Comments on: Krauthammer on Energy Policy http://progressconservative.com/2008/07/09/krauthammer-on-energy-policy/ Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:45:04 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Progressive Conservative http://progressconservative.com/2008/07/09/krauthammer-on-energy-policy/#comment-327 Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:44:47 +0000 http://thebigstick.wordpress.com/?p=161#comment-327 TP,

I agree that it’s dubious, but let’s consider the worst case scenario: either way, we’re giving the $2 to someone. Would you rather give it to a Saudi prince, or to Uncle Sam? In addition to that, by keeping it here we create pressure on foreign suppliers.

]]> By: Turkish Prawn http://progressconservative.com/2008/07/09/krauthammer-on-energy-policy/#comment-326 Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:20:02 +0000 http://thebigstick.wordpress.com/?p=161#comment-326 I’m always amazed that people buy the “we’ll give it back to you” ploy when it comes to taxation. They never give it back!

We have a toll road that goes along the coast (RT 95). When they built it, they said that tolls would only be taken until the project was paid off. Heh… You can guess how that’s worked out. It’s a revenue stream now and to cut it would mean losing funding for some other pet project.

Good or ill, it’s still an addiction to the money.

-Turkish Prawn

]]> By: Progressive Conservative http://progressconservative.com/2008/07/09/krauthammer-on-energy-policy/#comment-324 Wed, 09 Jul 2008 19:54:07 +0000 http://thebigstick.wordpress.com/?p=161#comment-324 I don’t know if there is an example, but obvioulsy that is the other half of the plan. One would have to go with the other.

]]> By: prairieflounder http://progressconservative.com/2008/07/09/krauthammer-on-energy-policy/#comment-323 Wed, 09 Jul 2008 19:36:32 +0000 http://thebigstick.wordpress.com/?p=161#comment-323 “Unfortunately, instead of hiking the price ourselves by means of a gasoline tax that could be instantly refunded to the American people in the form of lower payroll taxes, we let the Saudis, Venezuelans, Russians and Iranians do the taxing for us — and pocket the money that the tax would have recycled back to the American worker.”

Wow. He really had me going until that little bit of idiocy. This reflects the same flawed thinking as raising the minimum wage, or taxing oil companies to lower gas prices. This is essentially forcing the market to be free through punitive taxation. He is right, market forces will take care of high gas prices eventually, but involving the government will do nothing but harm the process. Is there any example where the government raised taxes on a commodity and used the revenue to lower income taxes?
-pf

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