Momentum for Gas-Tax Hike?

"Since when is the government meant to control behavior?"
Since it's creation - never mind reading a bit about the Founding Fathers, you should probably start with Hobbes and Rousseau.

"Raising taxes is the easy way out and will not solve any problem or control behavior."
It's success at doing everything from providing for the common defense to creating the interstate highway infrastructure to even cutting teen smoking (the typical allowance is sensitive to an extra $1 per pack) is well documented. Providing bumpersticker opinions that are firmly and widely refuted by reality adds little to the discussion beyond noise.

Taxu: After eight years of getting what Republicans and 'their ilk' who elected Bush and a Republican House and Senate voted fore, I'm more than ready to get what I voted for in Obama (higher taxes on me personally, but a return of competence and a pragmatic respect for reality to the executive branch).

Well, either way, they're going to loose.

If you increase the tax to pay for the roads, you will make Americans drive even less, buy even more fuel-efficient vehicles, etc. In one way, this is good, for it will curb gas consumtion even more. The other way is that the Feds will have even less money from taxes to fix the roads. So in the long term, they're going to end up taxing something else to get the money.

The other side of the coin is that if they do not increase the gas tax and do not find another source of revenue, roads and bridges will decay and Americans will be stuck with fewer and fewer good roads to drive on.

So either way, it looks like a no win scenerio.

GWP: "So either way, it looks like a no win scenerio. "

One of your scenarios includes the US buying much less oil, which is sure to reduce the money going to the Middle East. While I realize the Saudis and our president are best friends for life, I personally see less money for Bin Laden's homeland (and a return to reality for oil-money-drunk Iran/Russia/Venezuela/etc.) a Win.

neither a borrower nor a lender be...

Raising the gas tax in a recession when automakers and other businesses are lining up for a handout? Is there not a better way to convince people to drive less and use less fuel? Are the American people now deemed so stupid that the only way to curb their excessive driving habits (even in areas with no public transportation, no sidewalks and no alternative to driving) that the only way to solve a problem is to tax them more? I sure do miss the innovative American spirit - you know, the one where we tried to solve problems rather then learn to find ways to profit from them.

Didn't Obama promise not to raise taxes on the middle class/ working class? Wouldn't gas tax indeed by a tax on the working middle class since we need our cars to work. Even worse, part of it again is to go to REDISTRIBUTE wealth from those that work to those that really don't in the form of EIC. Obama lied....he is so going to tax us that are members of the working class. But hey, with fewer of us able to afford to drive to work, Obama will be able to have less crowded roads for his gas gozzling limos and Suvs.

The most important line in this story is buried in the ninth paragraph:

"...the Obama team has no intention of doing either [raising federal gas taxes or imposing an economy-wide carbon tax] at this time."

It MIGHT make sense to raise taxes on fossil fuels IF there was a low-cost, cleaner alternative already available. Currently there is not--like it or not, we're stuck running gasoline-powered cars and heating our homes with fossil fuels or electricity produced in fossil-fuel-burning power plants. I'd love to see this change, but I don't think changing it by making it more expensive for everybody (via a tax). I expect Mr. Obama understands the issue enough to realize this, which explains why he hasn't said anything about imposing these new taxes.

Miss S: "Is there not a better way to convince people to drive less and use less fuel? Are the American people now deemed so stupid that the only way to curb their excessive driving habits "

Speaking of so stupid, you do realize that there is data from just the last year showing, in big 10' high letters with flashing lights, that a $0.10 increase in the price of gas has negligible effect on miles driven (or the price of groceries, mail service, etc)?

Law making by whining that has no basis in reality has to stop.

