By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Board
Barack Obama is protecting -- not hurting -- the working class with his defiance of a gas-tax holiday. Opponent Hillary Clinton needs to stop her ignorant pandering in support of the holiday.
If enacted, a repeal of the 18.4-cent federal gasoline tax would rob billions from the government's highway repair plan. Guess what?
That means working-class people who supply the materials for the roads could be thrown out of work. Ditto for thousans of working-class people who do the actual road work.
Why doesn't Clinton ever mention that fact?
Here's what Obama said on the gas-tax issue Monday: "I understand how badly people are hurting. If we're serious about helping them, let's provide them some relief, but let's not pretend that we're doing something by suggesting a gas tax holiday that will not be paid for...."
Clinton offered just useless posturing on the issue: "I talk to people who are telling me they're literally sick at their stomach when they pull into the gas station trying to pay these gas bills. ... I guess I'm just feeling more of the concerns that people have, and they want relief."
To be blunt, neither candidate has offered a reasonable way to bring down gasoline prices.
Clinton claims she'd make up the lost revenue from the gas-tax holiday with a windfall tax on the oil companies.
No, she won't.
The Congress won't pass that legislation and President Bush would never sign it. So the U.S. Treasury would lose billions this year it could not recoup.
The gas-tax holiday is a stupid idea that deserves to die before Memorial Day.
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$0.25 on the Dollar? Get new batteries for your calculator!
$0.25/gallon. I'm upset with their audacity to say that they can't afford to let us keep some of our money. You are correct, the federal highway budget is much higher than the $0.18 per gallon tax. So why can't they let us keep that for the summer driving season if they care so much about the working man?
You are one of these people that believe the government can't do without and if the do let us keep our money, the world will end. No sir, the world will not end, roads will still have the same amount of pot holes and construction will not stop.
Also, I tuck myself in and would never look for anyone else to take on the responsibility. Nor would I believe someone promising me that they would do that if elected.
What?
OK, peterson, are you upset because the government can't balance the budget? Or because the government is collecting revenue that goes toward paying for that budget? Oh that's right, you're upset about both. You're clearly one of those people who believes in having your cake and eating it, too. The government is wrong to collect taxes, wrong to not balance the budget, AND wrong not to provide whatever services you happen to support (roads, military, fire department, schools...are any of these necessary in the world you want to live in?). I suppose the government is wrong not to tuck you in at night, too, right...
The $50 Billion the federal and state take in at the pump goes directly to paying for the roads you drive on. And actually, it's a pretty good deal since the federal and state governments combined spend roughly four times that amount on roads, bridges, and other auto infrastructure. So if you want roads to drive on, be willing to pay for them. You're only paying 25 cents on the dollar at the pump anyway.
They Don't Have the Money?
The federal budget is over $3 Trillion dollars. They can't spare the $50 Billion a year the federal and state take in from us at the pump? They have to spend he money? They can't get it from some where else in the budget?
Why doesn't the government budget operate like my family's budget? Why do you buy this stuff Mr. Abouhalkah?