John McCain takes a 'holiday' from reality
The only thing worse than John McCain’s proposal for a gas-tax holiday is John McCain’s new proposal for a longer gas-tax holiday.
John McCain said Thursday that his proposal to suspend the gas tax for three months this summer may need to be extended longer if high gas prices continue to take a toll on the economy.
“I think we ought to seriously look at whether we need to have it be longer or not depending on what the economy (does),” McCain said, standing beside the Grand River.
“I think we have to consider all options but the fact is we need a gas tax holiday. We need it, we need it, we need it very badly. The Americans that are hurt the most are low income Americans that are driving the oldest automobiles,” he said.
I just find it hard to believe we’re still talking about this obvious nonsense. McCain surely knows that his proposed holiday wouldn’t actually lower the price of gas. Indeed, if he genuinely believed otherwise, McCain would probably go to Capitol Hill — he is still a senator, by the way — introduce legislation, and push lawmakers and the White House to endorse his initiative.
I have to say, McCain is at his least attractive when he takes on the role of con man.
McCain wanted to eliminate the 18.4-cent a gallon federal gas tax over the summer (from Memorial Day to Labor Day). This would cost the Highway Trust Fund between $9 billion and $11 billion. McCain hasn’t said whether he’d just increase the deficit to make up the difference, or just let the transportation money disappear, costing thousands of jobs. Now he wants to make the holiday longer, costing more jobs and more billions of dollars.
And what would consumers get in return? Nothing. Putting aside the volatility in oil prices, and the fact that the cost of a glass of gas will probably go up over the summer regardless of federal taxes, Americans won’t actually be in a position to save any money if the gas tax is temporarily repealed. McCain may not be the sharpest crayon in the box, but he almost certainly realizes this.
He has to.
This is just common sense. As Paul Krugman explained in April:
Why doesn’t cutting the gas tax this summer make sense? It’s Econ 101 tax incidence theory: if the supply of a good is more or less unresponsive to the price, the price to consumers will always rise until the quantity demanded falls to match the quantity supplied. Cut taxes, and all that happens is that the pretax price rises by the same amount. The McCain gas tax plan is a giveaway to oil companies, disguised as a gift to consumers.
Is the supply of gasoline really fixed? For this coming summer, it is. Refineries normally run flat out in the summer, the season of peak driving. Any elasticity in the supply comes earlier in the year, when refiners decide how much to put in inventories. The McCain/Clinton gas tax proposal comes too late for that. So it’s Econ 101: the tax cut really goes to the oil companies.
Got that? We can cut the tax, but the price wouldn’t go down. Oil company profits — which are already breathtaking — would go up, but there’d be no extra money in Americans’ pockets.
Thomas Friedman recently offered a similar critique, arguing that a gas-tax holiday is “a reminder to me that the biggest energy crisis we have in our country today is the energy to be serious.” Friedman added that the proposal “is so ridiculous, so unworthy of the people aspiring to lead our nation, it takes your breath away.”
This, regrettably, is McCain the Con Man. He’s selling snake oil, hoping desperately that voters won’t know the difference. That his proposal wouldn’t do anything to help American consumers, wouldn’t lower the price of gas, and would boost oil company profits seems entirely irrelevant. A confidence man in the middle of a scam can’t be bothered with reality — it only gets in the way of the deception.
On his proposal, McCain, at his most breathtakingly pathetic, concluded, “We need it, we need it, we need it very badly.”
Actually, what we need is a leader who not only tells us the truth, but is in touch with reality. John McCain has proven himself to be neither.
Color me surprised that the politicians are divorced from reality. I guess comfy salaries, big homes, endless money and fancy meals from lobbyists and just plain ol' gubbmint thievery and the like'll do that to you. It's at times like this that I sympathize with the anarchists....then I wake up.
John I understand that your not raising the kind of cash that Obama is, but is the straight talk express really that much bad on gas that “We need it, we need it, we need it very badly.”
That's a good question to ask him: Why doesn't he "introduce legislation, and push lawmakers and the White House to endorse his initiative."
Also I'd like to ask him, since he criticized Barak Obama for not visiting Afghanistan before setting policy goals, how could he vote for the Iraqi War without first doing a fact finding mission there himself.
George Bush took 168 billion , walked out the front door of the white house with it , gave it to the American working people who promptly gave it to ther gas station of choice ,which went directly to President Bush's oil friends. Calls it his stimulus package, who is he stimulating besides his Buddies. And the winner is BUSH AND CHENEY once again!
It is way time for a change! get out and vote send the crooks home a every level of government!!
McCain=Bush 3
We'll just pay it somewhere "down the road".
nonsense.the oil companies and Wallly World need no more help. They are doing fine.
