I’ve been out of it a while. Still trying to get into a rhythm with Rose. So, the blog has been a bit neglected of late. And, I haven’t been paying attention to the news all that much. I know Obama has had a bit of a hard time recently, with the Rev. Wright stuff and his “bitter” comment.  But, I hadn’t heard much about the debate over the gas-tax holiday he is having with Clinton.  I have to say, what I read and saw yesterday, it seems like a horrible idea to me.  I’m all with Obama on this one.

Why is it such a bad idea?

• How much does it really save each person?  It doesn’t seem like much.  The $0.18 per gallon is how much the price has gone up in just the last couple of weeks.  I know some people are just getting by, but is this going to make all the difference?  I’d be surprised.
• What does it cost the government?  If taxes are down, the government has less to spend.  They have to cut something.  They’ve already cut back on science funding, on funding for the arts, on social programs.  What are they going to cut this time?  I’m sure it will hurt at least some people a lot more than they’ll get back from the holiday.
• It encourages bad behavior.  Are we really concerned about the environment?  Then we should encourage using less gas, not more.  Most people would save a lot more money if they just carpooled to work.
• Clinton and McCain are ignoring the experts.  Most economic experts agree that this is an extremely bad idea.  As Slate Magazine points out, by completely ignoring these experts and saying that she knows what is best, she is acting exactly like Bush has acted all these years.  Who do you trust on these issues, expert economists, or a lawyer from New York/Arkansas?

To me, it is so obvious that this is a bad idea, that the only conceivable reason Clinton is for it is because it will win votes.  Not because she really thinks it is a good idea.  She knows people will go for the quick fix, will vote for her to save a few bucks.  She is pandering, and that is the only reason she can be doing this.

At the beginning of the campaigns, I preferred Obama a bit but thought Clinton would be fine too.  As time goes on, I really am finding her less and less likable, less and less appealing as a candidate.  I want a president who finds good people, knowledgeable people, who surrounds him/herself with such people, who listens to those people, distills their expertise, and makes decisions.  We’ve had a cowboy that did whatever he wanted for 8 years.  Do we want a cowgirl that does the same?