Letters to the Editor
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Gas tax holiday is a bad idea all around, part two
Just to add to the previous comment, here's another way to look at what's wrong with this idea:
-- At best, it's robbing Peter to pay Paul. We desperately need the revenues raised by the gas tax to repair our roads and bridges and to keep them reasonably safe. If anything, we need to put more money into this, not shortchange the fund by $8 billion of $9 billion.
-- Even if it did result in lower prices -- which is highly doubtful, as has been adequately explained previously -- it doesn't target the people who really need help in coping with energy costs (see previous comment about Hummer drivers). Rather than give an across-the-board, short-term tax break that will have some long-term negative consequences, why not enhance existing programs, such as LIHEAP, that provide assistance to low-income people struggling with energy costs? There are already programs in existence that give immediate help to low-income people who are struggling to pay their energy bills, as well as longer-term help individuals and businesses improve energy efficiency. These are good programs, though small, and could be expanded.
At the risk of sounding like a latte-slurping elitist, our real problem isn't that the price of gas is too high. Our big problem is that for many, many long years, the price we've paid at the pump is far less than the true cost of oil and gasoline. That's still true today. Factor in the pollution, habitat loss, global warming, military costs and, yes, lost lives, and the true cost of our energy-consuming ways is astronomical. We all know this is true, deep in our hearts, and we need political leaders who will face this truth.