Summer Gas Tax Holiday

[Vermouth]

What do you think about this idea?

I was impressed that Obama called it out as a gimmick rather than go along with the other two. Is this the best they have to offer?

[gunit_sangh]

Of course it's a gimmick. That's all republicans and Hillory know how to do. Distract and spin the pander-matic.

Here's a handy dandy gas tax holiday calculator to show you how much money you would save.

http://www.jabberwonk.com/flinker.cfm?cliid=13lkzo

According to this -- at 100 miles/week plus (I only live 3 miles from work) an additional 1000 miles I would be saving a grand total of $27.07 ... or about $9/month.

[gorknoids]

.....and a chicken in every pot.

     It's bullshit, and it will fix nothing.  The things which WILL fix the current gasoline inconvenience have been voted down with the help of Bill Clinton's wife.
http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/Hillary_Clinton.htm
# Ratify Kyoto; more mass transit. (Sep 2000)
# Voted YES on removing oil & gas exploration subsidies. (Jun 2007)
# Voted YES on making oil-producing and exporting cartels illegal. (Jun 2007)
# Voted YES on factoring global warming into federal project planning. (May 2007)
# Voted YES on disallowing an oil leasing program in Alaska's ANWR. (Nov 2005)
# Voted YES on $3.1B for emergency oil assistance for hurricane-hit areas. (Oct 2005)
# Voted YES on reducing oil usage by 40% by 2025 (instead of 5%). (Jun 2005)
# Voted YES on banning drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. (Mar 2005)
# Voted NO on Bush Administration Energy Policy. (Jul 2003)
# Voted YES on targeting 100,000 hydrogen-powered vehicles by 2010. (Jun 2003)
# Voted YES on removing consideration of drilling ANWR from budget bill. (Mar 2003)
# Voted NO on drilling ANWR on national security grounds. (Apr 2002)
# Voted NO on terminating CAFE standards within 15 months. (Mar 2002)
# Keep efficient air conditioner rule to conserve energy. (Mar 2004)
# Rated 100% by the CAF, indicating support for energy independence. (Dec 2006)

Of course, John McCain voted the same way on domestic oil production, but he actually SUPPORTS the construction of new nuclear power plants.  Just like France.  http://www.issues2000.org/Senate/John_McCain.htm

Obama is Hillary is McCain, but we already knew that.  http://www.issues2000.org/Senate/Barack_Obama.htm

[they call me MR. GRUMPY god damn it!]

in short the dems/libs have consistently resisted any move towards responsibly exploiting our own resources and thus reducing our dependence upon foreign markets.

[Peter1469]

If we ratify Kyoto can we not meet the goals like everyone who signed it?   

http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=12294 (Japan and Britain cannot meet the goals)

http://www.spacedaily.com/2005/051227111901.9nvb6ur0.html (Most of Europe fail to meet goals)

I say we sign the stupid thing and continue as we are.  Everyone else is doing that anyway. It is the height of form over substance.  I am for moving toward alternative energy, but not for drastic carbon cutting measures without an alternative to maintain our standard of living. 

[Peter1469]

Removing the gas tax is not going to provide much help to the individual since it is $.18 per gallon.  The more interesting point about the gas tax is to demonstrate Congress’ disingenuous argument that oil companies are making windfall profits. 

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070903072430AAVZcEA
If you do some research, you will see, for instance, that Exxon makes 7 to 8 cents profit per gallon of gas sold.

In contrast, the Federal Government tax on a gallon of gas is 18.4 cents, and then you add the state tax of anywhere from 15 to 30 cents per gallon...well, you get my point. The oil companies are NOT making a killing on gas prices like the media would lead you to believe, but the government is!

Here are profit margins of many companies http://www.techvat.com/5-tech-companies-more-profitable-than-exxon-mobil.html

[gorknoids]

You can't even put up windmills without running into mindless resistance.  http://we-oppose-windfarms.livinginnewyork.org/

Some people fear things like "electricity" much the same way some people fear "oil".  In the interests of full disclosure, I'm still waiting for Acciona to cover the family farm with windmills. 

[gunit_sangh]

in short the dems/libs have consistently resisted any move towards responsibly exploiting our own resources and thus reducing our dependence upon foreign markets.

haji are you referring to anwr Even if that was approved, it would only bring the price of gas down a penny. The last time this came up in a republican controlled congress ... they couldn't get it passed. Even McCain is against it.

The problem with conservatives is that you actually think the solution to our energy problems is to drill our way to success. That's a common brain defect in conservative republicans.

[they call me MR. GRUMPY god damn it!]

roll over and kiss chucky shumer good morning, then come up with an original thought and present it in your own words....if possible.

[Vermouth]

I thought Obama was open to the idea of nuclear energy?

Going after oil companies for making a profit as Clinton has suggested is counter-productive. On the other hand, I know oil companies get a lot of subsidies, and I'm not sure why, or how this influences their activities.

[gunit_sangh]

[Vermouth]

Funny cartoon.

The news about Exxon's first-quarter results was interesting. Despite the record profits, they did not meet expectations, whereas Royal Dutch Shell did ... I wonder if shareholders will pressure Exxon to diversify into alternative energy research. Does this indicate that market forces are starting to turn?

ExxonMobil, long regarded by its peers and investors as the most successful interational oil company, is beginning to show signs of weakness, revealing on Thursday that it is struggling to increase oil production and to squeeze profit out of its refining business.

The world’s biggest energy group announced a first-quarter record profit of $10.9bn but its oil production fell almost 10 per cent in the first three months of the year and refining profits slumped.

While the broader market rallied, Exxon shares fell 3.6 per cent to $89.70 as analysts warned that the company might fail to grow at all in the next five years.

Neil McMahon, an analyst at Sanford Bernstein, said: “Over the next five years their slow production growth guidance may not come to pass at these high oil prices given production sharing agreements.”

[...]

Unlike Royal Dutch Shell, which is stressing its research in second generation biofuels, and is a leader in making natural gas into transport fuels, Exxon has long argued that traditional alternatives, such as wind power, have proved uneconomic..."

Exxon oil production struggles for growth

[Vermouth]

I guess the backlash is gaining momentum.

By Thursday afternoon, opposition to the plan was robust and bipartisan, including Senator John Thune, Republican of South Dakota; Senator Tom Harkin, Democrat of Iowa; and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California.

“It’s about the dumbest thing I’ve heard in an awful long time from an economic point of view,” Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York City (a former Republican, now an independent) told reporters, adding that he did not see “any merit to it whatsoever.”

Hillary Clinton "called the gas tax holiday a first step to building a coalition of Americans to challenge oil companies and ultimately bust up and minimize their power by steering the nation’s energy policy toward alternative fuels."

John McCain "suggested that low-income families were hit hardest by the cost of fuel because they typically drove longer distances to work in older-model automobiles."

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/02/us/politics/02mccain.html

[scarlett]

Bet if obama came up with the same idea you'd all be FOR it. 

[scarlett]

If Bloomberg said it would be a good idea you'd all be for it as well.  If it will make no difference then so what? The election is this november, too late for this tax break on gas this summer. Don't you know that politicians will say anything to get elected? And that encludes B. Obama, H. Clinton and J. McCain.