U.S. Congress Considers

[jdobbin]

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

The political vision of a summer gas tax holiday died a quick death in Congress, losing to a view that federal excise taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel will have to go up if they go anywhere.

Despite calls from the presidential campaign trail for a Memorial Day-to-Labor Day tax freeze, lawmakers quickly concluded — with a prod from the construction industry — that having $9 billion less to spend on highways could create a pre-election specter of thousands of lost jobs.

Guess they don't think too much of McCain's tax holiday for gas.

[Shady]

It never ceases to amaze me how Democrats take a year they should be able to walk into the White House, and make big gains in Congress, and turn it into the complete opposite.

How exactly does one propose that a tax hike on gasoline is a good idea in this political and economic environment?

Oh, and I guess they don't think much of Hillary Clinton's gas tax holiday idea either.

Edited July 20, 2008 by Shady

[August1991]

From link above:

The nonpartisan National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission concluded in a report this year that the U.S. needs to spend $225 billion annually over the next 50 years to create a highway and transit system capable of sustaining strong economic growth. Current spending, at federal, state and local levels, is about $90 billion a year.

Among other revenue-raising possibilities, the commission recommended gradually increasing the current federal fuel taxes to 40 cents a gallon.

Dobbin is just being (a Liberal) partisan. He's trying to suggest that even Americans are considering Dion's carbon tax. They're not, and Dobbin's effort to compare Canadians to Americans is pathetic.

I happen to admire Americans but if an American jumps off a cliff, I wouldn't.

Edited July 20, 2008 by August1991

[jdobbin]

Dobbin is just being (a Liberal) partisan. He's trying to suggest that even Americans are considering Dion's carbon tax. They're not, and Dobbin's effort to compare Canadians to Americans is pathetic.

I never suggested anything of the sort. If anything, I was going to suggest that in the last year 8 years, infrastructure has suffered in the U.S. and the federal government has underfunded the program needed for rebuilding.

[Wilber]

And they want to put it all into transportation. How novel.