Earmarks, gas taxes and roads

Jaime, Boynton Beach, FL — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:49:33 GMT

I think Clinton needs to be investigated for "voter manipulation." A gas tax holiday? That would be TERRIBLE!!!!! Must I offer a quick reference to economics 101?

Hmmm...
1) Gas tax is cut out, so prices fall.
2) Prices fall, so demand goes up.
3) Demand goes up, so prices increase.

Therefore, by the end of the summer, we're right back where we started, except for two HUGE hits to the hard-working American people:
1) None of the increase in gas price is tax money that goes to maintaining and building America's infrastructure. Therefore, our old, run-down roads and bridges take an even bigger hit.
2) Once the gas tax is reinstated at the end of the summer, it will be TACKED ON to the already-back-where-we-started price. Therefore, gas prices will soar over current levels.

Think, people: A gas tax holiday = 1) A significant loss in funding for our crumbling infrastructure and 2) paying MUCH more at the pump than currently projected by the end of the summer.

Obama understands this. Economists understand this. Even Clinton and McCain understand this. But, Clinton and McCain are just pandering.

Earmarks, gas taxes and roads

SEM, VA — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:52:47 GMT

am glad mccain is back on news!!

Earmarks, gas taxes and roads

donna — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:55:10 GMT

What did Hillary do with that money? 2.3 Billion in pork? Her constituents on these boards say she has'nt done anything for New York. Where are our tax dollars
Hillary?

I have the audacity to want an audit!

Earmarks, gas taxes and roads

Brendan D, Niles, IL — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:56:38 GMT

John McCain is full of sh**. Not every problem can be solved by cutting taxes and pork barrel spending -- you have to change the mentality! What an idiot.

Earmarks, gas taxes and roads

Pat Huntington NY — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:58:57 GMT

One of those so called worthless pork barrel projects, includes security improvements in NYC. McCain, was that wasteful? Man, you need to retire, and find a better brand of adult diapers.

Earmarks, gas taxes and roads

MK,MO — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:59:23 GMT

this whole 'tax holiday' deal is ridiculous, the thing that concerns me is not being able to drive somewhere on vacation this summer, my concern is being able to heat my home next winter

Earmarks, gas taxes and roads

Ha-that's-funny,PA — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:00:56 GMT

He's only concern about this summer?.....Everyone knows the only reason gas prices are so high is because the investors and the so called "market" players are rigging the prices ..to make their profit (because this Government under President Bush is not going to do anything to stop them) and they want to force congress to allow them to drill in that other place ..so the greedy bastards can make more money when George Bush finally leaves office...Get Real...it's all about the taking as much money as they can before a Democratic President take over in 2009.

Earmarks, gas taxes and roads

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:03:02 GMT

It shouldn't surprise you that most economist suggest this is a flawed idea. It makes no sense for McCain to be pushing this. Republicans and the GOP don't care about the people, they aren't going to get a vote for the $29 this would save the average motorist. Hillary doesn't have a snowballs chance in hell so is suggesting everything in her populist approach.

Earmarks, gas taxes and roads

Dan — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:03:46 GMT

Hillary is one the pork elitists.

I guess Hillary grew accustomed to nothing but the best while riding in her daddy's Cadillac. Must have been pretty tough being one of fewer than 10,000 people who owned a Cadillac back then.

Earmarks, gas taxes and roads

Andress — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:06:54 GMT

Shut-up John! Your barking up the wrong tree here. Americans was the dollar to rise again; we want our young soldier home; we want reknewable resources; whe are tired of you "OLD MAN" political games.

Give it a rest and take your afternoon nap.

Earmarks, gas taxes and roads

Jackie, Minneapolis — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:07:42 GMT

You know whats funny? McCain's buddy Pawlenty, our govenor here, cut funds to the transportation inspection budget. Now, we have a 6 cent gas tax that will go up in increments of two cents every four months (kicked in April 6th) so we can feel safe on our bridges. See the irony?

Earmarks, gas taxes and roads

Senior in Chief — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:11:25 GMT

BREAKING NEWS!!!

