Leave it to a government committee to recommend the exact wrong thing at the wrong time:
WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal gasoline taxes should be raised up to 40 cents per gallon over five years, a special commission urged Tuesday in calling for drastic changes to fix aging bridges and roads and reduce traffic deaths.We're in the midst of a major, cyclical economic slowdown and these yahoos propose to more than double gasoline taxes. Brilliant!
The two-year study by the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission is the first to recommend broad changes after the devastating bridge collapse in Minneapolis last August. It warns that urgent action is needed to avoid future disasters.
Among the other recommendations by the 12-member commission:
_Work to cut traffic fatalities in half over the next 17 years by urging states to embrace new strategies to improve safety.
_Ease traffic congestion by expanding state and local public transit systems and highway capacity.
_Protect the environment by smoothing traffic flow, encouraging alternative commute options such as carpooling and public transit and promoting energy-efficient construction and lighting in transit systems to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
_Seek to develop new energy sources with new research programs costing $200 million annually over the next decade.
See how expertly they weave in the bridge collapse and environmental concerns so it's more palatable? If they could have figured a way to say it was "for the kids," they would have met all the criteria laid out in the Democrats tax-raising handbook.
At least the Republicans on the committee dissented and one would hope that Bush would not sign such a regressive bill as this would be, but who knows?
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1 comment:
The democrats can solve the budget crisis, rebuild all the bridges and repave the highways in the next 17 years. Kick out the 20 Million criminals that have slipped across the border and the welfare budget will be automatically reduced enough to do all of the above. There would only be one problem for the democrats, they would lose the 20 million votes from the criminals.
Firefighter
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