The Assembly Leader is a blogger!
TEDISCO'S TAKE
His latest entry speaks to the gas tax relief.
Would you favor saving .30 per gallon and if the federal government eliminates their tax then the saving could be around .50 per gallon?
Sign the petitions for gas tax relief in Tedisco's blog and the Senate petition.
"A government big enough to give you everything you want,
is big enough to take away everything you have"
Thomas Jefferson
8 comments:
Sure, eliminating taxes in general is a good thing, but this one is not a solution to our problems.
Some might argue that this will simply increase demand and do nothing to solve what is fundamentally a supply problem. Blaming our problems on taxes or the oil companies denies the actual reality of excessive dependence and use of petroleum-based energy.
Vote YES:
If you want to transfer money intended for infrastructure directly to Big Oil Companies. If the state and federal excise taxes are lifted, oil companies will raise prices and pocket most of the difference. This is an easy out for our politicians who do not have the guts to face big oil and address the lack of regulation and enormous subsidies which have guaranteed substantial profits. We all need relief, but the tax we pay on Gasoline will only have to come from one of our other pockets. This is another smoke and mirrors "tax break" which makes politicians look good and the rich get richer.
If you want to lower the cost of gas at the pump, quit driving. People need to stop driving and start riding a bike or walking to work. Most of us need the exercise anyway. If it is legitimately too far, consider moving closer to work, which might be a pain, but also might make your cost of living less.
If that isn't an option, stop discretionary driving, cut it out entirely, and plan trips efficiently.
Eliminating the gas tax won't lower gas prices. The petroleum industry will keep the prices where they are and retain the additional profit.
The problem is can we afford to put a half-million or more Americans currently building and/or maintaining our roads and bridges out of work, which is what would need to happen if that tax revenue is eliminated, unless of course there is a new tax to replace the lost revenue.
What would replace that tax? A tax on the oil companies? That would just raise the price further. A tax on the wealthy? That hasn't happened in so long that this country has forgotten how to do it. A tax on tea? The last time that happened there was a revolution.
Leave the taxes alone for now and stop driving so damn much. It is better for the environment, your wallet, and if you start walking more to make up for the decreased petroleum based mobility, your health.
The other alternative is to convert your gas guzzler to an electric car. With batteries, motor, and labor it will set you back about $20K, and to make it economically viable you will probably need to install a small windmill and/or solar panels on your house which with net metering and the savings on fuel costs at a price of about $50K -with some government subsidies available to lower that cost- will take a decade or so to recoup. Keep an electric commuter car and save a fuel efficient gas car for long road trips, and at the end of the day, maybe gas prices will drop, but probably not because China and India as well as the rest of the developing world have a growing demand, and the supply is shrinking.
Why in the world would we drop the revenue needed to maintain our roads and bridges, just so some foreign oil company can raise their damn prices even higher?!? This makes no sense whatsoever.
We have the power to teach foreign oil companies some DISCIPLINE! Just fly a couple of F16s past their Corporate Headquarter palaces, and they will get the message quite quickly. We did not mind invading Iraq for oil rights, where is our backbone now?
He doesn't need to make sense because he is in the minority and can make irresponsible plans and demands. This is why Republicans are losing seats. Instead of being proactive and coming up with good ideas our leaders are making outrageous political platforms or selling out to lobby firms -- just like our senator did.
I'm in favor of dropping the tax on gas because I'm in favor of dropping whatever taxes possible in this state. Geez, we're taxed to death here and cutting has to start somewhere.
I do love the Democrat's reason for opposing the drop, "we can't afford to lose the funding." How about tightening the belts and cutting some spending then? You don't have a budget deficit if you cut some of these ridiculously expensive programs. No one talks about cutting funding - classic.
Also, I'm writing a letter to Senator Aubertine to ask him to help lobby his former colleagues in the NYS Assembly to vote YES on dropping the taxes on gas. He supports it as a Senator and now we'll see if he'll use that power to try and leverage some Assembly Democrats. They're your friends right Darrel??? They always listen(ed) to you, right???
I'll post when, if, I get a response.
Since George Bush and Dick Cheney took office The Big Five Oil Company profits have risen from 38 Billion in 2001 to 128 Billion in 2007. That is a cool 38% compared to a net loss in the wages of middle America during that time.
Bush and Cheney were both oilmen.
Had Clinton been an oil man and if this happened under the Clinton presidency, congress would have opened an independent investigation into the conflict of interest and given the commission an unlimited budget and powers to investigate. Profits triple under oil men Bush and Cheney and no one gives it a second look. Meanwhile we're still in Iraq waiting for those oil profits to pay for our invasion. Point that out to Darryl and ask him to address it and push for less Big Oil subsidy as we eliminate the state and federal taxes. Gas is $4.02 in some area stations today. If we eliminate the gas tax, it soon will be back to $4.02 and contaminated by the drool of big oil.
Yes, we should all write Darryl and other politicians anytime we are concerned about an issue. I write them all on a regular basis and seldom get a reply. However, I did write John McHugh opposing his last pay raise. He DID respond with a very long letter claiming that he works up to 80 hours a week and that his raise was well deserved. Obviously, some issues are more important than others.
This is an absolutely reckless policy. No protections to get the money actually TO consumers and not oil companies - no plan for how the state will take a hit of another $600 million after Bruno and Silver pushed a huge budget with a huge deficit - and no proposal to actually put our taxes on par with other states, just a plan to suspend them for a finite period of time? I think I will pass.
Post a Comment