John McCain has declared war on Congress. He states that once the earmarks stop attacking US bridges he will build a US military base on Capitol Hill. But he warns that this war may take over 100 years to beforethe nation is safe.

Earmarks, gas taxes and roads

Bee — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:12:27 GMT

McCain doesn't understand economics...

Earmarks, gas taxes and roads

BOOGEYMAN, MAMARONECK, NY — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:19:55 GMT

There are other questions about Women's Voices' outreach efforts. Although the group purports to be targeting "unmarried women," their calls and mailings don't fit the profile. Kevin Farmer in Durham, who first recorded the call, is a white male. Many of the recipients are African-American; Rev. Nelson Johnson, who is a married, male and African-American, reported that his house was called four times by the mysterious "Lamont Williams."

And as Farmer asks, "Why are they using a guy for the calls if the target audience is single women?"

Some have also questioned the ties between Women's Voices operatives and Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton. Gardner, for example, contributed $2,500 to Clinton's HILLPAC on May 4, 2006, and in March 2005 she donated a total of $4,200 to Clinton, according to The Center for Responsive Politics' OpenSecrets.org. She has not contributed to the Obama campaign, according to the database.

Women's Voices Executive Director Joe Goode worked for Bill Clinton's election campaign in 1992 as a pollster; the group's website says he was intimately involved in "development and implementation of all polling and focus groups done for the presidential primary and general election campaigns" for Clinton.

Women's Voices board member John Podesta, former Chief of Staff for President Bill Clinton, donated $2,300 to Hillary Clinton on April 19, 2007, according to OpenSecrets.org. Podesta also donated $1,000 to Barack Obama in July 2004, but that was well before Obama announced his candidacy for president.

"The reports from other states are very disturbing, especially the pattern of mass confusion among targeted voters on the eve of a state's primary," Democracy North Carolina's Bob Hall tells Facing South. "These are highly skilled political operatives -- something doesn't add up. Maybe it's all well-intended and explainable. At this moment, our first priority is to stop the robo-calls and prevent the chaos and potential disenfranchisement caused by this group sending 276,000 packets of registration forms into North Carolina a few days before a heated primary election. We need their immediate cooperation."

Earmarks, gas taxes and roads

R.Merrell — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:21:22 GMT

How about getting rid of Bush's War to the tune of 12 BILLION a month?! Talk about wasteful, unnecessary spending that benefits no one but defense contractors, the oil companies, the likes of Blackwater and Haliburton, and an Iraqi government unwilling to spend their own oil revenue billions on their own country. McCain and the Republicans don't get it. Unless it's war related, the Bush-McCain led Republican Party is not interested. Whining about "earmarks" is a diversion from the reality of their unending, costly war. And McCain wants to keep this horror show going for another 100 years regardless of the cost in lives and U.S. dollars. Afterall, Bush is McCain and McCain is Bush.

Earmarks, gas taxes and roads

Ralph in Chicago — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:21:23 GMT

The bridge to nowhere is Senator Stevens' project ... his FELLOW REPUBLICAN from Alaska? Did he just throw Stevens ("The internet is made of Tubes") under the proverbial bus?

Bravo Senator ... now was that hard? No? Good ... you had a lot of otehr good ideas too that seem to have fallen on the wayside. Care to bring those back (e.g. fixing those "tax cuts", fixing immigration, etc.) Certianly this "Straight Talk" shows you are NOT BEHOLDED to any extreme wings of the right ...

Need I say more?

Earmarks, gas taxes and roads

shirley, san jose, ca — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:24:25 GMT

We don't need a tax break for the summer that would put more people out of work, we need a solution to our enery crisis. This is just insulting, Hillary and John must think voter's are stupid. I guess they believe Bush's rebate worked, truth is developer's saved 33% on their taxes with the same bill. We got a bone thrown to us and business got permanent tax relief with that bill.

