RAISE the gas tax?

OK I just can't believe this. Check out the link.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25751775/

Now congress wants to "raise" the gas tax on us in order to get money for road work! Now if you ask me they can find all kinds of places to get the extra money needed, but raising the gas tax 10 cents per gallon is just plain stupid! I will be writing my congress women to let them know how I feel about this!

What really gets me is you hear all this "talk" about high gas prices and how much it is hurting the american people, yet behind our backs they are talking about hitting us even harder! :mad:

:wtf:

Although I can't see how this would directly benefit corporations, there must be one, since that is the only reason they ever do anything.

trying to keep the unemployment numbers down. Congress is scared shitless about the bad economy and they're throwing money wherever they can keep the masses from revolting in November.

I've wanted federal excise taxes raised for a long time, actually.

However, obviously this is a very regressive tax, and it's coming along at a terrible time. so...

Thanks for posting the article. It's just one of several ideas being tossed around now. Hope it spurs a decent discussion.

and benefits are aligned.

spent on consumption.

So, that extra, say $10 a week on gas a poor person pays, plays a much larger role in his finances than the extra ten pays in a wealthier person's budget.

Stop the market speculation. In it's tracks. Close the Enron Loophole and make any other moves, up to and including the nationalization of the oil companies. Then, when the price comes down, let it settle and then add a tax to the price of a gallon of fuel. Earmark that tax *exclusively and totally* for alternative energy development.

That is the only way for this to work.

Congress needs to take on the problem with speculators, and close the Enron loophole. I also agree they need to look at every possible way to lower gas prices, then and only then, should they talk about how to get money to fix our roads. I still think there are plenty of places to cut money, Iraq would be the first place, instead of taxing people more for gas, or at least something a lot lower than 10 cents per gallon.

There is so much waste in the government now, that by simply cutting that waste, it would more than pay for the needed repairs to our highways and bridges.

Considering the economy, not so wise today.

Or is the tax tied to the unit measure, the gallon?

Either way, NO! People are being hit too hard already.

Like the high price of oil is forcing more people to take public transportation, then raising the price of riding the bus or light rail because more people are utilizing them. Both are supposed to be subsidized by taxes. Raise that tax. Make the well off help out a bit.

relatives on a bridge in Minnesota can attest to that for you if you don't believe it.

fucked up country. We spend hundreds of billions each year on ways to kill people and yet this kind of stuff is OK in the eyes of some folks. We are FUCKED!

First, legislate the same regulation (control speculation) on oil as exists on other commodities. Eliminate the Enron loophole. According to congressional testimony recently, that will reduce the cost of gasoline to around $2/gallon. THEN, consider raising the gasoline tax.

They should NOT be talking about raising the fed tax on gas until they can get the fucking speculators under control. WHy not legislate some of THAT??? They couldn't even get a windfall profits tax over on the oil companies but they expect to get this shit over on US?

I THINK NOT.

Congress "won't" vote to tax big oil companies outrageous profits, they will try and raise the tax on the people who are hurting because of the greed of those same oil companies! Speculators are a big problem, and they know it, yet we are still waiting to see a bill come to the floor to take them on, and put some regulations into place that will help to lower the price of oil. Those who want to tax the people, yet refuse to vote to tax the oil companies need to be replaced! Putting Obama in office is only the start, we also need to get new leadership in the party, and vote out any one in congress that puts big corporations ahead of the people!

where should the threshold be, percentage wise, for a windfall profit tax to be imposed? would this apply to profit for all industry?

Percentage-wise, the oil companies aren't making all that much profit (a little over 8%). Compare it to, say, McDonald's, tobacco or beer companies, which are well over 20%.

I think "windfall profit tax" sounds nice, but it is not very realistic, and will more likely result in companies removing their businesses from the US completely. Not to mention what will happen to millions of retirement portfolios for ordinary Americans.

senate and all of the house (of those incumbents who have challengers) but it won't happen. There will be less the 10% turnover, and then back to business as usual, with the same old arguments in 2010.