Topic: Presidential Campaign 2008
Gas Tax Shell Game, Blame Game Candidates' proposals have nothing to do with solving anything, except their vote deficits.by DigitalBob
(Libertarian)
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Only a few days remain before the Indiana and North Carolina primaries. My local TV station is broadcasting plenty of advertising from the Obama and Clinton campaigns. McCain, the Republican front runner, has been noticeably absent, but not totally silent.
Mrs. Clinton's latest TV proposal attempts to show voters how compassionate she is by relieving their pain at the pump. She wants Big Oil to pay drivers' gas tax this summer. How wonderful! I'd love to have someone else pay my bills. She goes onto explain that the greedy oil companies can pay this tax from their cache of "windfall" profits. She explains this is why my Speedway in South Bend charged me $3.75 last week. I don't understand what would stop an oil company from passing along a new tax back to the pump. The oil companies promise their investors a profit margin. Raising prices in sync with costs seems the most reasonable way to achieve this.
The Obama campaign counters that her plan doesn't really solve our problems. It's just an election season gimmick. Yet he also proposes some tax relief and also wants to investigate "price gouging". He wants to give a $1000 middle class tax cut. He wants to invest in alternate energy sources.
To be fair, John McCain proposed eliminated the gas tax this summer before Clinton did. He's also proposing taxpayer investments in alternative sources for energy independence.
All three of these people are sitting Senators who are, to some degree, responsible for the current fuel prices.
Although government regulation and taxes are responsible for a portion of the total price, supply and demand are mostly responsible for the more than 50% rise in fuel prices in the last couple years.
Emerging economies in the world, including the rising standard of living for billions of people in India and China have driven up demand. Supply has been interrupted by continuous war in the Middle East. Saddam Hussein's drive to create a huge army required opening the spigots, which in turn suppressed world oil prices. No new dictator has replaced him to flood the market with new oil.
Internally, the United States, in the name of environmentalism, has prevented refineries from being built for the last 30 years. Deposits of oil, coal and natural gas exist within the boundaries of the U.S., including the Everglades, the Arctic Wildlife Refuge, national parks, and other areas which are currently off limits. Nuclear power, which produces no greenhouse gas emissions, could be used to charge batteries of electric cars. Windmill farms have been discouraged by Senator Kennedy ([link edited for length] ), because it might affect his property values. Hydroelectric plants are criticized by their obvious destruction of the environment behind the damns. No energy solution is possible without some negative impact against someone or something. Even electric and natural gas pipeline will have to traverse someone's private property, raising eminent domain questions.
Another factor contributing to higher oil prices is the weakening of the dollar. Iran announced last week that it will not denominate its oil sales in dollars. It will use Euros for the European market and yen for Asia. Compared to the Euro, the dollar has lost about a third of its value in the last five years.
All these Senators are to blame and should take responsibility. It's much more convenient to blame an oil company than to admit a failure of governance.
Mrs. Clinton, your 18-cent tax reduction this summer smacks of political pandering. It does nothing to combat the underlying causes. The gas tax is actually "fair" in the sense that it raises revenue for road construction from those who get the most benefit--the drivers of the roads! Rolling back this tax will add onto a rising deficit, already accelerated by the stimulus tax rebate checks hitting the mail this month.
The corporations you blame for the run-up in prices are also the same ones who have the private resources to invest in this nation's future. That is, if you don't confiscate their profits and destroy their incentives to invest.
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2008 DigitalBob, all rights reserved.
Published: Sunday, May 4, 2008
Last modified: Sunday, May 4, 2008
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GREAT ARTICLE! Although it did have an obvious anti-environmentalist and pro-oil spin, it was well written and your opinions clearly explained. Thank You!
MY FELLOW "BITTER", STUPID, WORKING CLASS PEOPLE :-)
If you think like Barack Obama, that WORKING CLASS PEOPLE are just a bunch of "BITTER"!, STUPID, PEASANTS, Cash COWS!, and CANNON FODDER. :-(
You Might Be An Idiot! :-)
If you think Barack Obama with little or no experience would be better than Hillary Clinton with 35 years experience.
You Might Be An Idiot! :-)
If you think that Obama with no experience can fix an economy on the verge of collapse better than Hillary Clinton. Whose ;-) husband (Bill Clinton) led the greatest economic expansion, and prosperity in American history.
You Might Be An Idiot! :-)
If you think that Obama with no experience fighting for universal health care can get it for you better than Hillary Clinton. Who anticipated this current health care crisis back in 1993, and fought a pitched battle against overwhelming odds to get universal health care for all the American people.