Earmarks, gas taxes and roads

Dan — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:33:01 GMT

Three general election polls today point to differing electability pictures, with Fox showing Obama struggling. And a new KY poll has Clinton trouncing Obama. Full roundup here: http://www.campaigndiaries.com/2008/04/wednesday-polls-battle-for-independents.html

Earmarks, gas taxes and roads

LMK in WA ST. — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:36:07 GMT

$2.3 billion dollars in pork barrel projects that Sen. Clinton has asked for... that have contributed nothing to America's transportation system."

Earmarks, gas taxes and roads

mike ca — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:37:58 GMT

it is very telling that a hillary who claims to know alot about the econmy would have her plan backed by someone (mcain) who claims to know nothing about the
here is what the math looks like:
if you have a 21 gallon tank (typical for suv) and you fill it 10 times over the three month period (which is alot)
you 21x10 =210 gallons of gas if you recieved .18 for every gallon you get .18x210= 37.08

if those 210 gallons cost you 3.67 a gallon (the cost at my local station mins the .18 cent tax)
you spend 210x3.67= 770.07 dollars

hillarys plan stinks she is trying to buy your votes for 37.00 dollars

Earmarks, gas taxes and roads

Tim L, Los Angeles, CA — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:38:13 GMT

Hilary Clinton, Queen of Pork

Earmarks, gas taxes and roads

Doald C. Columbus Ohio — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:38:35 GMT

Both McCain and Clinton are talking about giving the gas holiday THIS summer. Clinton said today that Obama doesn't care about what happens to working americans THIS summer.None of them could be in office before NEXT summer. They get so carried away with thier political pandering that they forget reality. Does anyone know what the price of gas will be next summer?

Earmarks, gas taxes and roads

bernadette — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:45:28 GMT

even republican economists agree mccain's and clinton's gas tax holiday will only help the oil companies, not consumers, just like obama has said.

Earmarks, gas taxes and roads

Vincent Allen, Cocoa, Florida — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:47:33 GMT

If it were not for McCain and his support for the private Bush war for oil, the American people would not need the break in the first place. Is there anybody left in the country stupid enough not to realize that the Bush-Cheney-Iraq war was to help the Saudio and Texas oil interests. Well you republicans got what you wanted and now look at the mess we are in.

Earmarks, gas taxes and roads

Lee Treasure Island Fl. — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:48:37 GMT

We never saw Hillary's ear marks. Obama turned in ZERO! ZIP. NADA. NOTHING. ZERO. Just like McCain.
Hillary would not release hers to the press.

Earmarks, gas taxes and roads

Lee Treasure Island Fl. — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:48:45 GMT

We never saw Hillary's ear marks. Obama turned in ZERO! ZIP. NADA. NOTHING. ZERO. Just like McCain.
Hillary would not release hers to the press.

Earmarks, gas taxes and roads

Linsey Hines, Plano Texas — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:49:23 GMT

Barack Obama is not interested in giving the citizens of the country a break. In fact, he wants to raise taxes on every working man and woman in the country.

"Hope" doesn't put bread on the table Obama.

Earmarks, gas taxes and roads

Liz in SD — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:53:52 GMT

The McCain-Clinton gas tax holiday is an insult to the intelligence of the voters. I vote June 3 and believe me I'll let Senator Clinton know exactly what I think of her pandering and theatrics. We're not as stupid as McCain & Clinton think!!!

Earmarks, gas taxes and roads

Travvie — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:54:30 GMT

Yes, he does need to say more. Like how he rationalizes pulling out 9 billion from the highway fund for a measely 5% drop in gas prices.

How often do you go into a store and are excited by seeing something that's $3.50 being marked down by 5% or less. Never.

It's a good thing reporters don't ask him to say more. Good for him, bad for the country.

Earmarks, gas taxes and roads

Ian — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:56:12 GMT

So much for her Woodstock museum.

Earmarks, gas taxes and roads

Jerry Eggert, Rapid City SD — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:58:18 GMT

[[All that momentum Clinton is riding out of Pennsylvania is almost overwhelming isn't it? ]]

Apparently. Hillary's up 8 in Indiana, and even in North Carolina.

