Thomas Friedman's Big Plan - Raise the Gas Tax

Cross-posted by by The Lonely Conservative

A "Closed" sign and a Cadillac logo are seen on the door of the Guy Schmidt GM car dealership in Glendale December 17, 2008. The dealership closed its doors in September 2008, leaving almost 50 employees out of work.

There’s not a single tax liberals don’t like. Now that Americans are finally enjoying a little relief at the gas pump, Thomas Friedman believes, naturally, that Barack Obama should increase federal taxes on gasoline.

How many times do we have to see this play before we admit that it always ends the same way?

Which play? The one where gasoline prices go up, pressure rises for more fuel-efficient cars, then gasoline prices fall and the pressure for low-mileage vehicles vanishes, consumers stop buying those cars, the oil producers celebrate, we remain addicted to oil and prices gradually go up again, petro-dictators get rich, we lose. I’ve already seen this play three times in my life. Trust me: It always ends the same way - badly.

So I could only cringe when reading this article from CNNMoney.com on Dec. 22: “After nearly a year of flagging sales, low gas prices and fat incentives are re-igniting America’s taste for big vehicles. Trucks and SUVs will outsell cars in December … something that hasn’t happened since February. Meanwhile, the forecast finds that sales of hybrid vehicles are expected to be way down.”

Have a nice day. It’s morning again - in Saudi Arabia. Read the rest of the whiny rant.

Like Mr. Friedman, I dislike enriching America’s enemies. But I do like my SUV and my husband likes his truck. Trucks and SUV’s are popular and profitable for the auto makers. Americans like big, safe vehicles. We like big, powerful engines. We don’t like little death-traps on wheels.

Rather than sensible proposals, like allowing drilling and exploration here at home, liberals want to direct behavoir through taxation. Mr. Friedman whined because he doesn’t think Barack Obama will impose this new tax on the American people. I’m not so sure, as I remember Mr. Obama saying he’d like to see the price of gas increase. He only wanted it to happen slowly, so the sheep, I mean voters, wouldn’t notice.