PAtownhall.com
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
PAtownhall.com
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
by Chris Freind
Our politicians have finally hit the bottom of the barrel. At a time when Americans need concrete answers for fixing the economy and getting the country back on track, our "leaders" are still playing their typical Washington games. Instead of solutions, we get pandering thirty-second sound bites that seem great but are worthless. Since none of these people lacks a brain, and all know the implications of policy initiatives, it can only mean that they look on the electorate with extreme condescension.
Take the proposal to rescind the federal gas tax during the summer season. Both Hillary Clinton and John McCain favor this plan, with Hillary wanting to tax the oil companies to pay for the lost revenue. Barack Obama is the only presidential contender who claims that the proposal is nothing more than a political gimmick, designed to win points during election season. He's right on this point, but, like a consummate politician, fails to tell us that he actually voted for a similar bill three times while a state senator.
Let's cut to the chase. How much will eliminating the gas tax ease the pain at the pump? A generous estimate is that the average driver will tack on 5,000 miles between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Figuring the average fuel economy to be 20 mpg (the actual number is closer to 17), the 18-cent reduction will put a whopping $45 in Americans' pockets--- about $3/week.
To add salt in the wound, these figures do not take into consideration the effect of increased demand. It's a simple free-market tenet: the greater the demand, the higher the price. The bottom line is that the total cost savings to consumers will be in the thirty dollar range. Don't these pols realize that people outside the Beltway see right through this guise? The economy is getting pummeled, people are becoming increasingly desperate, and the future is anything but rosy. So what do our leaders do? Push for a pennies-a-day band-aid solution for a gaping wound.
Some things never change. Business-as-usual in Washington is one of them.
Temporarily cutting an onerous tax misses the point altogether. Would it be too much to ask of our leaders to debate real, commonsense solutions to our energy problems? How about drilling in the Arctic and off our coasts? A recent study estimates that there is enough oil in these places to meet America's energy needs for five straight years--- without having to import a single barrel. Why is there not an aggressive push for nuclear power? This is not the age of Three Mile Island or Chernobyl, and nuclear is one of the safest, cleanest energy sources available. And why have we not built a new refinery since 1976? You can pump all the crude oil you need, but if you still have a severe bottleneck in the refining process, prices will remain artificially high.
While long-term alternative energy sources such as solar and wind power must be pursued, America needs short-term solutions to skyrocketing energy costs. Gimmicks and politco-speak won't cut it. Action will.
Chris Freind can be contacted at CF@TheBulletin.us
