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This Is What Democracy Looks Like
Today's Note From a Madman
May 11, 2008
Gas Options
QUESTION: Gordon (to White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe), House Republican
Leader John Boehner came out in support of a bill to suspend a federal tax on
gasoline during the summer months. Does that mean the White House will now
support that kind of a tax holiday?
GORDON JOHNDROE: You know, I think the President has said that we'll look at any
number of options that are proposed. And so that's where we are right now. We're
looking at options. I know different people are proposing different things, and
we'll see.
JOHNDROE: (Dismissing the questioner and the question): Yes, ma'am.
Now, I'm one of those who truly believe that removing the 18.4 cents per gallon
tax is a bad idea and stupid scheme. Its only real purpose is to make the
American people believe that our current federal government is actually doing
something in an attempt to get a handle on soaring gas prices. Indeed, some
experts now believe that the next predicted milestone for crude oil prices is
somewhere around $250 per barrel, about twice what it is today.
And I see no reason to disbelieve that.
As I have written here before on Note From a Madman, I believe that removal of
the tax will only allow the Big Oil the opportunity to increase the price at the
pump and inflate their own wallets. It would be foolish to think that the whole
18.4 cents per gallon savings would be transferred to us, the consumer, without
the profiteers wetting their collective beaks.
Just how gullible are we?
But the better question is why didn't any members of the press ask a follow up
question to Johndroe? If The President is really looking at options, then what
are those options? Certainly someone in the White House press corps must have
been curious.
I know I am.
According to the statement above, there are "any number of options". We are
seeing new gas price records being set almost daily - even hourly - and, yet,
none of those other options appear to have been discussed, at least not
publicly.
Why?
One has to believe that the current situation is just what the Bushies have been
looking for. Did anyone actually think that gas prices would go down prior to
the Summer travel months? Did anyone really believe that they would even stay
stable?
I doubt it.
"If I had a magic wand, I would wave it and lower your price,"
-President Bush
Oh, now there's a plan.
"By now, the only thing as predictable as rising gas prices are the short-term
political solutions that come along with them. It seems like every year, as soon
as headlines start announcing “Pain at the Pump” and Americans start emptying
their wallets to fill up their tanks, politicians revert to their Rolodex of
responses, from tax rebates and tax holidays to investigations into price
gouging by oil companies."
-Senator Barack Obama
Senator Barack Obama is right. The same old rhetoric of stale solutions is not
the way to go in order to ease the pain at the pump. Obama proposes a
three-percent increase in CAFE standards which, in a few years, will give us
cars with an average MPG in excess of Miles Per Gallon. But the smartest part of
his proposal is helping American auto manufacturers weather their large health
care bills in exchange for their cooperation in making cars more efficient and
hybrids, for now, cheaper and more accessible.
Our current President and his would-be successor, John McCain, have no ideas
about how to solve our gas crisis. President Bush still even talks about
building more refineries when the gas companies themselves don't even want to do
that. Our refineries have even slowed production and are ordering less crude oil
because they just don't have the demand which President Bush thinks is out
there.
And what about John McCain?
"John McCain Believes We Should Institute A Summer Gas Tax Holiday. Hard-working
American families are suffering from higher gasoline prices. John McCain calls
on Congress to suspend the 18.4 cent federal gas tax and 24.4 cent diesel tax
from Memorial Day to Labor Day.:
-JohnMcCain.com
Need I say more?
-Noah Greenberg
Send your comments to: NationalView@aol.com
-Noah Greenberg