid vacation would do as much as not DRIVING one day a month.

[kelpdiver 2]

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Remember back in 1995-1996 when the federal government shut down - twice??? I know that we are still rebuilding our infrastructure from the riots, anarchy and chaos that prevailed those smoke-filled disastrous days, and that the effects of that shutdown continue to this day.

Nobody remembers the horrors and agony of those non-essential federal governmental services being shelved. People seem to think that we got by just fine. They forget...

It was pretty disruptive to some companies, Silicon Graphics being one.

and were it not for an illegal action by the SecTreasury, the US would have defaulted on its bonds.

[Gawain 0]

It won't affect the commodities market, and would drive up demand, increasing the burden on supply and refining capacities.

Unfortunately, it's not the answer, and even if it was, I'd rather the local municipalities give up their taxes temporarily instead, whose taxes are far higher than the federal 18.5 cents/gal.

So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh
Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright
'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life
Make light!

[billvon 2,434]

>I'd rather the local municipalities give up their taxes temporarily instead . ..

Well:

1) If you did that, gas stations would increase their prices to compensate as others have pointed out.

2) If you did that without cutting spending, then we'd go further into debt, weakening an already shaky dollar.

3) If you _did_ cut spending locally, that would mean jobs would be lost - thus making the local economy worse.

[Remster 24]

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It won't affect the commodities market, and would drive up demand, increasing the burden on supply and refining capacities.

No it wouldnt. If demand went up, so would the price, back to an equilibrium that would be close to the price at the pump before the tax holiday.

Remster

[Gawain 0]

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>I'd rather the local municipalities give up their taxes temporarily instead . ..

Well:

1) If you did that, gas stations would increase their prices to compensate as others have pointed out.

2) If you did that without cutting spending, then we'd go further into debt, weakening an already shaky dollar.

3) If you _did_ cut spending locally, that would mean jobs would be lost - thus making the local economy worse.

Yeah, that's why I said that it wasn't the answer...which you left out of your quote. I was saying that local taxes are a greater portion of the price of fuel, so if there was a choice to be made in terms of price impact...

So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh
Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright
'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life
Make light!

[georgerussia 0]

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And for you stoopid citizens, if you complain about things like nuke power plants, wind farms, and offshore oil drilling, then you've got no room to bitch about gas prices - because you're part of the reason keeping them high. You can't have both. Take your pick.

I already said that every environmentalist should have a strict quota for gas and electricity consuming - to decrease demand. So far, however, it looks like most of them could only do one thing, which is bitching.

* Don't pray for me if you wanna help - just send me a check. *

[idrankwhat 0]

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Remember back in 1995-1996 when the federal government shut down - twice??? I know that we are still rebuilding our infrastructure from the riots, anarchy and chaos that prevailed those smoke-filled disastrous days, and that the effects of that shutdown continue to this day.

Aint that the truth! I'm still pissed off about the 10 day climbing trip on Rainier that they screwed up. I'm carrying that grudge to my grave

[nathaniel 0]

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Giving all government employees a week of unpaid vacation would do as much as not DRIVING one day a month.

"Saving" us as much money as going on strike one day a month.

It's completely disingenuous to pass it off as a savings. It's a loss.

My advice is to do what your parents did; get a job, sir. The bums will always lose. Do you hear me, Lebowski?

[billvon 2,434]

>"Saving" us as much money as going on strike one day a month.

If the strike were without pay, yes - it would. In fact, it would save approximately 5% of the total payroll.

>It's completely disingenuous to pass it off as a savings.

OK. Call it "a reduction in spending" instead, or whatever the PC term for that is.

[nathaniel 0]

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OK. Call it "a reduction in spending" instead, or whatever the PC term for that is.

It's a cash flow technique more than anything else, which is why it gets used when the budget is overdue.

Why don't we just postpone infrastructure maintenance indefinitely? We'll be reducing spending all the way!

My advice is to do what your parents did; get a job, sir. The bums will always lose. Do you hear me, Lebowski?

[Royd 0]

>3) Produce more oil domestically, like from ANWR and offshore.

Quote

I'd say drill offshore and leave ANWR as a reserve in case our military needs it. (Or vice versa.)

We ought to be poking holes everywhere that we know fuel exists, and where we think it exists. When we find it then we can cap the wells and use as needed.

The whole "But, it will take ten years before we see anything" attitude is crap.
It is defeatist and un-American. It is the equivalent of refusing to plant an orchard because it'll be ten years before you see any real production out of it.
In the mean time, your neighbor, who doesn't like you very much, is selling you fruit at three times its value.