Gas prices are high, which is the worst thing that's ever happened in the history of America, dating back to the time of the dinosaurs. It's a violation of the spirit of the Constitution of Independence as written by Jefferson Davis. We must declare preemptive war on gas prices before they destroy our freedoms, which they hate. Think of the children. How will they get to soccer practice?
"Buy the kid a bike," says the Blame America First crowd. Thankfully God-fearing politicians are not listening to that counsel of appeasement.
McCain was on the front lines of Operation Drive As Much As We Want, proposing a gas tax holiday earlier this month. After the typical Democrat waffling, Hillary Clinton signed on to the idea this week, much as she signed on to the Iraq War when political expedience patriotic duty moved her.
Or perhaps she was inspired by the example of the brave trucker warriors who descended on D.C. to drive around burning gas in protest of unconstitutional gas prices. ("The caravan's organizers had expected to arrive in Washington at 9 a.m., but traffic and an accident caused a three-hour delay.")
Unfortunately, the Muslim elitist Barack Obama, who's also widely rumored to be black, would surrender to gas prices. "This isn't an idea designed to get you through the summer, it's an idea designed to get them through an election," he said, probably quoting Michael Moore. Guess we know who high gas prices are voting for this November!
Unfortunately, Obama's Surrender Plan has found support not only among the America-hating ranks of so-called "economists," but among this liberal media as well. Watch their unbalanced presentation:
Thankfully, Clinton isn't letting Obama's capitulation to basic economic theory Gas Terror go unpunished. She's running an ad in upcoming primary states Indiana and North Carolina, taking Obama to task for his undemocratic refusal to give voters the ineffectual symbolism they demand:
Now it seems that Senate Democrats have finally woken to the Gathering Storm ($ub. req'd) of gas prices almost half of what they pay in Europe:
Senate Democrats vowed today that they would have a sweeping energy bill aimed at combating rising fuel costs ready by the end of the week.
Calling the effort a "work in progress," Sen. Charles Schumer of New York said Democratic leadership was considering a measure that would provide a summer-long "gas tax holiday" ...
Will Obama get the message? You're either for driving as much as we want at a convenient low price ... or you're against it. Which side is he on?
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Comments View as Flat
greenfire8 Posted 7:00 am
30 Apr 2008
David, why do you hate freedom so much?
"Constitution of Independence as written by Jefferson Davis"
ROFL
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Jon Rynn Posted 7:38 am
30 Apr 2008
News flash -- King Canute has just agreed
to not only whip the waves until they stop, but to start whipping the oil wells too!
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Pangolin Posted 8:08 am
30 Apr 2008
Freedom's
just another word for nothing left to lose....
Reality has just lost it's liberal bias.
Hey, I got a great idea. We set up a sand bourse down at the beach and collect trading tax credits from the government. I think $50/trade should be enough to support emerging markets until we can show an overall profit and draw in foreign investors.
Now if only I had enough money to buy a Senator....
Put the Carbon Back
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greenfire8 Posted 9:03 am
30 Apr 2008
ch-ching $$$
oooooo....any offset action i could get in on before it becomes an additionality?
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GreyFlcn Posted 10:06 am
30 Apr 2008
Yeap
Even McCain agrees that his proposal is spin, not substance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvCpFWzmP1Y
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Jonas Posted 10:40 am
30 Apr 2008
Yes, gas prices are terrible for the poor
Gristmill is going a bit lightly here.
High oil prices are indeed dramatic for the poor, of which there are plenty in the United States.
-High oil prices have pushed up food prices to levels that make it hard for many to cope
-Heating your home is important, and energy poverty in the U.S. is at very high levels
-Being able to go to work to do your job is important and high gas prices impact the poorest most, once again.
So yes, these catastrophically high oil prices are having dramatic effects on America's poor. (In the developing world they're leading to true war zones, with fuel and food riots, and with an economic melt down that boosts poverty to obscene levels.)
But then, Gristmill is not the most socially minded blog. That much is obvious.
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Grevangelical Posted 12:26 pm
30 Apr 2008
Wha?
Gasoline/petrol prices getting an $.085 decrease for a few months would decrease heating (natural gas) costs?
I won't disagree that high oil prices hurt the poor, but a gas tax elimination (temporary or permanent) would do nothing to help that. The gas tax is simply to little of the cost of fuel to matter whatsoever. In one month the price has repeatedly risen more than $.10 so eliminating one of the major sources of payment for essential infrastructure for less than one month's delay doesn't make sense. Why not advocate increasing taxes on the top 5% of the population and giving checks to the bottom %20 of you're concerned? Still temporary, still expensive and still poorly thought out but it has a small chance of doing something.
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stinkycheese Posted 11:59 pm
30 Apr 2008
Well done!
