Bloomberg Slams Clinton, McCain Gas Tax Plan

NEW YORK — Mayor Michael Bloomberg called a summer-long suspension of the gas tax favored by Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton and Republican John McCain a dumb idea.

The New York mayor, who flirted with the idea of an independent presidential bid, praised Democrat Barack Obama for opposing the plan to suspend the 18.4 cent federal gas tax and 24.2 cent diesel tax during the peak driving months of the summer.

All three candidates covet Bloomberg's endorsement. The mayor has spoken highly of Obama and McCain in introducing the two at recent events in New York.

Speaking to reporters at City Hall, Bloomberg said of the gas tax holiday, "It's about the dumbest thing I've heard in an awful long time, from an economic point of view. We're trying to discourage people from driving and we're trying to end our energy dependence ... and we're trying to have more money to build infrastructure."

He cited those three reasons for opposing the gas tax holiday favored by McCain and Clinton. Obama has said the savings would not be significant for the average individual, and Bloomberg agreed.

"The 30 bucks is not going to change anybody's lifestyle," he said. "The billions of dollars that we would otherwise have in tax revenues can make a big difference as to what kind of a world we leave our children."

The billionaire mayor said in February that he had decided not to run for president but has dangled the possibility of his endorsement. The Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-independent has ties to all three candidates.

Comments

[Dunnage]

06:12 PM on 05/05/2008

Most people don't know who Bloomberg is and many of those that do find his comments interestin­g. Now the man does have serious cash flow.

[Mike169]

11:58 AM on 05/05/2008

No the dumbest thing ever heard was the Manhattan commuter tax.

[bigironal25]

02:55 PM on 05/03/2008

I just added up the numbers and for me I would be saving about $ 88.32 over 12 weeks.WOW! And on top of those huge savings the tax holiday would do away with about 300,000 constructi­on jobs. If this stupidity does become law, remember all the savings you're getting, every time you drive over a bridge or overpass. Also remember what happened in Minn. last year(a bridge went down, killing dozens of people)!

[KillTheMessenger]

09:28 PM on 05/03/2008

Wait... are you telling me you are guzzling almost. 40 gallons of gas a week?

I am shocked. Our Prius runs on 20 gallons on gas A MONTH.

In everything else, we agree.

[spokensoftly]

06:34 PM on 05/02/2008

People, we need real solutions to real problems. Not gimmicks to fulfill campaign motives by making voters feel like 'She really feels our pain. I going to go and simulate the economy with my 30 bucks savings.'

And some will fall for this ‘hook line and sinker.’

How pathetic!

[Mygirl]

03:16 PM on 05/02/2008

Apparently the working crowd in Indiana and North Carolina would rather follow Hillary than Obama or Boomberg. It show you people like pandering.

[peachfuzz]

12:40 PM on 05/02/2008

This is another way to have Americans DETACHED from our most pressing problems
instead of asking them for sacrifice and committmen­t to changing our habits.

It is poor leadership­.

[Horst]

12:00 PM on 05/02/2008

Mrs. Clinton is not stupid....­she's just a shameless panderer. As for McCain ...he admitted he knows nothing about economics.

[lisakaz2]

11:45 AM on 05/02/2008

Did HRC really say she doesn't have to listen to experts? Isn't that how Bu$hco got us into this fiasco and furthered it in all corners in regard to global warming and endangered species, etc.?

It is this brand of anti-intel­lectualism that scares me, frankly. Someone actually trained in his/her field (say education, like sex education) doesn't know as much as some Bible-thum­ping Congressma­n (like on how Abstinence Only Education is a failure or that Intelligen­t Design is "science" because they say so). Ugh. Is it any wonder why other countries have better prepared children for scientific­/technolog­y related jobs?

[syllepsis]

11:42 AM on 05/02/2008

Bloomberg is right, but then again, it's pretty easy to attack an idea that has no merit whatsoever­.

[Reio2288]

11:15 AM on 05/02/2008

It really doesn't matter what is done or not done. The countrys big businesses are out of control with greed and will only do what helps them. The blue collar american is of absolutely no matter to them. Its not politician­s, congress ... it is nothing more than corporate greed, strange how everyone sticks up for big business without question.
1. Oil companys, 2. bank mortgages, 3. bank credit cards, 4. unfair practices, 5. lower wages, 6. increase prices, I could go on........

This is all just smoke so the elite few top business people can make more money than a small city at our expense. I mean good God,there'­s only so much money you can even spend

STOP BIG BUSINESS before they destroy America

[k6007]

12:07 PM on 05/02/2008

Vote every single leader, and third+term congressma­n OUT.

[chicago25624]

10:56 AM on 05/02/2008

Of course he thinks it's a bad idea. This is a man who thinks you should tax anyone who drives into your city. Tax and tax and tax. That's the democrat way.

[york61]

11:40 AM on 05/02/2008

I get a kick out of out of everyone who has antipathy for taxing anything. We are spending 12 billion a month on the war and keep cutting taxes. In fact, this is the first time in any countries history to cut taxes during the ware. The tax money from gas is 10 billion per year to help our infrastruc­ture. Also, the idea is TO CUT DOWN ON DRIVING. You probably drive your car an 1/8 of a mile and circle a parking lot 5 times to get a closer spot to the store. It's morons like you that make such idiotic statements that has caused our country to run up trillion dollars in debt. Why not just eliminate all takes and then people can collect their own garbage, build their own highways and police their own streets and get rid of public education. . It's unbelievab­le the level of stupidity in America.

[totalliberal]

11:41 AM on 05/02/2008

Turn our country into a dangerous crap-hole and let our kids pay to repair it. The republican way.

[apoyo]

10:36 AM on 05/02/2008

The price of gas will remain the same. The only difference will be a tax shortfall for needed road and bridge maintenanc­e and more job losses.

Less driving is a boon for the environmen­t. We have to stop thinking of what is inconvenie­nt for us and do what's necessary. For our future and our children's future.

[AbbieXHoffman]

10:24 AM on 05/02/2008

Instead of eliminatin­g the gas tax, let's earmark the gas tax to pay for alternativ­e fuel. So every time we go to the pump, we are paying for a way to get us out of this oil dependency mess.

[BenjitheWolfdog]

10:18 AM on 05/02/2008

Just proves that John McCain is indeed clueless when it comes to economics and the economy. It also confirms my concerns about Hillary Clinton's judgement. I think this should make clear that pandering for votes is alive and well within these campaigns.

[randyjet]

10:04 AM on 05/02/2008

PROGRESSIV­ES GO TO SEN. BERNIE SANDERS I-VT web site and see what a REAL Senate progressiv­e proposes.T­ry and learn some facts too. For all Vermonters­, Who do you think is right? Sanders or Obama?