Re: GAS - Yea, I agree

["Jay Mackro" <jmackro@domain.elided>]

Ron:

I posted a similar message to the digest yesterday, and got
some hate mail back.  Be prepared.  Something to the effect
of "Saint Clinton is spending your gas tax wisely, using it
to fill in potholes, and build new interstates".  In other words,
a message from a real genius!

There has been a lot of ranting and raving about high gas
prices on the internet over the past few weeks, most of
which has been of the " *&^%$ A-Rabs" genre.  Frankly,
I don't blame the Middle Easterners (and Venezualians,
and Norwegians, and Malasians, and Texans ...) for
jacking up crude oil prices - heck, there is a boom
economy in the West, why shouldn't they get their cut?

But, for our own governments to take such a huge bite,
and then 1) refuse to adjust taxes, and 2) refuse to tap
the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and 3) mumble that
maybe, someday, Madeline will go talk with the OPEC
folks - is just bullshit.  

As you accurately point out, politicians - typified by
Al Gore - would LOVE to see gas at $5.00 a gallon,
and be able to create union-built, government-
administered, massive-scale public transportation
systems.  Then, the Federal Governmnt would have
control of yet another aspect of every citizen's life.
I can't blame the politicians either - they're all scum,
but hey - that's what they do for a living.  What
frosts me is that most of the populace just passivly
accepts it.

Jay Mackro


>Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2000 09:06:07 -0500
>From: Ronald C Coddington <rcoddington@domain.elided>
>Subject: Angry Alfa Owner - Gas Prices (no Alfa Content - sorry)
>
>Several words on CONUS gas prices.  
>
>First - Connecticut.  Here the direct taxes at the pump per gallon amount
>to about 54 cents.  About the highest in the country.  18.3 cents Fed and
>the balance State.  Now CT is currently running a huge surplus in their
>coffers.  But do you think they will give us some relief at the pump? 
>Pretty unlikely.  Wringing of hands and emotional speeches will be the
>sum of it.  
>
>At the Federal level, estimates range to as high as 90 cents per gallon
>in total taxes, direct, excise, well head, etc.  At this level of
>taxation, we still get the same emotional displays from our tallented
>leaders.  The Feds have virtually snuffed out offshore drilling, well
>field exploration in "Federal lands", further Alaskan oil development and
>pipeline building to rout domestic supplies more efficiently around the
>lower 48.  Meanwhile they modify the fuels with MTBE thereby reducing
>efficiency, adding another 5 cents a gallon and introducing a highly
>suspected carcinogen pollutant into our watersheds. 
>
>So the sum of it is that our gov't is not helping us and would love to
>move us to mass transit or alternate forms of energy that would enable a
>further tax squeeze for development of same.  Time to write some more
>letters to our leaders on this issue.      
>
>Ron Coddington
>Hamden, CT
>'69 1750 GTV
>'79 Alfetta GT
>'87 Platinum

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