This is a great article. Grevangelical, great reply to Jonas's concerns. Jonas, I think it's a bit haughty to denounce Grist for not being "socially minded," without suggesting any alternative ideas. Repealing the gas tax (which I guess is what you're suggesting by posting here) is not going to have a major effect (a maximum of 4%, probably offset by the increased demand driving prices higher) on prices at the pump or food...
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amazingdrx Posted 12:32 am
01 May 2008
Great nick stinky!
Welcome.
Lower gas prices? Electricity is 66 cents per gallon equivalent. Plugin hybrids would lower gas prices.
But tinkerers and do it yourselfers can't even buy Nimh batteries, much less ultra-expensive lithium.
Chevron is sitting on the Nimh patents. This kind of monopoly game ought to be busted by a trust busting administration. Will Barack but 'em like Teddy did? Look out oily corporate climate killers. There's a new sherrif in town.
At least lithium ion is affordable for plugin bikes, as bio-d and others have demonstrated.
http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog
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amazingdrx Posted 12:35 am
01 May 2008
That's a shame
"Gristmill is not the most socially minded blog."
From each according to his gas (fuel farmed, GHG doubling ethanol), to each according to his guzzling? That's commie crap Jonas! Hehey.
http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog
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greenfire8 Posted 4:54 am
01 May 2008
completely hypocritical
Jonah calling others out for anti-social behavior ROFL!!! We're just a bunch of "anglo-saxon racists" to him anyway. Jonah, have you ever heard of "reverse racism?" Personally, I see far more of that today. Get a clue buddy, or you'll never cease being a walking contradiction!
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gohuskies Posted 6:26 am
01 May 2008
God bless expensive gas
Lowering gas taxes will just be used as another incentive for energy companies to raise gas prices. fact is if the cost of gas were to fall for any reason, OPEC and the rest would reduce the oil supply to compensate and keep the cost of fuel up.
I am personally happy every time I see the cost of gas go up, the sooner we start thinking beyond an oil based economy the sooner we will begin to deal with reality and become a stronger, safer, cleaner and wealthier nation.
There is no doubt that those who are hurt the most are those who have been met with the growing cost of food that is invariably related to the growing cost of fuel. Increased production of Biofool and the increased cost of transporting food will result in a long term golden age for the worlds rural poor and will slow down there immigration to the worlds vast slums.
God bless expensive gas
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gmunger Posted 6:39 am
01 May 2008
Chevron is sitting on the Nimh patents.
Doc, do you have links to document this? Not doubting, just curious. I had not heard this.
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Schrmin Posted 3:58 am
02 May 2008
Amen gohuskies,
Sadly, there's obviously no better (no other?) way to persuade the american public to conserve and change their habits than to hit them in their pocketbooks. The connection between higher fuel costs and the subsequent public demand for fuel-efficient vehicles is clear...currently small car and hybrid sales in the u.s. are way up, and SUV sales have dropped considerably....and Europe, where vehicles achieve on average 40+ mpg, is of course another good example.
Regardless of the reasons behind the increase in fuel prices, the result is increased demand for efficiency (and alternative energies and public transportation)...and as long as fuel prices remain low, wastefulness will prevail. Americans apparently won't make the "right" vehicle buying and driving decisions on their own (not to mention land use planning, etc)...and unfortunately the simplest way to change their mentality seems to be by affecting their bank accounts. And the sooner they change their habits, the greater the possibility for all of us to weather the coming storm.
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amazingdrx Posted 4:29 am
02 May 2008
There's one
http://www.ev1.org/msg/19.htm
Pure evil. What's good for GM.... is good for SATAN?
http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog
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Dave Ewoldt Posted 2:38 am
06 May 2008
Facing the truth
I simply feel compelled to reiterate the importance of beginning the process of telling people the truth.
We do need to create transition steps to a sustainable future where people are less reliant on automobiles, where the cars that do remain are in something like neighborhood car-share programs and burn clean fuels or no fuel, and where less of our fragile environment is buried under roads and parking lots.
But we must start getting people used to the idea that saving money at the gas pump moves us in the opposite direction of a sustainable future. Gas prices should be at least double of what they are now by removing fossil fool industry subsidies, and probably triple if we include social and environmental costs.
Since most of the proposals to mitigate global warming and decreasing energy supplies start with the assumption that the market economy must be protected above all else, and that only the market should determine price, let's call their bluff and take them at their word. Remove all subsidies and start fairly charging for resource extraction and cleanup costs.
But one way or the other, people must start getting used to the idea that pump prices are going nowhere but up. Fossil fuels are a finite resource whose overuse, misuse, and abuse is a major contributor in the overall project of killing the planet's ability to support life.
Peace _on_ Earth requires peace _with_ Earth.
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