One Man's Quest To Save $100 From The 'Gas Tax Holiday'

Despite the best efforts of Senators John McCain and Hillary Clinton, Americans seem to be highly resistant to the boondogglicious "gas tax holiday" policy each camp is proposing, correctly identifying the idea as one specifically retrofitted to play ordinary, working-class Americans for rubes. Still, it can be helpful to know exactly what life would be like, were we to take this insane step and have a "gas tax holiday." So I went on out to the Gas Tax Holiday Calculator, to find out for myself.

Now, if you're like me, when you get that rare chance to take a vacation, you plan with some ambitious goals in mind. Barack Obama says at best, I can expect to save only $30 under the McCain/Clinton plan, but that hardly seems audacious or hopeful! So, I decided to see what I'd have to do to save a mere $100 between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

As it turns out, my "gas tax holiday" would feature little more than me driving around. To break the century mark in savings, I'd have to drive approximately 979 miles each week of the "holiday." That could keep me in my car for about four hours each day. And I drive a fuel-efficient compact. If I wanted some more room to stretch out - and with all the driving I'd be doing, who would begrudge me that? - I might end up having to spend all day in my car.

Still, I've always wanted the chance to drive across the country and see this great nation of ours, and McCain and Clinton do promise me a pittance for my efforts, so why not buckle up and take a few laps across the heartland? Well, once you've committed yourself to the arduous task of permanently driving, you encounter the next problem: the getting to and fro will be highly circumscribed once all of the roads start cracking and bridges start collapsing.

According to the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, whose "primary goal is to aggressively grow and protect transportation infrastructure investment to meet the public and business demand for safe and efficient travel," the "gas tax holiday" would cost the Federal highway system nearly $9 billion in lost revenues. Additionally, for many Americans, the "gas tax holiday" would result in the sort of vacation that many dread - unemployment. Over three hundred thousand jobs would be lost over the course of the next 3-4 years if the "gas tax holiday" were enacted.

That includes 6,390 jobs in Indiana and 7,071 in North Carolina. Why do I specifically mention those states? Oh, no reason!

Comments

[IslandGyal]

Unfortunately, the American electorate is too dumb and will fall for Hillary Clinton's BS, yet one more time.

[drzoon]

i hope not.

i love this country. but this is just about the end of its good run if we go backwards AGAIN and vote the Clinton's back in.

like rome... have we reached the apex of our cultural and economic power? this election will answer a lot of those questions.

[butchie65]

Did you see the thousands of people at the rally for Oboma tonight ? There had to be 30 thousand people there in Indianapolis, It was on C-span, just ended.

[BillyT]

More absurdity and contradiction, this time from a CLINTON NO LESS:

Bill Clinton, speaking about a proposed gas-tax holiday at a March, 2000 news conference:

"The problem I have with it, apart from what it might do to the Highway Trust Fund and the spending obligations that have already been incurred by the acts of Congress, the budgets, is that I'm not sure that the savings would be passed along to the consumers.­"

This can be found on NYTimes.

[cathye]

Remember, Hillary is not accountable for anything Bill did or said unless it was good for the country. Then it was all her idea.

[MNLeger]

Thank you! This whole idea is absurd. I just really hope that the voters of North Carolina and Indiana see through this ploy!

[readyfornewleadership]

Sadly, they don't seem to.

[JBS]

As a NC voter, I think the "gas tax ploy" is moot. It's a throw away talking point. At least Clinton proposed making it up by taxing oil company profits in the interim - but that's why it won't ever pass.

And, all things considered, I have other reasons for preferring Clinton to Obama in the primary. I prefer her health care plan over Obamas.

Come the general election in the fall, though, I'm voting Democratic, no matter which candidate is nominated. If it's my candidate or the other guy, I'm still voting Democratic.

And that's another of the things attracting me to Clinton. She's said she'll work for the Democratic nominee even if it's not her. I haven't heard a similar commitment from Obama or his followers, and I HAVE heard many Obama supporters threaten to vote for the republican if their guy doesn't get the nomination.

[benmrii]

Well approached and written, thank you. Love the mocking of the affluenza Clinton is so desperately trying to spread.

Hopefully the voters will also look more than 5 feet in front of their face and see this gas tax for the shallow pandering that it truly is.