May 3
Thune sides with Clinton on gas tax
By Denise Ross
In the most ironclad proof yet that politics makes strange bed-fellows, it appears Sen. John Thune, R-SD, is lining up with Hillary Clinton on a gas tax holiday. Either her or Barack Obama and Tom Daschle.
And not John McCain, whom he has endorsed for president, who wants simply to suspend the tax this summer.
Taking the pressure off high gas prices, especially going into the summer travel season, has some merit, Thune said.
“I just think that you have to figure out a way to backfill the highway trust fund,” Thune said. “We can’t afford to not make sure that the highway trust fund is replenished so we can continue to meet the infrastructure needs that we have out there.”
Correct me if I’m missing something, but that appears to be Hillary Clinton’s position. Of course, Thune might not agree with Hillary’s plan to rob from the oil companies and give to the taxpayers. But then again, he’s had his own frustrations with Big Oil in his efforts to make ethanol more widely available at the pump.
I smell a bipartisan effort coming on. Wait, it’s a presidential election cycle. Nevermind.
But if Thune isn’t wholly on board with Clinton’s proposal, then his position would seem to be in line with Obama - who says a gas tax holiday is a risky gimmick - and Daschle - who said on SD public radio this week that highway infrastructure needs to be a top priority.
Me, I’ve got my bicycle all tuned up. It’s the Toyota that will get a holiday here at the Hoghouse. But I don’t have to worry about getting votes or leading the country.
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It is just unbelieveable that anyone advocates for this. EVERY economist says that the oil companies will just use this to increase their profits and that it will actually ADD to the consumption of gas, thereby driving up prices later this year.
Clinton, McCain and Thune are all wrong and I hope people remember Clinton’s pandering when they vote in the SD primary.