Letters to the Editor
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oh..and ShawnWM
...go join the GOP. We don't want you in the Dem party.
You are sounding like a total idiot. "comfortable with the country in the hands of John McCain." Are you out of your mind? Have you been reading ANYTHING about that bloodthirsty, opportunistic, bought-and-paid-for-by-corporate-America hack?
Have you?
Just one "comforting" thing: John wants us all to go buy our own health insurance. He wants to eliminate employer-sponsored health insurance (real medical-care reform? forget it)...if that comforts you, you need professional help.
Christ. Maybe they're all correct. If ShawnWM is any indication, Voters are dumb as dirt.
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fundamentally wrong
There are big differences between the Illinois gas tax and the Federal one. The Illinois gas tax was assessed at the pump, so that actual consumers payed it in much the same fashion as a sales tax. It was also a percentage based tax and not a flat amount as is the federal tax. Therefore, the more expensive the gas prices got, the real dollar amount that the tax amounted to increased. Eliminating this tax actual had measurable effects for consumers since gas stations had no say in passing the savings on to consumers since consumers themselves were no longer paying it. Also, since gas prices were increasing rapidly, the tax would have only magnified those increases. Furthermore, at the time it was repealed gas prices had been so high the tax had already exceeded it's revenue projections so temporarily eliminating it wouldn't jeopardize highway funds which is one of the reasons legislators decided to give it a "holiday". The federal tax is completely different. It is paid by producers, not consumers and is therefore in effect, only a indirect tax on consumers. If this tax were suspended they wouldn't have any reason to reduce their prices or even if they did, the local pump stations wouldn't either since at both levels the opportunities to increase their profits are greater. A gas station could charge whatever they want and a consumer at the pump wouldn't know any better. Also, the treasury coffers have not already been filled by the tax since it is only halfway through the year (in this instance projections are based on usage, not the average price of gas as was the case in Illinois) so it would cause a shortfall. Lastly, Illinois did not reimpose a new tax to make up for suspending the other one which Hillary is suggesting. If they had say, suspending the gasoline sales tax and implemented a new gas station profits tax or something of the like, the gas stations would have just raised prices to make up for the new tax which would offset the gains made by suspending the previous one. That in of itself is the biggest flaw in Clinton's plan. She is sales costs but increasing production costs which would at best be a zero sum game. The only way to stop that from happening would be to actual fix the price that oil refineries can sell their gasoline for which has not been done since WW2. Economists and experts realize this and that is why they and Obama have overwhelmingly opposed this idea.
BTW, I am not some "elite" economist. I'm just a broke college student who hasn't even taking economics since high school.
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Obama could learn a lesson in hope from you
On the politics, Obama is dead on. You must have a lot of hope if you think this spineless congress is going to pass a windfall profits tax on the oil companies. The nice thing about pandering in this particular way is that Clinton knows that it hasn't a prayer of passage.
On the actual economics, stockpiles are high because we're heading into summer, when USers get out the gas-guzzlers and go. Refineries are currently at about 85%, so they could produce a bit more, but not a lot more. If the consumer gets 5 cents a gallon off, that won't hurt consumers,
but please, we're not even talking about the $30 that Obama is scoffing at.
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No, He's Right
The author is a clueless hack. The factors at work in suspending the fed gas tax make it unworkable as every economist has stated. It's pathetic that the generally accepted laws of economics go out the window and under the bus for Hillary Clinton.
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Pander-on.com...
you're at it again, folks. Georgie boy -- you and Hillary apparently know something that all of America's economists do not?
Yeah, right.
More instructions from Joan to her flying monkeys, it seems?
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SIGH. Here we go again
Hillary is right, Obama is wrong.
Well, if the "Holiday" is such a great idea, I might as well vote for McCain. He's the one who put the idea out there first. Hillary is just doing her usual "Me Too" act.
Salon — as its name would indicate — used to be such a nice refreshing place to go and hang out with a more elite group of thinkers and writers. Now, Hillary, in speech after speech, keeps spitting the word "elite" out like its poison to her, trying to pretend that she's really down with the working class; just like them only ultra-rich. And Salon is right there with her, pretending to be working class, monomaniacally obsessed with pushing Hillary Clinton at the expense of all else. Formerly a delight to read, Salon is now the place to go for tired and stale advocacy on behalf of a candidate whose only strategy for the past several months is not to elevate herself, but to tear down her opponent. Oh, I can't wait for her to get elected so that she can usher in a bold new age of Progressive ideas. Ha ha ha ha! She's already running from progressives as fast as she can.
Okay, so you guys win. I give up. Hillary is right. Hillary will always BE right. And when I think she is wrong, it's my virulent sexism rearing its ugly head again.
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Transportation costs affect the entire economy
So the argument that the average person would save only $30 over the summer is simply wrong.
One reason food prices are escalating are the transportation costs of moving products from field-to-store are greater.
But if you're an Obamabot, you probably don't care about saving a few cents on your arugula-and-wheatgrass salads.
And you're all probably driving Prius's, anyway.
You pukes really are out of touch, ya' know that?