Comments on: Comment Rescue: Truth Teller Loves Him Some Pandering

By: Von Cracker

Von Cracker — Tue, 06 May 2008 20:25:42 +0000

and the first presidential action Ronnie did was to remove the WH solar panels Carter put up….

…thanks Rotten Douchebag Ronnie! Way to set the example!

By: truth teller

truth teller — Tue, 06 May 2008 20:14:03 +0000

Folks Von is about 20 years to late John Anderson proposed raising the gas tax by $o.50 cents back when he ran for president against Carter and Regan saying better to pay us instead of the Arabs and I believe we were paying less than $8.00 a barrel then and around $0.36 cents a gallon.

By: Nancy Willing

Nancy Willing — Mon, 05 May 2008 21:17:25 +0000

Obama is leaving the Clinton scandals alone. He should take the low road but he won’t. I wish he would.

By: Pandora

Pandora — Mon, 05 May 2008 17:30:17 +0000

The real question is why the press is leaving Hillary’s “scandals” alone. The silence is noticeable.

By: MARCIA

MARCIA — Mon, 05 May 2008 16:38:22 +0000

Obama is being dogged in the media with Rev. Jeramiah Wright and it is taking a toll on his lead in the polls. I am wondering why the media shut down the information that Ex-Pres. Clinton invited Wright to the White House (New York Times) and had him pray for him during his trying time with the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Is the media being paid to keep this quiet or are the Clintons’ paying Wright to ruin Obama’s run for president.

By: X Stryker

X Stryker — Mon, 05 May 2008 14:05:29 +0000

Hypothetical idea for Libertarians – Is fuel tax-deductible for truckers? Shouldn’t it be? And don’t you think some of the goods that are shipped *long distances* in trucks could be more efficiently transported by freight train? Mass transportation is not just for people, you know. Of course, anyone who’s ever gotten stuck behind the freight train in Newark is probably gonna clench their teeth a bit at the idea of more and longer freight trains…

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Mon, 05 May 2008 13:28:55 +0000

Have you noticed the size of cars that are selling? $4.oo gas makes those little cars real attractive. Tack on a $1.00/gallon gas tax and all of a sudden everybody wants a little car.

Except for the uber rich and they, as usual, do whatever they want, including plowing over everyone else in their hyper SUVs. But that’s their mission, it just more class warfare.

By: Nancy Willing

Nancy Willing — Mon, 05 May 2008 10:38:36 +0000

For Steve [from whom I see no 'answers' yet he demands them from others in every post...]
from Kos (sorry no linkee):
As economy worsens, coping becomes a way of life
When long-haul trucker Rusty Wade pulled his rig into a Missouri truck stop last week, he noticed something strange.
Of the 50 or so 18-wheelers parked in the lot, only five had their engines idling.
“That’s only because of the high price of fuel,” said Wade, an independent owner-operator from Brundidge, Ala. “A year ago there would only be about five that weren’t running.”

But with diesel fuel at more than $4.20 per gallon, Wade not only shuts his engine down to save money. He’s also cut his average road speed from 60 to 56 mph.

By: Von Cracker

Von Cracker — Mon, 05 May 2008 05:03:50 +0000

i don’t know…self reliance instead of bullying other countries for their natural resources.

That’s one difference; but it doesn’t matter, your analogy is farcical.

And don’t tell me what I meant, what are you, omnipotent?

By: Steve Newton

Steve Newton — Mon, 05 May 2008 04:35:25 +0000

No, I think “force” was more accurate.

When you use coercive power of taxation not to repair roads and bridges and maintain infrastructure, but to modify behavior with a penalty structure, then you are using force.

How does that make you any different from the neo-cons who do the same?

I’ve said on here several times that the era of cheap oil is over.

By: Von Cracker

Von Cracker — Mon, 05 May 2008 04:22:15 +0000

Sorry that I didn’t say it’s a long-term approach, understandable since we all so used to instant gratification. And not to get into your semantics game, but the correct word would be “influence”. Feel better now?

…and what did ya think…gas prices aren’t gonna rise?

By: Brian

Brian — Mon, 05 May 2008 03:53:20 +0000

I would argue no one should force anyone to do anything, but they should also not make things the state defines as a privilege like driving a necessary component of life (which it is) if the state is only willing to define it as a privilege. More than that, the same goes for computers and freedom of information. One should not have legal “privileges” that are socially necessary to make a living….anyone think of more examples?

By: Steve Newton

Steve Newton — Mon, 05 May 2008 03:07:57 +0000

And although I will grant you Hillary’s overt pandering (not that she is unique among current prez wannabes in that regard), it is vC’s comment that reminds me why I’m a Libertarian. . . .

He wants to increase gas taxes to “change the paradigm” and “Force people to drive less, investors will move towards mass transportation, citizens will start buying local foods…etc…”

I love the folks who constantly propose this sort of solution. Who cares about people who have jobs that require them to drive? Who cares about the people left with even more crippling fuel prices in places that mass transit isn’t going to happen for decades (if ever) even with massive government investment? Screw all of them: vC wants light rail and local milk (although still with Federal price supports one would assume), and so the idea of using the government’s power to “force” (his word, not mine) people to fall into line with his political ideas is palatable.

Which of course makes you no better than the neo-cons out to “force” their own ideological ideas of what America should be.

Go on, hit me.

By: cassandra m

cassandra m — Mon, 05 May 2008 00:53:36 +0000

It is a bad idea.

But if Hil and McSame think that this is such a hot idea they should get back to their jobs and get it done.

Not that they will of course. Why spoil a good pander?

By: liberalgeek

liberalgeek — Mon, 05 May 2008 00:31:18 +0000

It is a congressional issue that is a bad idea.