Well now, Mr. Eugene Robinson, that's because you are ignoring, deliberately or by design, the campaign of Ralph Nader, a candidate that "actually makes sense". Why is that? So then, why not forgo the "nonsense dujour" and back someone other than the proponents of a "stupid idea"? I suggest you and other liberals and progressives reject the candidates that are "quick to emphasize a crowd-pleasing policy but slow to mention all the messy, uncertain and possibly counterproductive ramifications". That is, reject the mainstream media created entities for the one candidate that possesses the characteristics that Obama, Hillary and McCain do not have. In other words, vote for Ralph Nader and stop being part of the "voters who are presumed to be too stupid to realize that they're the ones being played."

Hey, the U.S. has a history of electing "actors", Reagan of course is the most famous but GW is quite good himself and might think about a career in Hollywood after he leaves the oval office.
Actually I doubt that the majority of voters read anything about the campaigns except the headlines getting their "political analysis" from their favorite TV pundit.

"in a nation where there are more automobiles than licensed drivers" A very telling fact. Simple math shows that the average occupancy of each automobile must be > 1 licensed driver. What does that imply about the extent of car pooling in America? The next time you're stuck in traffic, take your own informal survey on the average vehicular occupancy, and you'll see how we are spewing out all that carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide. You'll see why market demand for petroleum is so high. I say tax the stuff even higher, use the revenue to do something for the common wealth of the people. I have no idea what the three corporate candidates will do once they're in office. Jozef is right, Nader we can trust to do what he says.

Well put, RichM.

What we have in this country is 'ideas by stupid powers.'

"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt." Bertrand Russell

so it goes...

Yes, yes, the primaries are the casting call and the election is the big show, because we all know we are not the ones who decide a damn thing anymore. Lest we forget that our country has election rigging down to a science -- from swiftboating to caging, electronic vote rigging to 7 hour lines at the polls on Tuesdays and a completely compliant press. Or the mere fact that it now costs hundreds of millions of dollars to run a winning campaign -- narrowing the field to ensure that only the wealthy elite have any power. We should develop a new branch of government -- the people, with equal say, the right to bring forth legislation, with no money or politics involved. Heck, if we could get that going, we could just do away with the executive branch and congress all together. They do not serve us at all anymore.

End income tax on less that $100k. Make up for it with increased energy taxes.

This proposed gasoline tax moratorium is, in every way, just a stupid idea. It would be another huge give-away to the oil companies. When two of the three main-stream candidates won't talk to the voting public as if we were adults, it is disturbing. No wonder we've had 8 years of GW. How sad and sorry is that?

What's wrong with makng the oil companies make up for any lost taxes? Exxon has made several billion$ in profits the last two quarters. That is Hillays suggestion, take it back from their obscene profits.

Thank you, Eugene, for describing the gas tax holiday as just flat out a "stupid idea."

We all need to stop salivating like Pavlov's dogs at anything that appears to save people money... even people who are deserving of our concern and who are struggling right now. Peak oil, climate change, protecting ANWR, preventing ozone and smog, protecting coastal waters, and many other reasons should prohibit us from doing anything to encourage more gasoline consumption. Not to mention that we should stop sending a lot of gasoline money to countries that don't wish us well. Big changes are needed in our cities, our economy and our lifestyles, and yes, it's going to be painful for a while.

Americans are going to need to learn the difference between "can't" and "don't want to."

Well hey, if the summer gas tax holiday doesn't work, then we can have a winter fuel oil tax holiday. Then it'll cost me only $1400 to fill up my tank.

Worst yet, this is feeding the continuing nationally-suicidal anti-tax mania in the US.

My largely urban county, in a desperate attempt to find SOME politically acceptable way to fund public transit and road repair, while providing a modest break in regressive RE taxes, imposed a 10% tax on poured alcholoic drinks.

The cries of indignancy and outrage were defeaning from every bar owner -even though, with the tax in place for 5 months, there has been no loss of business at bars. At a local radio talk show, when asked if they would prefer to pay more RE tax or keep the drink tax - the overwhelming call was they wanted "no taxes at all".

Ihe irony is that most of the stupid people her in the rust belt who comlain about taxes ruining them been seeing cuts in their wages for years - yet they continue to hold their capitalist bosses, and the economic system blameless. even now, 30 years into this failed Reaganomic experiment, it is still all the governments fault.