GOP whistle-blower names Karl Rove and others in election fraud conspiracy
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&add...
Steve B: "McCain is at his least attractive when he takes on the role of con man."
Which has happened often enough that it is impossible to tell when he isn't in that role.
I thought this had been debunked, even by the lazy media months ago. I guess the truth only got through to people with the ability to think.
What about all this drilling bullcrap going on now? More and more polls show people favor it when it has been stated that it won't help for at least 10 years. Why do the oil companies need new leases when they have millions of acres already that they haven't even started drilling on? Why did the republicans kill a bill yesterday that would have made the oil companies start drilling on already leased land if, as they say, we need to drill here to stop our independence on foreign oil? What's going on?
Ooooooooooooooo...tax cut. McCain has my vote.
Typical Greedy Republican
Boy. I thought MY political choices were limited. I'm actually now feeling sorry for you Americans. You have the choice between an empty shell of rhetoric, and an empty shell of rhetoric. Sad. One gives powerful meaningless speeches, and the other speaks about as well as Bushie. I guess the promise of free living for at least 4 years, all benefits, free travel AND thousands in pay just isn't enough to attract a decent candidate. Truly sad.
If McCain gets elected, I can see myself running down the street screaming hysterically -- for four years.
His position makes perfect sense from the election standpoint, and we can look to WV and Hillary's victory to substantiate that claim. There are many Republicans and undecidedes that think this is just a fantastic idea, and it's clear that McCain will pander to get those votes because let's face it many elections are won in the margins.
So while this is a pretty horrible idea, it only matters what the clueless undecideds think, and McCain will try to get every one of their votes.
Is it not July 18th already? What 3 months of summer is he talking about?
If McCain gets elected, I wonder how many Mexican will want to come HERE?
Our new secret war on immigration, elect mcCain????
ConcernedCanuck @ 11:
Considering you guys elected Harper when it was fairly obvious Dubya and Dubya-wannabeing were bad for a nation, you're in no position to criticize.
With the summer "season" half over, McCain is still harping on this losing issue and referring to some alternate universe where there are 3 months of summer still left.
It would be pretty comical if someone in the press pointed out that his summer seems to consist of September through November. Maybe he thinks he's still in Arizona.
General_Rennenkampf @ 15:
I was in no way part of the "you guys" that elected Harper, and he has what is called a Minority government which means he can't do shit on his own at all. With that said, I'd take Harper any day over McCain, Obama, or Hillary.....rich people DO NOT know how to run a nation and that is the only thing the US elects is rich people.
ConcernedCanuck @ 11:
You forgot about the millions to be made after four years through book deals and the rubber chicken lecture circuit.
We've got an imperfect system, but at this point there's nowhere to go but up.
General_Rennenkampf @ 15:
To expand a little bit, we already knew Bush sucked by the time you Canadians elected Harper. We were well-versed in Bushite ways of suckitude. What's your excuse, Canadians?
ConcernedCanuck @ 17:
Yes, I'm aware of that, but as I already said, we knew Bush's methods of running the US were bad at that point. What excuse does Canada have for electing Harper as PM, or the UK for Brown for that matter?
eric @ 7:
Hey Eric,
Can't get there from here.
General_Rennenkampf @ 19:
Did you see who ran against Harper? NOBODY. Nobody worth voting for. Where you have 2 running not worth voting for, Harper had the oil tycoons and corporations supporting him. The rest-not so much. That's why the election was basically tied.
General_Rennenkampf @ 20:
Like I said. Harper's only supporters were the corporate that made a shitload off the Bush presiduncy. The diff between your elections and ours is our leaders don't get paid a whole heckuva lot, so nobody decent wants to run for office. Yours pays quite well, and still nobody is interested except the greedy rich that don't need the cash or benefits.
Either way, like I said, I feel sorry for you. The globes superpower, and the only thing that is running is a pair of deadbeat lifelong politicians. Most of our politicians here do not suck on the taxpayer's boobs their entire lives. Yours do. It is extremely odd.
ConcernedCanuck @ 22:
Um, you serious? You coulda kept the last PM, Martin or elected the New Democrats. If the New Democrats couldn't win against Bush Mk. 2, you know now why Dennis Kucinich, the only antiwar Dem couldn't make any headway in the primaries.
ConcernedCanuck @ 23:
And like I said, the New Democrats sound much more decent than the Honorable Mr. Harper. The reason they didn't do anything is probably the same reason Kucinich did nothing here despite being the only one who actually had an anti-war position.
ConcernedCanuck @ 11:
sorry about that canuck, the american people are easily fooled , they didnt notice dureingthe deabates if you can call them that, that the only candidate worth voteing for ,dennis kucinich was being shut out of the election by the corporate news whores, they fell for the news whores telling them they didnt really want an honest politician for president, they needed to make history by electing a one speach wonder like barack obummer or a woman president , never mind both were corporate darlings, you get what you pay for and now were getting more of the same , diebold wont have to pick this years winner of the white house , both candidates are repigs,
General_Rennenkampf @ 24:
The New Democrats will never win a federal election. They have wonderful ideas, but they bankrupt you trying to implement them. We had them in power in Ontario, and they spent money like drunken sailors on a weekend pass.
But like I said, Harper won running against nobody, and he still barely beat nobody. Martin was railroaded out because the public was sick and tired of the Liberal's corruption and wanted a change.
swampfox @ 26:
Fooled isn't really the term to use, is it? Like I said to the good General, our politicians go back to the outside world after a few years. Yours? They get elected over and over and over and hell, alot of them die STILL receiving tax dollars. That is beyond bizarro.
WHEN was the last time that you remember REALITY having anything to do with a comment from McShame? How long will it be before our media begins to accurately reflect the ridiculousness of this geezer and accurately report on his foolishness rather than continue to suck up to his "perceived" hero status? They just want a "horse race" and if it looks like Obama is really pulling ahead they might have to look for REAL NEWS to fill up their pundit panels of pathetic pandering...
kablooie @ 12:
If John McSame is "elected" in November I will be convinced that the republiscums have fixed the vote count, again. I see a lot more people than just you running and screaming down the street.
ronnyg @ 21:
HomerRamone Donating Member
Fri Jul-18-08 08:13 AM
Original message
GOP whistle-blower names Karl Rove and others in election fraud conspiracy
Edited on Fri Jul-18-08 08:24 AM by HomerRamone
From: Mark Crispin Miller
Here, friends, is some news of vast importance--the beginning of a major lawsuit that will thoroughly expose Bush/Cheney's long conspiracy to steal their "victories" through election fraud.
It is a case of vast historical importance, not just because of what it will reveal about US elections since 2000, but, no less, because it represents the only way that we might actually prevent another stolen race this fall. By shining a bright light, at last, on all the topmost perpetrators of the fraud thus far, this suit will drive them all into defensive mode and, therefore, out of business.
To understand the magnitude of this amazing case, please read Steve Heller's piece, below, about today's press conference in Columbus, Ohio, where attorney Cliff Arnebeck--and whistle-blower Stephen Spoonamore--laid out the case before a number of impressed reporters.
Here are just a few enticing bullet points:
> Stephen Spoonamore is a prominent Republican--who until recently was working for McCain's campaign--and a respected expert on computer fraud.
> Spoonamore has named Mike Connell, a fiercely partisan IT specialist, as Karl Rove's primary instrument for high-tech sabotage throughout the past eight years (at least). A self-proclaimed Bush loyalist (and a fanatical pro-lifer), Connell has been at the scene of every dubious election since 2000 (including the gubernatorial race in Alabama in 2002, when Don Siegelman was "beaten" by Bob Riley).
> Connell has not only been assisting Rove on the >electoral front, but also has full control of the congressional computer system. As Heller reports:
One of the more frightening aspects of Connell's work is that he created the firewall for the U.S. Congressional computer system. Of course, it is completely possible that the firewall could have been created with secret security gaps that can be exploited to hack into any congressional computer. If that has happened, every computer in any senate or congressional office is subject to hacking by Bush/Republican operatives.
(It is quite possible, in fact, that the bizarre timidity of Reid, Pelosi and most other leading Democrats may be explained as a result of BushCo having lots of dirt on all of them--dirt gleaned freely from their emails and other on-line correspondence, all of which may well have been surveilled by Rove's own men.)
MCM
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Hahaha, the American Road & Transportation Builders Association has published the numbers of a 90-day suspension of federal gasoline and diesel fuel taxes: it would cost a quarter of a million jobs
Willem van Oranje @ 33:
Not to mention how many more bridges will end up on the ground. States are already in a bind when it come to trying to repair there roads and bridges, and McLame wants to take more money away from the states. What a dick.
abdul waheed ahmad @ 32:
Nice pictures, Kahn!
Willem van Oranje @ 33:
EXACTLY!!
So why is McCain/McSame screaming about a longer gas tax?
The answer can only be that extra money from the "holiday" will become added profits for Big Oil and just go from Oil companies right into McCain's campaign war chest.... one way or another... because he does "need it, need it, need it very badly" to even compete against Obama!
Dec 08 Oil Contracts are at $200 (per barrel)
All this Politicrit MSM crap is just distraction and manipulation.
ConcernedCanuck @ 27:
That's hardly a comforting thought considering what we Americans have to choose from in this election year, Congressionally and otherwise.
The New Democrats will never win a federal election. They have wonderful ideas, but they bankrupt you trying to implement them. We had them in power in Ontario, and they spent money like drunken sailors on a weekend pass.
But like I said, Harper won running against nobody, and he still barely beat nobody. Martin was railroaded out because the public was sick and tired of the Liberal’s corruption and wanted a change.
Interesting...arent we almost bankrupted by the New GOPs ridiculous anti-American ideas (and by anti-American I mean that it hurts more Americans than it helps)?
Anyway, someone should actually go to McCain and ask if he's going to propose, as a Senator, to suspend the gas tax...
Reslugs are absolute liars and Con-Men.
General_Rennenkampf @ 38:
Easier to choose Hooters over Hobbes
L.A. Confidential @ 41:
Heh, sometimes Hobbes had the right idea, it seems that democracy becomes corrupted by corporations as easily as Communism by smart, intelligently evil clerks (Stalin).
No idea is so bad that it can't be made better by making it bigger.
Oh, Come on, Steve. The Gas Tax Holiday will too lower the price of gasoline. Right up until election day!
How about a holiday from the noxious gas that eminates from McLame's pie hole every time he speaks.
The so-called 'Straight Talk Express' is a train, bus, car, wagon, buggy, without wheels. It is going no where. The conductor of said express is totally lacking in ideas, common sense, good judgement, reason...in short a brain that is functioning. The only thing he has going for him is a wife who looks like she is undergoing a constant face-lift, and a media that is so bound to him that it will lie about him and everything he says to try and hoodwink idiots to vote for this fraud and install him in the White House. It amazes me that there are still people who cling to the belief that this fool is electable and worthy of being the next president. Of course we know the hidden reason why they do. They can't believe that we are in the 21st. Century and it is possible that a person of color could be the next president and be worthy of the job. The MSM can't accept that either. Racism or Stupidity????
kablooie @ 12:
You spoud like a loon, so what's stopping you now?
So this is their idea of helping consumers? Taking .18 per gallon off the price of gas when we already have record deficits and crumbling infrastructure---which the gas tax helps rebuild?
I have a better idea, Mc Lame. Go after your speculator robber barons---the price of oil has gone down more than 10% in the last two days which if reflected to the consumer would be .40/gallon---more than twice the reduction you propose--but how much have prices actually declined? ZERO.
And isn't it strange that this decline just happened to come at a time when the Senator from my state, Dick Durbin and others propose to investigate these speculator scumbags to force some accountability and transparency on them? Coincidence? I doubt it. The light just got shined on the cockroaches and they are running for cover.
Speculation accounts for about 1/3 of the cost of fuel at the consumer level and is the primary driver of the increased expense to them. Supply and demand have nothing to do with it anymore---supply is more than adequate. And you and your party allow this blatant fleecing to go on because you are too cowardly to challenge your corporate masters. Straight talk my ass.
So I'll be waiting for you to do the right thing John---but being a true Republican, you almost surely won't.
I'm not sure we can say McSame is taking a "holiday" from reality if he's never even really visited it.
It's more of a second home for him.
Why not just give everyone $100 when they buy a gallon of gas. its good for the economy, right? Heck lets just give everyone a billion dollars if you own a SUV. Blank checks and unfathomable amounts of borrowing have crippled the dollar and landed us in a near certain debt death spiral. A fine example we set for our children, AND expecting them to pay off all our debts its just a double whammy. I dont think printing money will work for them.
Hate to break it to you grampy mcgummy
But our infrastructure is detereorating
Like highways that become loways with crushed cars and drivers beneath
And it's gas taxes that pay for such construction and repairs
Along with local state car registration fees.
Death Takes a Holiday?
What the American people really need is a holiday from the Bush-Cheney-McCain-Gramm corporate greed regime. Americans are paying about $2.50/gallon to the oil futures speculators as a sort of corporate greed surcharge...
ENRONed again…
ENRONed again: this time by oil futures contracts speculators who are unnecessarily and very profitably driving up the price of crude oil and hence retail gasoline prices.
We're being ENRONed again. Curious as to why you are suddenly paying over four dollars a gallon for gasoline? No, it's not due to "supply-and-demand," no, it's not due to "OPEC," nor is it due to "peak oil." It's due to totally unregulated electronic oil futures trading in world markets. Check out the very lucid article that explains the unseen financial machinations in oil futures markets written by F. W. Engdahl on May 2, 2008, entitled, "Perhaps 60% of Today's Oil Price is Pure Speculation." It may be viewed at http://www.financialsense.com/editorials/2008/0502.html.
