Letters to the Editor
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More proof of Republican economic illiteracy -- and why does McCain agree with Osama bin Lade
That is if we needed it. It is funny that Osama bin Laden apparently voices objections to high European gas taxes -- it seems that he sees this as depressing the price of oil and gathering money that should go to the Arab sources of the oil.
Of course this is the issue -- low US gas taxes cause US residents to be more profligate in their use of oil than say Europeans -- which among other things means that the typical European vehicle is about twice as economical on fuel as in the US -- and yet Americans flock to buy sporty European sedans, minis, and VWs, when they can afford it. Seriously, if you cut the gas tax its main impact would be to allow the price of a barrel of crude to go even higher -- it would have little impact on the price of gas at the pump.
A more logical approach would be to say that I am going to keep the gas tax at a level that means that average US pump prices stay where they are now, and if the price of oil falls, the extra tax raised can be used first to pay off the cost of the Iraq fiasco, and then to try to deal with US transportation efficiency, by for example building more high speed rail lines. Maybe use some of it to fund alternative energy research, e.g., nuclear, even fusion, etc.