The N.S.T.P.R.S.C. Is Full Of S.H.I.T.

I don't care who you are, or what you are trying to do. Raising a tax from 18.4 cents per gallon to as much as 58.4 cents per gallon within five years is just asinine.

A special commission is urging the government to raise federal gasoline taxes by as much as 40 cents per gallon over five years as part of a sweeping overhaul designed to ease traffic congestion and repair the nation's decaying bridges and roads.

Think about this for second. My truck holds 26 gallons of fuel. With the price of gasoline at $2.83 per gallon, it costs me $73.58 to fill it up. With this brilliant "let's raise the gasoline tax to fix every piece of transportation infrastructure we have" idea, the gas would be closer to $3.23 per gallon, and filling up would cost me $83.98.

Right now, each time I fill up, my share of the gas tax is $4.78. That's $19.12 per month, or $248.56 per year. This increase would amount to $10.40 more per week, $41.60 per month, or $540.80 per year.

Are they kidding? If this increase was actually put in effect, my share of gas tax would amount to $15.18 per week, $60.72 per month, or $789.36 per year. I don't think so.

I use far less gas than the average consumer. I do not commute (I work from home). I'm pretty lucky in that aspect, but it still costs me a pretty penny living out here in the sticks and all. If everyone in my small county used the same amount of gas as I do, the current gas tax revenue from our county alone would be $513,013.5 per week, $2,052,054 per month, or $26,676,702 per year.

With the additional gas tax that amount would be $1,629,193.50 per week, $6,516,774 per month, or $84,718,062 per year. Yes, thats $84 million per year instead of $26 million.

I'm sure we could fix a whole lot of schtuff with that kind of money, but the whole idea of such a steep increase is just asinine.