When I read yesterday's account of the debate over what to do about rising gasoline prices, I really was astounded by the pandering--though I sometimes wonder why one would be astounded in this era where getting elected is far more important than taking a principled position. On this issue, the scorecard is clear: Sens. Clinton and McCain failed miserably and Sen. Obama took the right stand.
Let's start with the obvious: people are feeling a lot of economic pain, though I would argue that that pain has been there for a very long time, years before the collective political wisdom declared the country in a "recession". They have nowhere to turn to get easy cash now that their housing-value ATM's are gone, hundreds of thousands of people are losing their jobs or on the verge of losing their jobs, health care is still a disaster, pensions are evaporating, the cost of food is going up and...the list is long and unpleasant.
And, then, there are fuel costs. I've been working a bit with the truckers who, as you may have read, are organizing, in a truly grassroots campaign, protests against the rising fuel costs. They have a broader view of the problem, focusing on the obscene profits being made by the oil companies. You can understand their plight and, at the same time, not succumb to meaningless and, ultimately harmful proposals--and, certainly, you would hope for such leadership from people who are competing for the highest office in the land.
So, come Sens. Clinton and McCain to this issue and what do they propose?
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton lined up with Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, in endorsing a plan to suspend the federal excise tax on gasoline, 18.4 cents a gallon, for the summer travel season.
Sen. Obama was correct when he said:
Mr. Obama derided the McCain-Clinton idea of a federal tax holiday as a "short-term, quick-fix" proposal that would do more harm than good, and said the money, which is earmarked for the federal highway trust fund, is badly needed to maintain the nation's roads and bridges.
This is pandering at its worse. First, though I'm all for Sen. Clinton's proposal to levy a windfall profits tax on the oil companies, there is zero reason to suspend the gas tax. Eliminating the gas tax for the summer might save consumers $40-$50, on average. That is a ridiculous sum--and reminds me of the pain the whole nation suffered (massive unnecessary deficits and a widening of the gap between rich and poor) from the great share of the Bush tax cuts enjoyed by most people (an average of $300). It makes people think you are doing something when, in fact, all you are doing is scoring some political points and actually making the problem worse.
Second, the gas tax actually is an important thing that funds the fixing of roads, bridges and the rest of the infrastructure that makes the economy function. You need not travel more than a few miles in any city to understand how badly those funds are needed. Once you start suspending the gas tax for one reason, it becomes a target for any politician looking to score a few points against "government spending."
Third, and maybe the most important point, the predicament so many Americans find themselves in when they go to the pump to fill up their cars is a legacy of our political and economic system and our long history of refusing to face up to reality: that we guzzle cheap gas relative to the rest of the world, drive idiotic cars, encourage suburban sprawl that is an oil company executive's wet dream and exist in a political system that rewards oil and coal while killing alternative energy.
I am no Tom Friedman fan and find his views on globalization to be predictable coming from a real elitist (as opposed to someone who is unfairly painted as an elitist for political reasons). I say this mostly to underscore how right he is in today's column:
It is great to see that we finally have some national unity on energy policy. Unfortunately, the unifying idea is so ridiculous, so unworthy of the people aspiring to lead our nation, it takes your breath away. Hillary Clinton has decided to line up with John McCain in pushing to suspend the federal excise tax on gasoline, 18.4 cents a gallon, for this summer's travel season. This is not an energy policy. This is money laundering: we borrow money from China and ship it to Saudi Arabia and take a little cut for ourselves as it goes through our gas tanks. What a way to build our country.
And...
The McCain-Clinton proposal is a reminder to me that the biggest energy crisis we have in our country today is the energy to be serious -- the energy to do big things in a sustained, focused and intelligent way. We are in the midst of a national political brownout.
There is an opportunity here for a teachable moment. Sen. Obama will win the nomination (it's just a matter of time, as much as a lot of people are wringing their hands over the lead-up to the eventuality of the day so count me as one who is bored by the media-induced drama). He could set the tone for a future administration by simply stating, as I think he has tried in the past:
In the heat of this battle, I could troll for a few more votes by offering people a promise that has no meaning, but I won't. It may cost me votes in the upcoming primaries but what is more important is the future of the country and the planet. Telling you that I could save you a few bucks in your bill at the gasoline pump might make you feel good--but we won't solve the crisis that forces you to pay more at the pump by getting rid of a tiny amount we all pay to make sure that we have the basic services our society needs--roads, bridges etc...The economic pain you feel today is a result of a system that is controlled by [list of foes here]. If you elect me president, we are going to take on [list the obvious foes here] and make sure that your economic future is not controlled by [list Exxon etc. here]. It will also mean we will have to make some significant changes in the way we think about creating energy and using it. But, taking the power way from [Exxon etc.] will mean that we, the people, can determine that the price we pay at the pump does not come at the expense of our families and our planet.
Truckers are thus either VERY desperate or VERY misguided in their demands. On the other hand... not stopping the filling of the SPR is tantamount to saying that the president has even less sense than a bunch of desperate truckers because the difference to the SPR is absolutely negligible.
