It's not gasoline taxes, stupid. It's gasoline prices!!

[keithyboy]

This is another gross example of how the Dems are allowing the Republicans and their whore media get away with defining an issue in their terms and making the stupid public believe in a virtual issue.
What everyone should be screaming about is gasoline prices. It's not the gasoline tax that is the problem, it's the price of the gasoline. It's the ever increasing profits of the gasoline companies at a time when consumers are being hit with higher prices which are doing nothing to add to the Federal coffers but are adding windfall profits to the gasoline companies. Yet I have heard no Dem spokesperson argue this issue. All they do is respond to the false charges against Kerry which gives credence to the false issue put before the public. Instead of yelling to the media whore talking heads "Hey the issue is not gasoline taxes but gasoline prices, the taxes have remained the same since ..."
Maybe Dems don't deserve to be in office if they can't challenge the Repugs over the main issues better.

[fearnobush]

1. The high Gas prices are a covert effort by the BFEE to

make billions while smearing Kerry in the process. Unfortunately, the Dems are a little, well a lot slow to figure this out.

[KissMyAsscroft]

2. Bingo...

But it should be just as easy for Kerry to use it against Bush as well.

[bearfartinthewoods]

16. gas is cheaper than the pepsi you buy from the machine at the

gas station. gas is cheaper than milk. gas is cheaper than bottled water. gas is cheaper than starbuck's coffee.

please...is this really an issue? break down europe's gas price an tell me if it's the price of oil or the tax....

personally, i say lay on the taxes and devote the money to alternate energy.

[magglepuss]

3. It's capacity!

REFINERIES, My good man, REFINERIES!!! Boutique blends are the present undoing. One pipeline break in North Iowa Last summer created 1973 gas lines and mild panic.

[Old and In the Way]

5. Who controls refinery capacities?

Oil Companies!

A $.50 gas tax is precisely what is needed to get American's serious about their gas consumption choices. It's a finite resource and it's time we made alternative/renewable energy a core part of the Democratic platform.

Republicans = Oil = War = Dead End
Democrats = Renewable/Alternative enerby = Jobs = Future

[magglepuss]

9. "Who controls refinery capacities?"

At present, our capacity to refine multitudinous strains of GO juice is strictly limited by the physical ability to refine these mandated strains. The intent is pure, the practicality is less than desirable.

[Old and In the Way]

11. But it's not our capacity. It's the oil companies.

And they have a vested interest in keeping capacity matched or lagging to demand. They get to avoid expensive investment (and jobs) in building capacity and simply allow the market to continue to bid the price up until they reach an optimal price point. I doubt we'll ever see more significant capacity built, given future constraints on raw product projections and the increasing industrialing demands of Asia.

Time for the government to unalign itself from the interests of the oil companies and start investing in America's future needs by promoting investment strategies that encourage alternative/renewable energy sources.

[treepig]

14. they need to get advice from the cola and bottled water

suppliers.

look, they can supply a multitude of "boutique blends"



and a 12-pack of coca-cola products is routinely available for $1.99, the same as 20 years ago!!

[LiberalFighter]

4. It would had helped if you had defined it yourself...

Would something along this line be right??

Gas taxes are not the basis for price increases that flucuate from week to week or day to day. Gas taxes are enacted by both the federal and state governments and are increased at most not more than annually. The only exception to government taxes possibly increasing as much as daily or weekly is when the tax is based on a percentage of the sales. That is usually by local governments.

Any increase of the cost of gasoline to the consumer on a daily or weekly basis is determined by the gasoline company.

[Wonco_the_Sane]

6. Taxes matter some

Tax and title just added $1,400 to my new car. Ugh!! It matters. Tax anything and that cost will always be passed to the consumer rather than eaten by the goods/service provider.

To me (IMHO) the issue should be what the taxes are used for. (Better roads, safer well maintained etc., maybe some research into alternative fuel sources) I'm happy to pay a reasonable tax to that end.

High prices lead to the purchase/building of better cars. Like I just got :) (Used-Toyota Solara-5-speed...39mpg, much better than my Ford F-150 which died) :(

[DieboldMustDie]

7. And gas price increases are, in large part, due to the declining value...

of the dollar, which, in turn, is largely due to *'s record high budget deficit.

[bearfartinthewoods]

17. so will the price fall now that the dollar is gaining on the euro?

[Djinn]

8. neither of which are very high

compared to the vast majority of the rest of the world, and before anyone comments on the great public transport system elsewhere or the short distances other people travel - been to Australia recently?

I'll never get over the insistance some people seem to have that petrol should cost less than milk

[Wonco_the_Sane]

10. Agree

Aside from the fact that gas is crazy cheap as is (compared to inflation, other countries ect.) It's not so bad.

If we paid like the rest of the world, all kinds of public transport and energy saving controls would be in high demand. And demand would turn into supply...go USA

[Old and In the Way]

12. Our transportation budget is heavily weighed to support

car transportation and it's oil/gas energy demands. As is our military budget....that $200BB Iraqi investment is a subsidy for securing cheap oil price in USD. And that budget deficit the Roilists have laid on this country means we don't have discretionary options to change the vision without raising taxes.

[leftyandproud]

13. taxes matter a lot

fed taxes are only a small part though, around .30 Most states also have gas taxes, and in combination, I read that the national average is 73.2 cents per gallon state & federal It's higher in California, closer to $1.00 per gallon in taxes...so yes, they do play a big part.

[baldguy]

15. High fed deficit = low-valued dollar

low-valued dollar = high oil prices

[kentuck]

18. "Would you rather pay $1.30 per gallon with .30 cent tax or.....

would you rather pay $1.75 per gallon with a .10 cent tax?" Can people be so stupid?