If Obama is the presumed winner, why does he keep losing?

Earmarks, gas taxes and roads

Karen Pape, Charlottesville, Va — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:02:34 GMT

It continually amazes me that HRC's $2.3 Billion in proposed earmarks have gone virtually unnoticed by the mainstream media. This is a huge sum of money that she has taxen from the taxpayers and no one is even talking about it, except, God Bless 'im, John McCain.

Earmarks, gas taxes and roads

Doug Kimber, Allison, GA — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:05:09 GMT

For how much money we put into our infrastructure, it should be clad in 14K gold. Quit wasting our money Democrats! Do more with less, just like us normal people do!

Earmarks, gas taxes and roads

Serious Discussion — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:11:06 GMT

OK. As a white 64 year old Jewish woman who thinks Obama is OK, I want you all to take a look at this quote from Pat Bucannan that is on MSNBC daily and judge whether racism is still alive and well in the media that is supposed to be "un-biased". They all join Fox now as corporate lackys!

This came from Pat Bucannan's mouth it is an exact quote!

"First, America has been the best country on earth for black folks. It was here that 600,000 black people, brought from Africa in slave ships, grew into a community of 40 million, were introduced to Christian salvation, and reached the greatest levels of freedom and prosperity blacks have ever known.
Wright ought to go down on his knees and thank God he is an American.
Is white America really responsible for the fact that the crime and incarceration rates for African-Americans are seven times those of white America? Is it really white America's fault that illegitimacy in the African-American community has hit 70 percent and the black dropout rate from high schools in some cities has reached 50 percent? Is that the fault of white America or, first and foremost, a failure of the black community itself?
As for racism, its ugliest manifestation is in interracial crime, and especially interracial crimes of violence. Is Barack Obama aware that while white criminals choose black victims 3 percent of the time, black criminals choose white victims 45 percent of the time?Is Barack aware that black-on-white rapes are 100 times more common than the reverse, that black-on-white robberies were 139 times as common in the first three years of this decade as the reverse? We have all heard ad nauseam from the Rev. Al about Tawana Brawley, the Duke rape case and Jena. And all turned out to be hoaxes. But about the epidemic of black assaults on whites that are real, we hear nothing.Sorry, Barack, some of us have heard it all before, about 40 years and 40 trillion tax dollars ago"

MSNBC IF YOU CONTINUE TO HAVE THIS MAN ON I WILL CALL FOR A BOYCOTT OF MSNBC!

Earmarks, gas taxes and roads

Daley Dunham, San Francisco, CA — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:12:02 GMT

I'm a regular schmo - but if I were an ad guy for Obama, I'd shoot one that goes something like this:
***

Senators Clinton and McCain are proposing a summer gas tax holiday, because they say it will ease the burden of high gas prices. Those savings, for the average family, will add up to about $28, total. That breaks down to about $9 a month, or around $0.25 a day.

And what comes as a result of that quarter? The Federal Highway Fund loses $6 billion that would have gone to keep roads and bridges safe, and 200,000 construction jobs will be lost.

The economy may be in trouble, but we’re all in this together. Do you really want to cost someone their job for that quarter?

Make no mistake, the Clinton and McCain campaigns are doing nothing more than trying to distract you with a shiny object [IMAGE: spinning quarter] … literally.

We need real, meaningful solutions. We need a different kind of politics.

Earmarks, gas taxes and roads

ML, Illinois — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:12:08 GMT

McCain is right on this one, just like Obama is right on the need to clean up the divisive politics which have so totally taken over the entire process. The problem is that both issues get clouded by greedy and power-hungry politicians looking out for their own personal interests.
If we can get beyond the greed and try to elevate ourselves to a higher plain, then maybe we can get off square one and solve our problems. Until we are willing to do this, can we expect anything other than what we have now?
Go Obama.
Go away Clintons.

Earmarks, gas taxes and roads

End Game — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:13:22 GMT

Obama's gas price solution here:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1185304443?bctid=1531191625