If you want to see how desperately poor countries like El- Salvador or Haiti came into existence, just look at attitudes in the US today.

PJD - could you please explain the link between poverty in Haiti and El Salvador and a desire not to pay taxes? Thanks.

Kem - I don't have any problem with asking the oil companies to pay more taxes, but I don't think that money should be used to encourage people to use more gasoline. I like Hillary, but I think in this case she's pandering.

Who is ER talking about?

The only candidates running for President of the United States I'm aware of are Nader, Paul and McKinney.

Haven't heard a stupid idea from anyone of them yet!

while indeed 4 bucks fo a gallon is a hardship for working and poor people the price still does not reflect the TRUE cost of a fossil fuel based economy. factor in the standing army and weapons we must have to protect the sources, the pollution and environmental degradation, the consequences of urbam sprawl and human encroachment of the landscape, and the choice of the automobile over serious public transportation, corporate (oil company) welfare and protection and we are really paying far, far more for a gallon. the real cost of our addiction and the poor choices of the past are only now coming home to roost- and i wonder which way the american people will jump. history tells me it won't be pretty . . .or democratic.

Never underestimate the power of stupidity. The simple-minded tendency to latch onto something that sounds good today, but turns out to be, well, stupid is compelling. What's required is that the people and our leaders think beyond this minute and consider repercussions a week, month, decade from now. The future, unfortunately, for politicians lasts only one election cycle.

Progressive income taxes and high estate taxes are the only viable options to provide the kind of money it takes to run a civilized society. Soaking the poor - as with gasoline, cigarette, and sales taxes - was never a good idea. But the victims can't do much about it.

If we want to live in a civlized society, we have to return to highly progressive income taxes (completely exempting anyone below, say median income), remove the upper limits from Social Security taxes, and reinstate the estate tax. (Don't bother to give me heat about 'inheriting businesses and farms' - we used to buy them from our parents in the old days, and that still works.) We also need to lower real estate taxes - they are sometimes higher than PITI these days, especially in poorer high-tax states (I live in such a state.) Schools need to be funded from a general pool so everybody gets good basic education.

The idiocy of gasoline taxes in a country built and controlled by corporations that forced us all to be dependent on cars (remember who bought up and destroyed the street cars) is indefensible. Tax the corporations - not the cornered people who have no other choice. We can't all ride bicycles or move next to our jobs - especially when zoning laws made this impossible in so many towns and cities. This is a planned economy - planned to sucker-punch the average Joe and line the pockets of corporations. (It's call fascism, and it never works - doomed to failure every time.)

We ARE becoming a Third World country. For the poorest populations, it's already been that way for decades, at least - and before that we had heinous discriminatory laws. Only now the middle class - what's left of it - is also facing Third World decisions.

Taxing the poor never worked - that's why our bridges are falling down, our roads are falling apart, and some schools are in such a sorry state. It's a Third World strategy - and out of place in the 21st century.

If we don't all join in solidarity, we are going to suffer until we can't take it anymore - and then the only option will be revolution. That's not something anyone in their right mind would want to see - devastation is not a solution. (Note how well things are going in Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan, etc.) We all need to have good arguments for HIGHER TAXES - such as living in a civilized world, for instance.

Did anyone mention how much oil the MIC uses up? Cutting their quota would save us enough to change over to a sustainable transportation system. Do the numbers - there's plenty of sites on the internet with reliable information. You're not children - do a little work and find the answers.

Words are Important — Great quote from Russell. Thanks.

KEM and ceecee_em, you might be missing an important point that Mr. Robinson brings up:

Sitting Senators in the United States Congress make "suggestions" by INTRODUCING LEGISLATION, not by spouting crap on the "campaign trail".

Until either of these people drafts or helps draft a bill on this matter, they are not really "suggesting" anything -other than that they hold our collective intelligence in cynical contempt.

Therefore we would be fools to debate the merits of these ideas until they reflect on real pro-posals and not on B.S. poses.

Many are holding onto the true World by their fingertips and in danger of slipping into a wholly imaginary one.

The kind of self-regulation it takes to remind oneself that everything that someone spouts from behind a podium on TV is NOT worthy of debate, and that much of it is DESIGNED to stimulate such argument, and therefore add weight to the pull away from the World, is what in the Shamanic Journey/Head Trip paradigm we would call "grounding".

The task of those who remain Aware is to assist their fellows in "finding" this "ground".