The FACT is that gasoline inventories are at near record levels and refineries are cutting back production since US gasoline consumption has dropped 4% since this time last year. The real cause of the price rise is the speculation going on in oil futures which most elites are involved in. The world demand has increased 2% so far and production the last quarter has increased 2.5% outstripping demand with a projected increase to 4% by the third quarter. So there is NO oil shortage which common sense should tell you by looking around and NOT seeing long lines at the pumps. I would refer all to the Star-Telegram.com/ed_wallace and look at his column Thank You Bubble Boys. He lays it out for all to see. Or go to Sen. Sanders D-VT for his plan which has most of the elements of Clinton's. Obama's plan is simply MORE of the SAME, NOT Change.
What obscene profits? Look at % earned and there's NO obscene profits... Last I looked, WalMarts Profit % was higher... Some of the Oil Corps are huge, so profits are in the Billions $$$$, But NOT % wise...
One answer is simple... POGO: WE have met the enemy and it is us... Lower (and ENFORCE) a 55 MPH Speed Limit Nationwide and need for foreign Oil is gone... Also we then have a surplus from the existing refineries... Effects accidents, etc... Anything over 55 MPH greatly increases % of fuel consumed... Texas has 85 MPH gas sucking Speed Limits, for example... Uses what, 1/4 to 1/3 more fuel as well as adding wear and tear...
NO! NO! NO! That effects ME........ WE CAN"T do that...
Actually we probably need to increase a dedicated Federal Tax to fix infrastructure...
Threre is NO oil shortage at all now. As a matter of fact, the oil shale deposits in the Rockies have enough oil to supply all US oil needs at current rates of consumption for 100 years. The break even point for that oil is $35/bbl. The reason the oil companies are not hiring every rig that can drill like they did back in the 70s is that there is NO oil shortage and the price is speculation driven which can go bust at any time. Thus no incentive to invest billions into that kind of technology.
Obama refused to feed into the political pandering.
Like Obama says:
"This is an idea that, when all is said and done, will save you -- at most -- half a tank of gas over the course of the entire summer," he said
. "Well, let me tell you, this isn't an idea designed to get you through the summer, it's designed to get them elected"
A Republican
A Republican-Lite
A Democrat
I'm voting for the Democrat.
It is all pandering with no feasible plans.
The physically feasible solutions are known for decades. The only problem is that the US is not willing to pay for them. Europe, on the other hand, is. Solar power to the Europeans is a great source of non-exportable jobs. And jobs are far more important over there than the cost of energy. The same is true for the US, by the way, Americans just haven't figured it out, yet.
This is as egregious a bit of pandering as Dubya's tax rebate was in 2000. Vote for me, and I'll give you three hundred bucks. Actually, it might be a bit more egregious, as this time it's vote for me, and I'll give you forty bucks. Hell, I make less than 50k a year, and even I can see that 13 bucks more a month for three months doesn't mean squat. I'm open to a windfall tax on oil companies, but this "tax holiday" is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, and signifying nothing.
btw, does anyone here realize that those subsidies the government gives to oil companies are what keep our gas prices at approximately half what the rest of the world pays for gas? Time to wake up, America. If you candidates want to show me you're serious about gas prices, then promise me you'll raise the mileage requirements for American built cars that havn't been raised in 30 years, no matter how much the oil companies, auto makers, and SUV drivers howl about it.
As I was running this morning, I tried to make a mental note of how many cars that I passed had one driver. I get easily distracted when I'm running so it wasn't easy, but I can confidently estimate that the proportion was well over nine in ten. I don't see that people are cutting back on gas consumption. Maybe they're supporting their gas habits with credit cards, savings, shorting the family grocery bill, I don't know.
It's not that hard to save gas...carpool, take turns driving the neighborhood kids to school, take the bus to the mall, plan all of your errands in one trip instead of multiple. Until I see people taking these measures, I don't feel sorry for what they pay for gas. It's a voluntary contribution to rich oilmen and terrorist Arabs.
Ethanol is a scam.
Right now crude goes up a $1 a barrel when someone throws a grenade at a pipeline in Nigeria or a 100 gallon oil spill occurs. Does anyone really think the 18.5 cent gas tax is an issue. It is just politics as usual. And if the american voters can be bought for $30 this summer, then they deserve the pols they elect.
Why do we just keep rethreading the same old pols and expect different results. The American public needs to wake up. I am a 40 Yr Repub voter, I am just waking up to the mess my partisan voting has brought the US. Sen. Obama deserves a chance to clean up the mess in DC.
No one is going to save the country for us, we have to save it ourselves and the first step is taking responsibility, taking our government back from the wasteful panderers and telling every candidate that plays these games that we are deeply offended by their presumption that we are stupid!
We have to get angry over 'say anything, do anything' style politics coupled with irrelevant, petty diversions. We have to let politicians, all of them, not just those running for office today, that we have had enough of this.
We are not stupid. We are capable of meeting the challenges if given the option and we have every right to be offended by this kind of harmful pandering.
I'll know a fool when I see him support this idiotic 'solution'
Hmmm, back in 2005 Sen. Obama voted for the Bush/Cheney energy bill...was that the right stand?
Sen. Clinton voted against it.
Of course, NOW Sen. Obama says the bill was a bad idea. He, "was before it before he was against it".
Thats the leadership we need from our next president.
Just because it was Senator Obama who took the right stand, you will argue against the economists' take on the problem.
But I'm sure that question didn't work well in polling efforts, so hillie went with the 'give em some shiny beads' route. We must be a nation of idiots to tolerate clown candidates like mccain and clinton.