Today’s Journal lead editorial piles on the Clinton-McCain gas tax suspension. Big surprise, they don’t think it’s a good idea, either:
It’s obvious that neither Hillary Clinton nor John McCain has traveled North Carolina’s congested highways lately. And that neither is flying commercially through America’s airports. Or spending any time awaiting a subway or bus in most of America’s cities.
…..Of course, this is a political play by the two senators. They know that the U.S. Congress would need more than a full summer simply to agree that water is good, let along agree on such a controversial tax cut that would be opposed by many corporate interests. So, there’s no hope that this tax would actually be suspended. It’s a cheap play for votes, but even proposing it in a country with such serious infrastructure needs is dangerous.
Which begs the question of why the country’s infrastructure needs are so serious with the tax in place. I’ve studied the arguments against suspending the gas tax, but I nevertheless have trouble getting past the mentality that the government needs the money more than the people do, especially given the sorry state of North Carolina’s road building.
While we’re on the subject of cheap plays for votes, is it not crazy for Hillary to talk about making higher education more affordable at a (liberal) private college that costs 17 grand a semester?
