Obama's cowardly approach to a gasoline tax hike

Why is every conservative's only idea cutting taxes? It's the only thing they know how to do. The only problem is that they never really significantly cut spending, so there's no need to take their whining about deficits seriously.

Yael says: "This is the time for Obama to ask Americans to sacrifice and pay a higher gas tax that would reduce consumption, rebuild roads and trim dependence on foreign oil."

Excuse me while I throw up.

It's time for Pres. Obama to take actions on raising taxes. It's about correcting mismanagement of the government and the auto industry. It's about making the auto industry create better cars that people will buy. Refer to HeadsUp Fabric Repair Kit blog.

They have never considered another solution. The idea that funding can be cut for programs that are overfunded or failing is foreign to them. Raising gas taxes right now would be a bad idea. The low gas prices are one of the few things helping people out right now. The taxes wouldn't go for roads anyway, Obama and the dem Congress are already plotting how to spend every penny any of us paying taxes every made. Let's not help them along with that, I'd like to keep enough to keep a roof over my head and buy groceries.

why is every liberal's answer: higher taxes?

would higher gas taxes drive conservation...NO. It would take astronomical taxes to get gas up to $3.50 and above before you see a reduction in demand like we did this summer.

American's can suffer a lot for their driving. But having such high prices also led to destroyed budgets, lost jobs, reductions in services and higher prices for everything.

So instead of higher taxes on gas which will end up going to education or social services anwyay...why not take some useless spending on programs and ideas that dont work and fund national mass transit?

Oh yeah...because that would take forward thinking and restraint by politicians and liberals.

Giving Washington a new kitty of money is looking for trouble. I was just trying to do an end-run on the libs who think any tax is nice. I guess it would end up like George H.W. Bush's promise, where he gave in to the libs who promised to trim spending, who then renigged. Probably shouldn't tempt people of that caliber.

the lockbox does not work IMO. It just takes one Congress, such as the one about to be seated, and one President, as the big 0 is, to pass the law deleting the lock box and voila, we, the spendthrifts, have a new source of funds which they will find ways to spend.

MO has done well with the CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT saying our gas taxes will only be spent on roads. Congress would never agree to such a Federal set-up, and if they did, your other question as to who decides who gets the money is still there.

I say the only safe gas tax is as Krauthammer outlines it. Then, once the market knows high prices are here to stay get out of the way and let the scientists develop much more efficient batteries etc.

if the majority (libs, right now) are going to ram something down our throat, I've got an idea:

Institute a gas tax with the following qualifiers: 1) It's national, 2) it's the same everywhere, 3) Law is written that restricts the proceeds (no general fund) towards research or implementation of alternate fuels, 4) It either goes away or is incrementally reduced when the national average per gallon reaches, say $3/gal (example only). That way, during times when gas is cheap, the tax is being used towards alternative fuel research or implementation, and if gas goes up, the consumer is given a break. The money would have to be lockboxed, otherwise politicians would find a way to insert IOU's (ala SS). What I haven't figured out yet is how & who determines how it is spent, which would probably be the biggest problem to overcome.

Just a thought.

This keeps the money out of the hands of the politicians who will just pass out favors...

http://weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/015/949rsrgi.asp

We buy less than 13% of our oil from the Mideast Floppy, and if you took the time to read my post dipstick you would note it encourages developing our own reserves, what a moron.

The high cost of gas this past year has seriously destroyed every budget from the average family to the largest of municipalities.The average family went broke at the pump alone, then added to the misery the higher cost of manufacturing and shipping was passed on to us at the checkout for every consumer product. School districts went broke keeping the busses on the road.One police dept in my area required officers to park their car for 15 minutes of every hour just to conserve .Lower prices are not here to stay.OPEC just announced another production cut.With all these bailouts in the billions why doesn't our nation see the need to bail us out of our dependence on foreign oil? I just read a really interesting new book called The Manhattan Project of 2009 Energy Independence Now by Jeff Wilson.I never realized it would only cost the equivalent of 60 cents per gallon to charge and drive an electric car. Also,The electricity to charge the car could come from solar or wind generated electricity. If all gasoline cars, trucks, and suv's instead had plug-in electric drive trains, the amount of electricity needed to replace gasoline is about equal to the estimated wind energy potential of the state of North Dakota.What powerful resources we have been neglected. The last economic stimulus package cost 168 BILLION and did absolutely nothing to stimulate our economy or create jobs.
Bail America out of its dependence on foreign oil. Wouldn't that make more sense?
www.themanhattanprojectof2009.com

Yael T. Abouhalkah, man are you living on the same planet as the rest of us? The economy is tanking, many, many people are losing their jobs and you think now is the right time for a large gas tax? I don't like name calling, but since you thought yourself so rightous as to call Obama a coward, I will take this opportunity to tell you that I think you are an idiot.

I think they definitely need to increase the gas tax, but I don't know that today is the right time. Once we get out of this recession, it definitely makes sense, however, it's so difficult to pass any tax increase. I think Congress needs to pass the tax now, but have it phased in down the road (starting in maybe a year or so).

That's right, Rouge supports terrorism.

Now that gasoline prices have returned to "normal" morons like alphabet want to raise the tazes on gasoline to encourage "conservation" and the search for alternative fuels like wind and solar.

Please oil is, and will remain the most effective energy source (next to nuclear) for years to come. Lets encourage alternative sources, but not sacrifice our economy again to crippling gasoline prices. We have enough oil in the US off shore and in the Artic to power 60 billion cars and homes for sixty years exonomically. For Gods sake let us develop it now. If we follow the foolish advice of the nuts like alphabet, the summer 0f '08, and the consequential failing of the auto markets and general economy will pale in comparison.

Wake up people the oil companies are not your enemy, it is the nimrods screaming phony global warming cries. They are denying the very source of energy that can keep us a world leader.