Business And Union Leaders Request Hike In Gasoline Tax

The last time the federal gasoline tax was raised was in 1993. This may get some traction because the US Chamber of Commerce is supporting it:

http://news.yahoo.com/u-business-labor-leaders-urge-congress-raise-gas-230056049--sector.html

Good luck trying to sell that.

The lefts argument: Raising the gas tax will ensure our competitiveness.

Of course raising the gas tax will actually:

1. Hurt the poor.
2. Hurt the working class
3. Hurt seniors on fixed incomes
4. Raise the price of food  (for those who actually buy their own)
5. Raise the price of consumer goods and services.

This is just another area where the Democrats have to bend reality.

They love the poor.
They love the old.
They love the middleclass.  
They want cheap housing, food and consumer goods.
 
But they also LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the unions.

And there in lies the rub.

Before a discussion of raising the gas tax begins, maybe we should start with what happened to the money they already collected. Some $35,000,000,000.00 ever year in Federal gas tax.  Where did it go?  

Yes let’s fix our roads and bridges, a good place to start would be to get the Federal Government, their union benefactors and corporatists out of our pockets.

By the way…

Obama’s Executive Fiat on raising the minimum wage for government contractors will trigger raises for union employees making more than the minimum since their wages are tied to the minimum wage floor.

So yeah, Trumka is thrilled with the idea of more Federal Contracts.

The US Chamber of Commerce, not me, is trying to sell the idea, but of course all you ever hear from the Republicans is "What ever happened to all of that other money we spent" as if the cost of fixing roads hasn't increased in 21 years. All of the affected groups you mentioned, who you really don't care about, will be affected much worse by major road delays around the country than paying a few more cents in gas tax. Things will change down the road if the federal government has to start closing roads, especially in Republican districts. Just look at what closing a couple of lanes in the wrong place did for Governor Christie! It completely snuffed out his presidential aspirations!     

The feds should stay out of the fixing of roads and let each state have the money for its infrastructure.
 
The feds use the gas tax for who knows what.  The fed tax on gas was started a long time ago to help balance the budget and then they used it for other things and kept raising the tax until it got to 18.4 cents a gal.
 
I think there should be a complete investigation as to where the fed tax on gas goes each year. I'll bet that not very much goes to fix the roads and bridges.

I agree with you, Achigan! For once! The price of fuel was one of the things that hurt the economy in the first place.

Achigan wrote:The feds should stay out of the fixing of roads and let each state have the money for its infrastructure.
 
The feds use the gas tax for who knows what.  The fed tax on gas was started a long time ago to help balance the budget and then they used it for other things and kept raising the tax until it got to 18.4 cents a gal.
 
I think there should be a complete investigation as to where the fed tax on gas goes each year. I'll bet that not very much goes to fix the roads and bridges.

See?

Told ya hanging around Ron Paul Forums would learn ya something.

Achigan wrote:The feds should stay out of the fixing of roads and let each state have the money for its infrastructure.
 
The feds use the gas tax for who knows what.  The fed tax on gas was started a long time ago to help balance the budget and then they used it for other things and kept raising the tax until it got to 18.4 cents a gal.
 
I think there should be a complete investigation as to where the fed tax on gas goes each year. I'll bet that not very much goes to fix the roads and bridges.

Doesn't the federal government give money to the states now for interstate highway improvements?

http://news.agc.org/2014/01/17/congress-approves-fy-2014-appropriations/

The states then fund their own state infrastructure improvements, like Rt 28 and Rt 109, through the state gas tax. NH also needs to hike it's gas tax!

Then there are the tertiary state roads, like Middleton Rd, where the state DOT tells the town that they're never coming to repair it unless we kick in.

I know the state tax goes to other budgets, like the State Police, but the state police still need to be funded, whether it be from the gas tax or general tax. It's a shell game with different pots of money, but in the end we still need to maintain the roads!

You're right NB. However I would just like to see a breakdown of how much they take in and how much is actually spent on roads and bridges.

That goes for the states intake for gas tax also.

If they have to raise the tax then it's OK as long as it goes to fix the infrastructure and not for pork barrel projects.

Just for them to say they need more money is easy for them to say but the tax payer should make sure it is used correctly.

I agree with that, Achigan.

Achigan is getting it now, Anti!!! Yea!!! He sees the light!!!

WHL wrote:Achigan is getting it now, Anti!!! Yea!!! He sees the light!!!

LOL - I doubt that.

We'll see.

We can hold out hope for him anyway.

WHL wrote:I agree with you, Achigan!  For once!   The price of fuel was one of the things that hurt the economy in the first place.

Yet Obama wanted higher prices to force Americans into Government "Investments" of electric/hybrid cars.

His wishes may come to pass:

However, according to OPEC's Secretary-General Abdulla al-Badri we've already hit bottom.

Not only that, but he sees a real possibility that oil prices could explode higher to upwards of $200 per barrel in the future. He's far from the only one that sees a return of triple-digit oil prices.
—CNN

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WEST COAST DOCK STRIKE SETTLES JUST IN TIME FOR REFINERY STRIKE

With the West Coast ports labor dispute involving 13,600 unionized dockworkers inflicting pain on 318 million Americans by causing billions of dollars a day in losses to the U.S. economy settling yesterday, now 30,000 unionized refinery workers across America intend to play the same leverage game by cutting off two-thirds of all U.S. diesel and gasoline supplies.
Breitbart

Gas prices up 70 cents in California. NB would like California.




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“BP USW [union] employees are among the highest paid hourly workers in the region enjoying a total compensation package well in excess of $100,000 per year,” Scott said.

“The average BP USW employee earns more than $82,000 a year in base salary. This does not include overtime, bonuses, company retirement contributions or other benefits, which on average adds well in excess of $20,000 to the total annual compensation package for the average BP USW employee.”

And they roundly support minimum wage for everyone else.




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US overflowing with oil production.




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And the price is already heading back up. Are they too stupid to realize that the high costs have hurt the economy???