Fuel for Thought

The Al Gore crowd have pushed for reduction of the carbon footprint of consumers and have advocated higher gasoline taxes for years. Here, we are in a recession and on the cusp perhaps of depression and lawmakers want to double the Federal fuel tax to generate more funds to supposedly maintain highways. They say that because driving was reduced when gas prices were high that less money has flowed into the Federal coffers. This is true but the relatively low gasoline prices now serve as their own sort of stimulus. People have more money in their pocket and this will stimulate purchases across the board, stimulate more road travel, and be a boon to economic growth and recovery. By raising gasoline taxes now, the Federal government will stifle some of the renewed growth it is trying to achieve. Instead of a nearly trillion dollar Obama stimulus by way of earned income tax credits and rebate checks just let us keep more of our own money at the gas pump and save billions in bureaucratic costs, processing, and stamps. This will not happen. The gas tax will rise because the Sierra Club, environmental activists, and Green Peace have minions in Congress and come inauguration will have a friend in the White House. The politicians will have more lucre to pass to pork projects, their cronies, and their districts and you and your family will have less.