Centerfield

Getting a little dull in the old blogosphere, huh?

I LIKE dead puppies! Frankly, I'm totally in favor of using federally supported municipal bonds to pay for forced busing of Soviet Communists to come into your homes to kill your puppies!

Perhaps you could give us a clue as to what your goal is.

Pot-stirring. He said so.

I say we use the money to fund a GWAR concert on the campus of Liberty University. On second thought, that's not controversial enough. Too many people would like it.

Perhaps you could give us a clue as to what your goal is.

My goal: world peace; not go bald; proscastinate at the office.

Oh, you mean with the foreign oil tax thing. Thoughts:

1. Encourage energy efficiency, but not put the tax directly on the public cuz a gas tax on the pump is pretty much political suicide.

2. Lessen dependence on foreign oil, send less American dollars to middle east, Venezuela, etc.

3. Raise revenue.

4. Proscratinate at work.

ALL gas taxes are paid at the pump.

Now, procrastination on the clock--THERE'S a worthy goal!

Well, it would have to be a hefty enough tax to make other sources (e.g coal or solar) economic by comparison. And, as Tully says, it all ends up being paid at the pump. Although . . . this might be a way to get it in without political suicide -- count on voters' lack of economic understanding to fool them on why gas prices are up. ;-)

Procrastination -- definitely a worthy goal, given it's close relationship to sloth. There's much to be said for the idea that sloth is the most under-appreciated human virtue. It is, after all, responsible for all human progress. Why was the wheel invented? Somebody was tired of dragging stuff around. Why was the automobile invented? Someone didn't want to have to muck out the stable any more. You get the idea. So you can not only procrastinate, you can feel virtuous at the same time!

Don't mistake lazy with efficienct.

I'm all for a very high gas tax. Whatever the national economy will bear. One dollar per gallon added tax would bring an extra $150B (not weighted for adverse economic factors) into the government coffers. Do I hear two? We have to cover those SS bills coming due. I have some control over my gasoline consumption at any rate.

Thank you, Dennis, for an honest reason to raise the gas tax. FOR THE MONEY!

I've been a wee bit annoyed of late with gas-taxers who claimed their motive for $1/gallon tax on gasoline was to slow consumption and spur research into alt energy, and then proceed to scream and yell when gas goes up on its own.

Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. