Friday Donuts

Dear Members and Constituents, Can you imagine paying $6.00 at the pump for a gallon of gas? It's only a matter of time. Over the past week, I've been having an on-and-off debate-of-sorts with Marshall Carter as to whether the "gas tax holiday" (proposed by two of the three people in this country with realistic presidential aspirations) is a good idea. AAA says 1% less people are planning to drive 50 miles or more this Memorial Day holiday and the NY Times finds people in areas where mass transit is a realistic alternative are increasingly choosing that alternative. The "pain at the pump" is having an effect on people's behaviors which trigger gasoline consumption. Countries who heavily tax gasoline, like South Korea (who have already passed the $6.00 mark), drive a substantial portion of their tax revenues from this source and -arguably- provide the right incentives for people's gas-consuming behaviors. Marshall thinks we should raise gasoline taxes...