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SPORTS BOARD Political Discussion "It's about the dumbest thing I've heard in an awful long time"
SPORTS BOARD Political Discussion "It's about the dumbest thing I've heard in an awful long time"|
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Numbers Retired and hangs in the rafters |
NEW YORK — Mayor Michael Bloomberg called a summer-long suspension of the gas tax favored by Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton and Republican John McCain a dumb idea.
The New York mayor, who flirted with the idea of an independent presidential bid, praised Democrat Barack Obama for opposing the plan to suspend the 18.4 cent federal gas tax and 24.2 cent diesel tax during the peak driving months of the summer. All three candidates covet Bloomberg's endorsement. The mayor has spoken highly of Obama and McCain in introducing the two at recent events in New York. Speaking to reporters at City Hall, Bloomberg said of the gas tax holiday, "It's about the dumbest thing I've heard in an awful long time, from an economic point of view. We're trying to discourage people from driving and we're trying to end our energy dependence ... and we're trying to have more money to build infrastructure." He cited those three reasons for opposing the gas tax holiday favored by McCain and Clinton. Obama has said the savings would not be significant for the average individual, and Bloomberg agreed. "The 30 bucks is not going to change anybody's lifestyle," he said. "The billions of dollars that we would otherwise have in tax revenues can make a big difference as to what kind of a world we leave our children." |
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Pro Bowl Player |
You know, I usually think that politicians are just pandering when they claim a "quick fix"--or just about any time they say anything. The big reason for this is because they usually make their biggest points about things they know nothing about (see: Bush, GW and his various dissertations on bioethics). On this one, I'm willing to go with Bloomberg. I don't know...something about a guy having $11 billion tells me he might know something about economics.
Dennis |
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Hall of Fame Legend |
I agree completely. For a lot people it's not even a tank of gas. For me, it's not even a 1/4 tank. Complete pandering. On the flipside: If the "Billions of dollars" went where it was supposed to, I'd feel alot better about the $30 not changing my lifestyle - because the Billions would/should. |
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Skipper of the Lake Erie Booze Patrol Numbers Retired and hangs in the rafters  |
True enough. Then again I thought the tax rebate checks were a crap idea but it looks like even those on the shit end of the class warfare stick are eager to get their iPods. And I don't trust the government to spend billions of dollars either wisely or efficiently. WSS |
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AFC North Player of the Month |
Trusting the Politicians to spend 30 Billion wisely, is like putting the fox in charge of the hen house.
truely pandering! |
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Pro Bowl Player |
Steve, channeling the spirit of Paul Tsongas? What is the world coming to? >>"If anyone thinks the words government and efficiency belong in the same sentence, we have counseling available."<< I remember when Ross Peror ran in 1992, Jay Leno made a joke that he should offer every American a dollar for voting for him. Then Bush promised everyone $300--I can't complain, I used my check to help pay for my Browns season tickets that year. Now McCain and Clinton are running on a promise that, even if it were implemented--good luck doing that while you're still a candidate--would save people an estimated $25-$30. Total. Eighteen cents off of gas prices that are up a quarter, minimum. The sad thing is that it's going to work. Which makes me wonder: come 2008, what BS non-promise will the candidates offer to get people to whore out their votes? How low will they go? I'm seeing a thirty-cent coupon on a large bag of Bugles and a non-binding pledge that, the next time the candidate is in-state, he'll try to remember to wave in the direction of the voters' town. Edit: Probably should change that to 2012...I think we have a pretty firm grip on what they're doing this year. Dennis |
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Skipper of the Lake Erie Booze Patrol Numbers Retired and hangs in the rafters |
Believe it or not I was a big supporter of Tsongas. Actually sent a check!! I wish there were more like him. WSS |
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Hall of Fame Legend |
Remember: they still have their day-jobs in the senate.  How about shaving off the $2.00 gas has risen as Exxon is posting record profits for over a year. |
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Pro Bowl Player |
A lot of the people that I read on matters like this (I'm not smart enough to read stuff from the economists, so I read stuff by people who read stuff from the economists) point out that if people are serious about cutting down on oil consumption, the best way to go about it is to have high gas prices--not only does it encourage less driving and increased use of public transportation, but it also provides a market incentive for increased fuel efficiency--and the market will always move things along more quickly than the government.
Dennis It sucks at the moment, but it might help things get better in the long run, and at least we're not in England or Europe, where people really have to pay for gas. |
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Numbers Retired and hangs in the rafters |
Legacy, I think you're on to something. Gas taxes used to be earmarked for highway and transportation projects, the idea being that if you used the roads you paid to help fix them. (Tolls are the same idea.) If you didn't use them, you didn't have to pay for them. Gas taxes were user fees.
Of course, a big pile of money that Congress can't re-route to something else they'd like to fund is just a big tease. Now only a little more than half of gas tax revenue goes to transportation projects. I liked it better when, like you said, it all went where it was supposed to. I'm always stunned by how much better the roads/highways are in some other countries. It's a shame. |
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Hall of Famer |
congressional misappropriation..... kind of like the alaskan senator redirecting a signed congressional act from a highway expansion to a new highway that has massive developmental implications in Florida.
