Clinton has been repeating on the stump in North Carolina "My opponent, Senator Obama, opposes giving consumers a break, I understand the American people need some relief."
Who wouldn't want some relief? And who wouldn't want a holiday? Holidays are FUN! Why does Barack Obama hate American holidays?!
Actually what senator Obama opposes is possibly the stupidest piece of legislative political pandering and short sighted vote grabbing we've seen this year. What Senator Obama is opposing is legislation that does nothing but put more money into the coffers of Big Oil (Yes, that would be the same big oil this gas tax holiday is supposedly penalizing). Legislation that not even one expert thinks is smart policy. Legislation that does nothing but encourage more people to drive during the busiest driving season of the year (thereby increasing carbon ommisions and harming the environment just that little bit more...) and ultimately legislation that does nothing but put chump change in the consumers pocket.
And thats pretty much what Senators Clinton and McCain are banking on...chumps to vote for cutting off their nose, again, for chump change.
Thomas Friedman not only nails it...he outlines how such short term back slapping nonsense has been and will be responsible for even bigger problems in the future.
"But here’s what’s scary: our problem is so much worse than you think. We have no energy strategy. If you are going to use tax policy to shape energy strategy then you want to raise taxes on the things you want to discourage — gasoline consumption and gas-guzzling cars — and you want to lower taxes on the things you want to encourage — new, renewable energy technologies. We are doing just the opposite."
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