Why I am Against Suspending the Gas Tax

Gas is insanely expensive. Here in Southern California, we are at over $4 a gallon in parts of the city. As Bill Maher says, when gas is this expensive, it's time to stop with that 9/10 cent b.s. As much as this hurts all of our pocket books, I am against suspending the gas tax for the summer. First off, it's $9 billion in revenue that we cannot forego. We will end up borrowing that money from places like China to fix our roads and transportation infrastructure and further destabilize our national economy. Second, by artifically lowering the price of gas, we are encouraging more consumption, which will drive up prices, as well as add to greenhouse gas emissions.

It's time to come to terms with the fact that oil is a finite resource and we are getting to the end. Exxon, for example, only replaces about 75% of the oil it sells. Exxon is running out of oil which is why the Rockefeller family, who's great, great grandfather founded the company once known as Standard Oil, made a public statement that Exxon must diversify into renewables if they want to remain competitive. This despite quarterly profits of $12 billion, a record for a U.S. corporation.

Speaking of record profits in the oil industry, if Congress really wants to do something about prices, how about capping profits on gas sales and imposing a real carbon tax on those corporations, one that cannot just be passed through to consumers. In a way, the high price of gas is in proportion to the finite supply, and is, in a sense, a carbon tax. But it is one that does not incentivize companies to seek other forms of energy supply as they reap the profits in the short term based on the instability of the oil market.

The other thing Congress can do is force the American auto makers to build in greater efficiency. It is pathetic that Ford made a car in 1920 that got better mileage than its cars in 2008. Hybrids, plug ins and fuel cell technology is one thing, but how about focusing on good old fashioned fuel economy like the Japanese have been doing for decades? How about smaller cars like the Europeans have been demanding for decades? How about investment in public transportation rather than fighting it and becoming a company that transports people from one place to another instead of a company that sells cars?

As consumers, we can do a lot. We can drive less and more efficiently. Slower speeds, properly inflated tires, less stops and starts and combining trips. We can ride bikes, walk and take public transportation. When it is time for a new car, we can look at fuel economy first, status and luxury second. We can come to terms with the fact that oil is a finite resource and we need not use as much of it as we are. There's a lot we can do, but suspending the gas tax won't get us where we need to be, it will do the opposite and take us further away. That is something that we simply cannot afford.