ShortMinds Webcomic

Start spreading the news gas may be dropping soon. Not to the $1.03per gallon that is was when I turned 16, but roughly 18 cents. Now I don’t know about you, but this does not seem like much to me and I’m not one of those rich Nobel Prize winning economists who are snubbing the idea, I am a middle class American with no kids who doesn’t get chauffeured around in town cars and private jets all day payed for by campaign donors and interest groups.

A little back story. Hilary Clinton and John McCain want to give American tax payers a tax break at the pump this summer. They are calling it a gas-tax holiday and are hoping that you will take the money you save by not having to pay taxes at the pump and enjoy your summer with your family.

Sounds pretty good and hell I can’t fault them for wanting to try something new, but honestly how much will the average person save this summer? Now I drive a fair amount, more than most people I work with because I do my part to chauffeur others around on my way to work, roughly 50 miles of stop and go traffic a day, sometimes less. All together my little truck burns about 16 gallons of gas per week.

I should be ecstatic right? I will be saving money on all this gas I buy right? Well, like Obama, I have run the numbers and I am not overly impressed. Sixteen gallons of gas per week over lets guess a twelve week gas-tax holiday and saving eighteen cents per gallon will save me a whopping $34.56 this summer. Just a little bit over the $30 Obama estimated in savings for the average American, see I told you I drive more than most people I know.

Gas-tax holiday? Lets consider what you could buy with $30 dollars this summer during your holiday. I could put that money right back into my car and buy 3/4 tank of gas, not quite enough to get me down to see my family and back and no where near enough money to buy me a plane ticket. I could pay for two adults to go to a movie and buy popcorn and a soda, two hours of free air conditioning at least, but not much of a holiday. I can buy 7 gallons of milk or 10 boxes of cereal or 60 pounds of Wal-Mart bananas or a little bit of each and live off Cheerios this summer. And this is all assuming that the price of gas, coincided with the decreasing value of the dollar, doesn’t jack up the prices on everything this summer.

The truth of the matter is, on an average day I see more than $30 handed out to panhandlers on the side of the road, maybe that’s why we have so many, and I will see the same people there tomorrow and the day after that. Thirty dollars does not a holiday make. Thirty dollars will not keep you from foreclosing on your house. Thirty dollars you will not notice, unless you are a poor college student living on 33 cent Ramen Noodles.

McCain and Clinton will tell me, I am middle class and this is aimed to help the poorest of the poor. Oh you mean those people already taking public transportation? Or those already car pooling on a daily basis just to get to work? Those canceling trips to see their families because gas has gotten so redicously high? How much will they save?

Ultimately the tax we all pay at the pump helps build and maintain our roads. With the Mississippi River bridge collapse and estimated One Billion needed to inspect and maintain all our countries bridges, is this something we want to do right now? I would honestly rather pay my taxes then die on my way to work tomorrow.

There is one industry I could possibly see benefiting from this and that is the trucking industry. Lower fuel costs would help keep the cost of goods at the store down. A little silver lining there. But if gas hits the estimated $5 a gallon by the end of the year are you going to notice 18 cents worth of savings at the store or the pump?