Relatively soon the distance between the Imagined World and the True one may become so great, the differences so stark and the contradictions so disjointing, that those unprepared will experience quite a Shock.

That's when we will need to be ready for the Freak Out by not Freaking Out ourselves, or in other words -Staying Aware.

So, yeah, don't fall into these traps, and bully on Mr. Robinson for shaking us awake a bit.

-matti.

Thanks Matti
I notice it is the media who is guilty of this the most as every word the candidates says it picked apart like they were already the president. Now some of the things they do say does get my attention.

I thought you'd like to check out the political allegory of mine that I just found a literary agent for. It's a story set in the context of a teacher discussing with his class all of the evidence that the Bush administration is as corrupt as it is incompetent...and how to rectify the Constitutional crisis we face. It's couched in a discussion about the urgent need to stop abusing Mother Nature. I wrote in 3 dozen celebrities to play the students, so it's very funny despite how infuriating it is. You can read it at www.stoplittering.com/theswitch.htm and, yes, StopLittering.com is my site.

Here is a silly idea, except it is not so silly. Eliminate the gas tax, and the 9 billion intended to go into the "trust fund" from that tax, can be replaced by printing the governments own money, issued debt free, call it the greenback, and make it legal tender. Voila, 9 billion in the consumers pocket, and no need to borrow any money, highways get repaired, etc. In fact, you could do the same fro any infrastructure project. Imagine that, building and maintaining infrastructure without borrowing money, and stimulating the economy to boot.

They wont do it because they want to pick your pockets and keep you poor. Poor people who depend on government for their support, or who are too busy working 2 jobs to keep their home, do not rebel.

Just curious--Is this the Egene Robinson who is the openly gay bishop in the Episcopel Church in New Hampshire? If so, it certainly appears that he is more than a one-act pony.

Or take the billions of taxes spent on roads and the billions of taxes spent on air travel, and spend some on rail travel, both passenger trains and light rail. It takes less oil to move people by rail, and the individual can pay to travel when needed, instead of each person paying for a car, insurance, gas and repairs, so that they can get around as needed.

This car based system, as well as causing war, and air pollution and global warming, and the deaths of 50,000/year, discriminates against those too poor to own a car, and those too young or old or disabled to drive a car. There is no reason to continue on like this.

Since the Iraq war is about oil and money, and the Afghan war about natural gas and money, free market principles demand they be paid for by taxes on those goods.

A good pair of shoes, and/or a bicycle, works well a lot of the time, so long as you work your life around it as best you can.

I am for taxing the oil companies, hay America could have universal healthcare if that happens. ( HA HA HA)
Trouble is to put a oil tax in place you would have to talk to your elected official and they are playing golf at the EXXON private course and setting up a CEO job for after the next election. Isn't america great

I often wonder how many gallons of gas and diesel are burned daily in Iraq and Afghanistan and what effect it would have on gas prices were it being used at home.

Smoke and Mirrors
When Mrs W.J.C. uses the word "OBLITERATE' she is not joking . In his book "The best Democracy Money Can Buy" Mr Greg Palast tells about how the president Mr W.J.C. sided with the big drug companies in
denying the sale of cheap AIDS drugs ($2.00 per day per patient) by Argentina to Southern Africa where 2.5 million people were dying . Mr W.J.C. made the 2.5 million dying people wait until he was out of office when as a lobbyist he had them borrow one $ billion per year to buy the needed drugs at ($2.00 per day per patient) from the big drug companies .

Today while Mrs W.J.C. campaigns promising good jobs with good pay Mr W.J.C. as a lobbyist is making deals to add an addendum to his NAFTA program by out sourcing more jobs to Columbia . If you do not like paying high fuel prices you should hire a lobbyist . Either way it's going to cost you big .

Media and congress blotted that part out of WJC past. Who died? From what? Even the huffpost wouldn't post. Canadians, Brit's, Swede's, French, Italians, Spanish, Japan....know what Clinton did with 'Aids and Hep.C starting in the late 70's-late 80's, finally settled within these countries the millions in compensation from dying and dead Hemophiliacs and others given contaminated blood, Factor 8: Blood for money scandal inArkansas. Taking blood from dying black prisoners while they lived in a hell hole.

