Friday, May 02, 2008

No Pander Too Far

I Have the solution!
Get rid of the taxes on gasoline. That'll help the hard-working citizen to keep more of his hard-earned dollars. In this hard-nosed political campaign season, it's now come to this: " WASHINGTON - Get rid of the federal gas tax — at least for the summer. Tax Big Oil to help the rest of us out. Get drilling in that Alaska refuge. Soaring gasoline prices are suddenly the nation's No. 1 crisis, and all the presidential candidates are offering cures.
Never mind that economists and energy experts see little value in such measures, at least in the short run. Or that even some top congressional leaders are raising eyebrows. It's election season, and presidential contenders and other politicians are jumping on the bandwagon.
The slew of proposals includes: a summertime suspension of federal gas taxes, backed by John McCain and Hillary Rodham Clinton..." (AP, May 1).
I think this concept of cutting taxes and borrowing money from China to buy oil from Saudi Arabia requires more of a Suspension of Disbelief than anything else.
I've been pretty much of an agnostic with respect to the presidential candidates: I do not believe that the government of the United States is really salvageable any more. This current President has been so remarkably effective at dismantling the Constitution - and the public has been so idly complicit in the effort - that it seems to me the Republic has hit the wall, reached the end-time, fallen off the wall. Time to go directly to Empire America.
But when a candidate offers such an astoundlingly awful idea as this, I'm insulted to the point where I can't, just can't, vote for this particular scoundrel. Any of them, actually. I live in the hope that at least one of the candidates still standing will be able to resist that lemming-urge to suck up to the booberati by offering them a bribe in the form of a Molotov Coctail to fuel their land yacht.
Please: stop insulting my intelligence!