In a nutshell, he suggests that the Bush Administration dropped the ball in January 2006, when they allowed totally unregulated electronic trading of oil futures contracts in New York. Previously these electronic trades had been made at the London Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) Futures Market. With that decision by the Bush Administration, all of the world's oil prices were then opened to upward pressure from speculative futures contracts. In essence, oil futures contracts made by speculators, banks, hedge funds and pension funds all competed with real demand on the spot markets and had the effect of driving up both wholesale oil prices and retail gasoline prices. Speculators have made billions of dollars on their trading of oil futures contracts. All of their profits come right out of our pockets.
Even with a stable oil supply, there is a slow worldwide increase in demand for oil, which creates a long-term upward pressure on oil prices. However, with the relentless saber-rattling and war-mongering by Bush and Cheney in the last several years, and the more recent war talks by McCain and the Israelis, the oil futures markets are rife with speculation and paranoia. This war talk keeps ratcheting up the prices on the oil futures contracts and hence the wholesale spot market prices. It is an endless spiral of greed and paranoia.
As long as there is no tough and effective oversight of the electronic oil futures markets by the Bush Administration, the oil prices will climb endlessly. These oil prices will be quickly followed by hikes in the retail gasoline prices at the pump. The 60% speculation share of the $4.25/gallon gasoline price, is about $2.55/gallon, which is what we consumers are paying to these oil speculators as a "service fee." Not a bad "fee," since the speculators produce no usable goods or services...Just a few large greedy oil futures traders helping themselves to your gas money.
Without this added-on oil futures "service fee," you would be paying about $1.75/gallon for gasoline. Write, call or smoke-signal your Representatives and Senators today and suggest that they read the June 2006 report by The U. S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations entitled, "The Role of Market Speculation in Rising Oil and Gas Prices." Then demand that they investigate and then force the Bush Administration to firmly regulate the computerized oil futures contracts trading in New York, London and Dubai.
These unregulated electronic oil futures trading markets should be completely shut down immediately. They serve no social purpose, they only enable corporate greed. These same greedy corporate speculators are probably also responsible for the rapid rise in the prices of basic food commodities, such as wheat, rice and corn. No one who is not prepared to accept physical delivery of one thousand barrels of oil on their front doorstop should be allowed to participate in the oil futures markets. Same goes for wheat futures, rice futures and corn futures.
Off shore oil drilling is for the benefit of George W. Bush and his cronies. We need to remember that George W. will be retiring soon and is looking for a good pension plan from his oily friends.
Hard to believe but we have some one running for President that is even more stupid than the one we have! But he it does not let Stupidly, Corruption, Pandering or the welfare and future of this nation stand in his way. There is something seriously wrong with an system that elects Morons and corrupt worthless lazy politicians year after year!
Mexico for many years has encouraging their Criminals and Uneducated peons to pour across our borders and send money home while retaining loyally to the home country (illegal aliens are treated as heroes in their home countries) Mexico's primary economic policy is to send their poverty to the USA for American tax payers to support while having one of the most punitive and enforced immigration policies in the world!
We are now seeing that the Illegal Aliens can not only impact this Nation but the global economy as well. Many of the Sub-Prime loans & defaults were to Illegal Aliens that started the unraveling of the Global Economy! Just like our Declining standard of living, Bankrupt Hospitals, Failing Schools, Welfare costs, Identity fraud, Welfare fraud, Voter fraud, Gangs, Crime, Crowded prisons, Destroyed communities, Exploding population, Congested roads, Pollution, Insurance costs, Balance of payments, (Imported oil etc. to support the illegal alien population) Trashed Constitution and the Rule of Law, they have spread their negative impact across the world.
It looks like with American heading into a very bad recession or more likely an depression, The 100,s of billions the Illegal Aliens are costing American tax payers for free medical, schooling, welfare etc. needs to be spend on American citizens, not invading criminals from third world counties, plus the 40 to 50 billions remittance by Illegal aliens needs to stay in the country to simulate this economy and force Mexico to address their problems!
Last but not least, all Nations immigration policies are is by design & intent suppose to enhance the Nation and its Citizens that immigrated legally, obeyed the laws, paid the taxes, fought the wars and built the nation! Clearly for the reasons numerated above Amnesty for the invading horde of uneducated peons and criminals does not meet this criteria. They certainly must not be used to further the political careers and lust for power of Corrupt/Pandering Politicians like Obama & McCain!
Ed in NJ @ 16:
Or maybe that's the way they measure time in Czechoslovakia.
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