This was eventually resolved completely in 2005, with no help from either Bush / Clinton Administration in U.S.. True, it did start with Clinton. Department of Health told him to close that money maker down Clinton refused by hiring a buddy Judge to uphold any critisism. Many lives were lost, even I tested...had operation. We knew news media wouldn't cover it. One more reason to despise their behavior

Now, he's a hero....Some of his apparent Foundations are for Aid's cost is Africa, while treating this country's people like scum. But, he makes money because of the drug promotions to these countries. What a hero!!

Forgot to tell you. Look at Cox Report and 2 other's, can't remember. Archer Report England, the one in Japan hasn't settled all claims.

Anyway, that's Clinton and Clinton World destruction. Kosovo War, Waco, a freind lawyer Sandy Berger (criminal) for National Security Advisor. You get the picture. George Stephenopoulos for the debate ABC. All these has been's in office. Even Hillary Clinton' advisor, the new one Geoff Garin...made threats as a youth against authority..violent threats. It's all relevant when it's a crazy Clinton, a unstable Clinton, a fraudulant Clinton, sociopath Clinton...all relevant.

It's hard for me to even think of Hillary's gas tax holiday as an idea. Given that no candidate is in a position to make it happen until January 20, 2009, it ain't gonna happen this summer, and Hillary, if not McCain, knows this. It's interesting to note however, that Hillary, if given the chance, would protect the oil industry from negative consequences for their price gauging by taking money and jobs away from public infrastructure services. From this it is clear that her priorities are protection of Oil, getting elected and out of town before the people realize they've been fleeced. The only gas break here is her breaking wind with summer flatulence that must be blown away come May 6 in Indianna and North Carolina.
I commend Mr. Robinson for his serious analysis of Clinton-McCain delusional thinking masquerading as an idea.

We badly need good and comfortable public transportation, over long distances especially. The airlines are repulsive. I have not been on a plane or even in an airport since 2003 and I have no intention of ever entering an airport again. Take off your shoes. Raise your arms. Empty your pockets.

My answer to all this is to keep my F250 4x4 in top condition for cross country travel. It uses a lot of gas, but it rides beautifully, and as long as I obey traffic laws I don't have to deal with bullies or be treated as a suspect. I pay for the gas out of the profits of my investments in companies like Exxon Mobil and the Canadian oil sands companies.

I would prefer to ride a monorail fifty feet above the freeway median strip at 200 mph. But that's a progressive idea, and this is the U.S.

I hate the noise of these cars. There's almost nowhere left in the U.S., and absolutely nowhere that sells bagels, where you are free of the roar of freeway traffic. It's constant. 24/7.

I see the thousands of McMansions along the freeways - gigantic houses, three stories high counting the exposed "basements," and it must be hell living in them with all the noise. Of course really stupid people don't mind the constant roar and din which help them somehow, I guess.

I am drawing up plans for a "berm house." This is a house that consists of a basement and a roof with no ground floor. It's not an underground house, but only the roof is above ground. In my case it will be a soundproofed, double layered roof. Goodbye.

Poet:
No, not at all the same person.

If you want to see this Eugene Robinson, the Washington Post writer, look at Keith Olberman's Countdown where he often appears as a commentator -- and makes a great deal of sense.

Gene Robinson, Episcopal Bishop of NH, has enough to take care of in that job without doing political commentary on the side.

Hillary's plan is a "WINDFALL PROFITS TAX ON OIL COMPANIES." This is a proposal that progressives should be celebrating. But, Eugene Robinson doesn't even mention it.

The money would be returned to consumers by "suspending the 18.4 cent per gallon federal gas tax and the 24.4 cent per gallon diesel tax."

Economic justice is a PROGRESSIVE value.

Robinson LIES that: "The money from the gas tax goes into a trust fund that pays for construction and repair of highways and bridges. If the tax were suspended for the summer, the fund would lose $9 billion."

In fact, Hillary's gas-tax suspension is (and I quote) "fully paid for by taking away oil company profits through a windfall profits tax. This will ensure that the Highway Trust Fund is not affected at all by the gas tax suspension, and can continue to support critical repairs and maintenance for our infrastructure and highways."

A reduction of 18 cents/gallon would mean a return to the price we were paying two weeks ago. According to Jackson's tortured logic, that was a price that caused climate change and threatened the planet. I suppose we should all be thanking the price-gouging oil companies for jacking up the price in mid-April and saving the planet. What a load of crap!

How sad that Common Dreams, a site that claims to speak to the "Progressive Community," would publish an opinion trashing a core progressive value. How sad to paint the pursuit of a progressive agenda as futile. How sad to abandon truth and objectivity.