As far as decaying roads and such....even today, every gallon of gas nets the government $.47 that is supposed to go improve roads, bridges and such. AS usual though, every time the government gets involved fraud, waste, and abuse occur. The government has wasted this money as they will any new tax money. BTW, Obama is scam artist and like he did with Rezko, he has worked with "builders" (think road construction now) to increase taxes only so his buddies can scam the government. The Rezko scam included Obama arranging for millions $$$$ of tax payer money to be used to "build" low housing projects and renovate others....most of these homes were condemned at total waste to the low income and tax payers. Obama involved in roads almost certainly means roads/bridges made subpar that will prove dangerous and be condemned later. History repeats itself often and Obama has a history of this.

jhw539 "It's success at doing everything from providing for the common defense to creating the interstate highway infrastructure to even cutting teen smoking (the typical allowance is sensitive to an extra $1 per pack) is well documented."

-- I beg to differ with you that it was the tax money that makes the difference in solving problems, like smoking - education tends to make the biggest difference.

Those expensive anti-smoking, anti-drinking, anti-drug ads paid for by higher taxes actually do very little to curb behavior. The tax itself also has done little to change smoking or drinking behavior - people quit when they are ready to quit, not when a government tax instructs them to do so.

It's when the non-profit anti-tobacco, anti-drug, anti-drinking groups (like MADD) began going into the schools (for free - no tax dollars involved) and began working to prevent these problems early in a child's life (first and second grade) that the declines started happening.

A gas tax would make life very hard on a big part of the population - some people drive to work because they have no other option. Many poor people watch their pennies and even a slight raise in tax could cause them significant hardship, as we've seen in the past - when gas prices inch up even by a few cents poor people start to make difficult choices. I suggest you visit a soup kitchen or food bank to hear some of the stories about how people are really affected by these tax increases. The solutions don't come from raising taxes, they come from analyzing the problem and finding real solutions.

The man isn't even in office yet, and already he's reneging on promises not to raise taxes. Frankly, with all the empty promises he made during the campaign, there's no way fund any of it without raising taxes. Sadly, truthfulness doesn't seem to register on the scale of qualifications to be POTUS. Sincerity, yes; truthfulness, not so much...

Miss S ,that is NOT sop (standard operating procedure) these days.

the new american spirit is to CREATE a problem/problems where none existed previously,(or exacerbate current problems ) to throw taxpayer money at ,"providing much-needed new job growth..."
(with the accompanying increase in tax revenues ready and waiting to be duly misappropriated and gleaned ,eg T.A.R.P. = G.S.T.L = GOVERNMENT SANCTIONED TAXPAYER LOOTING )

Raising gas taxes doesn't hurt?

http://www.lunsfordgastax.com/

It most certainly does...and when the price of fuel goes up, so does the price of everything else.

jhw539 - Rarely do numbers tell the whole story and often studies and data are sadly misleading. Talk to some people who are struggling, you might find that there is another side to the story. Although ten cents per gallon might mean very little to you and the majority, I assure you, it would be a hardship on some people. Not all can just turn over additional pennies to the government. You may not have noticed, but times are tough right now and lots of people are struggling.

Obama doesn't plan on a gas tax or carbon taxing us to death? Don't you Obamabots read or ever admit the truth?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122445812003548473.html

Obama must certainly does. Politiicans like Gore stand to make millions $$$$ off these increases.

Now that gas is resonably priced again, lets have Obama and the Dems raise it back up again. Brilliamt idea , especially since the same people(Democrats) said that high fuel prices were ruining the economy a year ago. Keep It Up Democrats..... Obama/Biden, Pelosi, Reid, Frank, Dodd, Etc.

It's in their blood. The Democrats have to raise taxes. They can't stop. Tax and spend. Tax and spend.

*******The Obama Count*******

That will make 5 campain promises Obama has gone back on before his swearing in!!!

Angry Taxpayer said: "Just a reminder, if the gas taxes are raised, you can expect the price of gas to rise as well and this time, the federal government will have even more reason to not fight the higher cost. Their bottom line will depend on high gas prices (the tax is a percentage of the amount paid at the pump)."

Actually the tax is a flat tax per gallon, so the price of gas at the pump would have no effect on the tax amount.

Maybe we should just borrow more $$$ from the Chinese to pay for our road repairs. That seems to be the GOP way to avoid higher taxes: rather than tax and spend, they borrow and spend. Problem is, someday, someone will have to pay it all back.....