Yes, we can.

[Kevy Baby]

Originally Posted by Not Afraid

I wonder what would be said about my friendships here if I were to run for office?

At first, I thought that you would be laughed out of the race. Then I realized you would be laughed into office.

[Strangler Lewis]

I agree that there's a lot of bad behavior all around and that a tax-as such-on the oil companies is not the best way to target it. Some suggestions:

* If Obama truly feels that the oil companies' profits do not accurately reflect supply and demand, market conditions, etc., he should have the stones to launch a big old fashioned criminal price fixing investigation.

* I have limited sympathy for most people affected by rising gas prices since many of them are driving fuel-inefficient, anti-social vehicles. Just as inner city police departments have had some success paying gangbangers $50 to turn in their guns, the government could help people help themselves by insisting that everyone turn in their SUVs and oversized pickups in for a new hybrid. (Or a new hybrid plus a gun, a Faces of Death video, etc. to keep testosterone levels up.)

* Anyone who wanted to keep their SUV or pickup truck would have to get a special permit justifying the need. It would cost $1,000 just to have the permit considered. E.g., an SUV would not be justified by commuter safety concerns. An oversized pickup would not be justified by the need to haul stuff to work on your house twice a year.

* There would be additional federal funding for school districts to run buses.

* Etc.

[scaeagles]

Back to the Obama and the oil company issue. Clinton and McCain are calling for a gas tax suspension. Obama doesn't like the idea....

Hillary Rodham Clinton called for a vote Friday in the Democratic-controlled Congress on a summertime suspension of the federal gasoline tax, a plan that Barack Obama dismissed as a political stunt that would cost thousands of construction jobs.

"It's a Shell game. Literally," Obama said to laughter from his campaign audience, adding it would mean little for hard-pressed consumers.

When the gas taxes or about 3 times what the oil companies make on a gallon of gas, I am amused that he wants a windfall profits tax when oil companies make about 8-9 cents/gallon, and the government takes about three times that. If taking away that tax means little or nothing to the average consumer, what does the wind fall profits tax mean to the average consumer?

[innerSpaceman]

Well he pretty much outted the pander of the gas tax suspension proposal this morning on national tv. Great interview on Meet the Press.

[Alex]

Yes, it was a very good interview though I think he muffed the Iran/Israel question a bit.

On the tax holiday question I think he needs to modify that answer a bit and give it great prominence. So far I had mostly seen him trying to explain the economics of why a tax holiday isn't really of any short term value and has short term negatives. Instead he should essentially say, "experience is an issue that keeps coming up and experience has taught me the answer to this question. Back when gasoline was a shocking $2 a gallon we had this same idea in Illinois. And the economists said it wouldn't work and we politicians gathered together and decided that it would and passed a holiday on the Illinois gas taxes. And you know what? The economists were right, the price of gas just rose to cover the tax holiday BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT MARKETS DO and we simply transferred that money from the state highway coffers to the retail gas station owners. That is why I don't support a federal tax holiday. It is an idea born out of good intent but it won't work, it hasn't worked in the past, and the damages can be huge."

(Though, obviously, it would have to be shorter.)

[scaeagles]

I'll need to try to find a transcript of the program. Did he address the windfall profits tax? I personally agree that the economics of the gas tax suspension don't do much and could indeed be harmful, however I believe a windfall profits tax is far more harmful. Anyway, did that come up?

[innerSpaceman]

Nope. Wasn't raised by Russert.

[Alex]

In his answer Obama mentioned the windfall tax as something both he and Clinton wanted (in the context of the fact that Clinton has already committed the money from the windfall tax to energy independence measures and therefore by saying she'd use it to cover the revenues from a tax holiday she was double spending it). But yeah, there was no discussion of its merits.

I'd oppose one. I'd also support ending all tax incentives and direct subsidies they receive.

[Morrigoon]

Well, Obama took North Carolina

Indiana's going to be much harder. Looks like he's a little bit behind there.

[scaeagles]

Very interesting.....reports are out this morning that Clinton has made a multi-million daloor loan to her campaign today. This would seem to suggest that she is certainly not dropping out yet.

What I think is bizarre about how the democrats have their primary system set up is the porportional distribution of delegates. Even with his 14 pt win in NC and 2 pt loss in IN, Obama only picked up something like 17 delegates in the margin.

Clinton is going to be hitting the super delegates HARD today and over the next week. Remember the 900 FBI files the Clintons acquired? I wonder how many of those were on dem super delegates. I would not put anything past the Clintons, even blackmail.