Dency you are 1000% correct about the higher the gas prices the better off we will be in the long run. Yes gas prices are higher in Britain but they also have 40+ mpg STANDARD (not just fleet) vehicle requirements. Ultimately the consumer can influence market direction but the effect while percieved as quick is honestly not as fast as say a law could make changes happen suddenly. Manufacturers and commodities suppliers will resist change to a already profitable product because of the cost of retooling designs and manufacturing/engineering requirements. It is cheaper for them to pay for federal and state delays by lobbying than it is for them to pay for changes in a new direction. So consumer driven market influences are in fact powerful but often delayed when it comes to entrenched commodities such as fuel and or transportation industries. What a law could force in a matter of one year or 5, industries in those powerful groups will and can delay action effectively for a minimum of 5 years before a trickle down consumer effect actually happens. The same flaw in the 1980's republican trickle down economics theory is also the same flaw in consumer market driven influence when it comes to auto's and fuel choice. The effect works on paper efficiently but does not take into factor corruption and or the "human" interference variables that stall or stop the trickle down/upwards effects. That is why we need strong/honest (oxymoron) leadership in government. They can mandate the changes in a much quicker time frame by law faster than the corrupt market driven changes. |
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Hall of Fame Legend |
The bridge I drive across almost daily is essentially privately funded. Condition-wise, it's the best in the area. They have a crew that starts at one end performing maintence daily and finishes up on the other end on the 365th day of the year. Guess where they go on day 366? The cost of the toll is atrocious but that is only because the volume of traffic is so low. I'd love to have our roads privitized. I've written several times to our local DOT offices to set up tolls via EZ pass (you can run through some of those things at 45+ mph - which traffic slows down to at all of the approaches anyway thanks to the mouth breathers in the Army Corps of Egrs) at all of the bridges & tunnels in the area during the work week for $1/day gets you an all access pass to the highway "system" for that area for the day. Thats $20/ mo for the working folks. (or your espn video streamed to your cell phone). Charge the out of towners more (as they use the roads to get to vacation destinations - yielding, in my area, the 2nd largest traffic jam in the country 4th of july week/weekend). Free on weekends for the locals & keep on charging the "come here's." You can pay to expand the roads, repair the roads, and/or fund mass transit possibilities, light rail and the like. Say you have 1 mil people a day on your road "system" (mon-fri): that's 240 mil/yr only charging a dollar a day. Just for the locals. Out of towners brings in additional revenue. The cost of building the toll plaza's & hwy receivers would be paid off in a week. The toll plaza's get built @ bridges & tunnels (the nature of Hampton Roads is that you can not enter or leave w/o crossing either) & the "receivers" get placed where the unnecessary "traffic jam cam's" were to "accomodate" the folks living "inside the hwy system" accessing it via minor on-ramps, etc.. We still pay the car tax, only now you don't get a sticker for it. W/ my plan, you pay the car tax & you get a EZ pass receiver now. You're responsible for activating the payment plan. Those without receivers (out of towners & mindless idiots) pull off to the side where you line up & pay a higher amount in cash (like an old conventional toll). No more crumbling bridges. No more speed bump/parking block patch jobs in the middle of the highway (seriously). Maybe eventually mag lev light rail. Some light rail. Hydrogen buses, a subway. Something. Phew. Aaaaand scene. |
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Numbers Retired and hangs in the rafters |
Hillary on the gas tax:
"I believe it would be important to get every member of Congress on record. Do they stand with the hard-pressed Americans who are trying to pay their gas bills at the gas station or do they once again stand with the oil companies? That's a vote I'm going to try to get, because I want to know where people stand, and I want them to tell us - are they with us or against us when it comes to taking on the oil companies?" Make it stop. Yes, let's "take on" the oil companies by ...eliminating billions of revenue from the federal treasury. Oh, my head hurts. |
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Hall of Famer |
You are right on Hillary she just pulled a Bush jr move. This is pretty much the same as the "rebates" stimulating the economy. Both deduct from the treasury and both are designed as political stop gap tools not economic fixes.
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Pro Bowl Player |
Another Bush jr. move by Hillary:
link So it's wrong for Obama to say that we should take out bin Laden, but it's okay to publicly muse about nuking a Middle East country. I liked Obama's response:
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Hall of Famer |
Yes the clintons and the Bush campaign machines are very similar. Its like futures trading you have to research the "footprints" of large successful companies to be able to wage successfully on the future of certain commodities.
She is playing from what has definately been successful for the last 15 years. Obama is more polished in his use of language and prose. He is definately probably going to be a better international Statesman. If he does not win the nomination and or presidency he would be a great Secretary of State. |
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Skipper of the Lake Erie Booze Patrol Numbers Retired and hangs in the rafters |
Tell ya what Alo, if Obama has the stones to invade Pakistan and take out OBL, great. Of course killing OBL wouldn't mean the bad guys disband but it would be fun. Then he can do the Apollo Creed bit toward Chavez. "You next Hugo!! You next!!" WSS |
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Numbers Retired and hangs in the rafters |
Obama's not saying we should invade Pakistan. Jesus.
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Skipper of the Lake Erie Booze Patrol Numbers Retired and hangs in the rafters |
No? Just an assasination coup? Good enough. http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=3434573&page=1 WSS |
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Pro Bowl Player |
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FRONT PAGE SPORTS BOARD Political Discussion "It's about the dumbest thing I've heard in an awful long time"
SPORTS BOARD Political Discussion "It's about the dumbest thing I've heard in an awful long time"Designed by: CreAtens