The Gas Tax

Posted by Campbell at Saturday, May 03, 2008

If Obama and Clinton's positions on this ridiculous proposal doesn't reveal the true essence of these candidates, then nothing will. Along with her pal John McCain, Hillary Clinton has proposed a halt on the gas tax throughout the summer. On average, this will save motorists about $2 per fill-up. However, the flipside far outweighs the meager savings that folks will receive at the pump. First off, such a tax break will cost thousands of construction jobs. In addition, such a tax break will increase gas consumption and ultimately drive up the prices even further.

To the casual follower of politics, this policy initiative makes Clinton appear to be "for the common man", when ultimately she's doing exactly the opposite. Sound familiar? Yes, this is exactly how the Republicans have run their campaigns for the past two decades. The overall message is, "We're for you, the hard-working middle class", when behind all the advertising and photo-ops at rural gas stations, the folks on the receiving end of this pandering, are actually being screwed by such policies.

Barack Obama has stood firm, despite the snippets that make Hillary look oh so altruistic. Almost all pundits, economists and columnists agree that this is pandering at its worst.

One of the three candidates is taking the right position. No, it doesn't grab the sleek headlines, but in the end, it benefits the exact people that all three are speaking to. And this move is truly presidential.