Probing Gas Prices
It's "ridiculous" and "outrageous." "Consumers' tempers are rising with gas prices" is the typical headline to describe today's high oil prices. I just have a couple of comments on the situation.
1) I don't like to pay high prices for anything, whether it's clothes, food, rent, or gas prices and that's why a free market is nearly always best. We should have voiced our objections to OPEC years ago and starved the Islamofascists into submission long ago.
2) If you own an SUV, don't even think about complaining. I like SUVs and have no problem with them whatsoever, but you could have bought a more gas efficient vehicle if that were a more important incentive for you.
3) A proposed "windfall profits" tax on oil is laughable because a) the government gets a windfall profit through taxes on every gallon of gasoline and b) no one complains about windfall profits from the value of that home that's risen 100+% over the past few years or the steel makers or gold miners who have had pretty darn good quarters recently. It's a free country - if you want to start an oil company, you have the opportunity to do so.
4) Finally and most importantly, if politicians are REALLY concerned about the American consumer's pocketbook, how about helping us out by reducing our taxes? Or extending the ones that will expire in two years? Or heck, even just reduce the federal, state and local taxes of roughly $.55 per gallon of gasoline? Until then, I suggest they keep quiet...they sound smarter that way.
1) I don't like to pay high prices for anything, whether it's clothes, food, rent, or gas prices and that's why a free market is nearly always best. We should have voiced our objections to OPEC years ago and starved the Islamofascists into submission long ago.
2) If you own an SUV, don't even think about complaining. I like SUVs and have no problem with them whatsoever, but you could have bought a more gas efficient vehicle if that were a more important incentive for you.
3) A proposed "windfall profits" tax on oil is laughable because a) the government gets a windfall profit through taxes on every gallon of gasoline and b) no one complains about windfall profits from the value of that home that's risen 100+% over the past few years or the steel makers or gold miners who have had pretty darn good quarters recently. It's a free country - if you want to start an oil company, you have the opportunity to do so.
4) Finally and most importantly, if politicians are REALLY concerned about the American consumer's pocketbook, how about helping us out by reducing our taxes? Or extending the ones that will expire in two years? Or heck, even just reduce the federal, state and local taxes of roughly $.55 per gallon of gasoline? Until then, I suggest they keep quiet...they sound smarter that way.
posted by Richie Rich | 8:54 AM
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