What I wrote to the Clinton campaign about rolling back the gas tax.

Dear Senator Ms Clinton,

I know that you will never get to read this. Still, I will chime in because I feel I must.

So far, I have been a faithful supporter of almost all of your pronouncements. But the recent noises you have been making (chiming in with *horrors* Sen. McCain) regarding repealing the gas tax for the duration of the summer is, at best, meaningless and at worst, a disaster. Please note that all this will do is a) help people drive a little more during the summer and b) help the US pollute the earth a little more.

As a candidate from a party that claims to be more environmentally conscious than the Republicans, I believe this is the last thing you should be saying. I would suggest backing off from the suggestion altogether.

I would like to look at it from my point of view. My wife drives around 40 miles one way to her work place. Given that her SUV (yes - I admit that this is not the right vehicle to be driving - but it is the only posture and the only vehicular entrance/exit that keeps my wife's lower back from collapsing) gives about 15 MPG, I just calculated that she drives 80 miles per day - for about 5.33 gallons per day. The proposed savings will help us save about $1.00 per day. From my perspective, this isn't sufficient to help us build our dream house or send my kids to college or even buy some extra eggs for breakfast.

Let me go a little further and telll you what I believe you should be doing. Instead of lowering or temporarily eliminating these taxes, you should be proposing an annual hike in this tax of about 5 cents per gallon per year. Why am I suggesting this? The case boils down to what is good for America (and the world in general). Foreign oil will last about 50 more years or so and with the soaring demand from China and India (Africa has not even started its development - imagine what would happen if that entire continent were to be in the state that Chindia is?) this could be projected to end even sooner.

Drilling into the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (a perennial right-wing favourite location for drilling and promoting independence from foreign oil) would, at best, produce oil in sufficient quantities by 2020 and account for, at most, 5% of our consumption. Does it make any sense? Not in my opinion!

If we were to institute an annually accelerating (or even an annually constant but increasing) tax on oil, it would help modify the behaviour of consumers inn a few ways - auto companies would be forced to produce more efficient vehicles, because their guzzlers would simply stop selling. Oil companies would be facing reduced profits because of reduced demand for their goods. Alternative energy sources would see their day in the sun as they become more and more viable. As demand for oil stabilises or even starts dropping, our dependence on foreign oil would start reducing. And finally, the government would have a source of funds to reduce the deficit, help with the Social Security deficit and encourage the development of alternative sources of energy - HOPEFULLY FUNDING SOURCES BETTER THAN ETHANOL.

I cannot claim complete credit for these thoughts. I have been thinking about them for a long time now (on my own) - but some comments from Chris Farrell of www.Marketplace.org and Robert Reich a couple of days ago crystallised these thoughts and prompted me to write this up.

I am sorry for having taken up so much of your campaign's time. But I believe these steps will help in accelerating our independence from foreign source of oil.

Sincerely,

This headline from the New York Times, had me wondering if tere could be any bright spots at all, caused by the crisis in gasoline prices.

Yes indeed - there are bright spots. People are driving less and using less gasoline. The gas prices are forcing them to stop eating meat and start eating healthy foods (from the article) 'replacing meat at supper with soups and green beans and broccoli'

Now THAT is good news indeed!

I am also quite sure that smoking will come down, in order to feed the gasoline monster!

Bring on the higher prices! There is hope yet for the American people that they will curtail their wasteful habits.