You Might Be An Idiot! :-)
If you think that Obama with no experience can manage, and get us out of two wars better than Hillary Clinton. Whose ;-) husband (Bill Clinton) went to war only when he was convinced that he absolutely had to. Then completed the mission in record time against a nuclear power. AND DID NOT LOSE THE LIFE OF A SINGLE AMERICAN SOLDIER. NOT ONE!
You Might Be An Idiot! :-)
If you think that Obama with no experience saving the environment is better than Hillary Clinton. Whose ;-) husband (Bill Clinton) left office with the greatest amount of environmental cleanup, and protections in American history.
You Might Be An Idiot! :-)
If you think that Obama with little or no education experience is better than Hillary Clinton. Whose ;-) husband (Bill Clinton) made higher education affordable for every American. And created higher job demand and starting salary’s than they had ever been before or since.
You Might Be An Idiot! :-)
If you think that Obama with no experience will be better than Hillary Clinton who spent 8 years at the right hand of President Bill Clinton. Who is already on record as one of the greatest Presidents in American history.
You Might Be An Idiot! :-)
If you think that you can change the way Washington works with pretty speeches from Obama, rather than with the experience, and political expertise of two master politicians ON YOUR SIDE like Hillary and Bill Clinton..
You Might Be An Idiot! :-)
If you think all those Republicans voting for Obama in the Democratic primaries, and caucuses are doing so because they think he is a stronger Democratic candidate than Hillary Clinton. :-)
Best regards
jacksmith... Working Class :-)
p.s. You Might Be An Idiot! :-)
If you don't know that the huge amounts of money funding the Obama campaign to try and defeat Hillary Clinton is coming in from the insurance, and medical industry, that has been ripping you off, and killing you and your children. And denying you, and your loved ones the life saving medical care you needed. All just so they can make more huge immoral profits for them-selves off of your suffering...
You see, back in 1993 Hillary Clinton had the audacity, and nerve to try and get quality, affordable universal health care for everyone to prevent the suffering and needless deaths of hundreds of thousands of you each year. :-)
Approx. 100,000 of you die each year from medical accidents from a rush to profit by the insurance, and medical industry. Another 120,000 of you die each year from treatable illness that people in other developed countries don’t die from. And I could go on, and on...
OBAMA AIDE: "WORKING-CLASS VOTERS NOT KEY FOR DEMOCRATS" :o
It's time for everyone to face the truth. Barack Obama has no real chance of winning the national election in November at this time. His crushing defeat in Pennsylvania makes that fact crystal clear. His best, and only real chance of winning in November is on a ticket with Hillary Clinton as her VP.
Hillary Clinton seemed almost somber at her Pennsylvania victory speech. As if part of her was hoping Obama could have proved he had some chance of winning against the republican attack machine, and their unlimited money, and resources.
But it is absolutely essential that the democrats take back the Whitehouse in November. America, and the American people are in a very desperate condition now. And the whole World has been doing all that they can to help keep us propped up.
Hillary Clinton say's that the heat, and decisions in the Whitehouse are much tougher than the ones on the campaign trail. But I think Mr. Obama faces a test of whether he has what it takes to be a commander and chief by facing the difficult facts, and the truth before him. And by doing what is best for the American people by dropping out of the race, and offering his whole hearted assistance to Hillary Clinton to help her take back the Whitehouse for the American people, and the World.
Mr. Obama is a great speaker. And I am confident he can explain to the American people the need, and wisdom of such a personal sacrifice for them. It should be clear to everyone by now that Hillary Clinton is fighting her heart out for the American people. She has known for a long time that Mr. Obama can not win this November. You have to remember that the Clinton's have won the Whitehouse twice before. They know what it takes.
If Mr. Obama fails his test of commander and chief we can only hope that Hillary Clinton can continue her heroic fight for the American people. And that she prevails. She will need all the continual support and help we can give her. She may fight like a superhuman. But she is only human.
Sen. Hillary Clinton: "You know, more people have now voted for me than have voted for my opponent. In fact, I now have more votes than anybody has ever had in a primary contest for a nomination. And it's also clear that we've got nine more important contests to go."
I might be an idiot. I'm not crazy about these three Senators. But the math shows that one of them will probably be president.
Hillary this week said that she would authorize a nuclear counter strike against Iran if they struck first against Israel. Iran doesn't even have a weapon yet! We have no mutual defense treaty with Israel.
Of the three, Obama has the least harmful foreign policy. We have seven months until the general election. A lot can happen between now and then.
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2008 DigitalBob, all rights reserved.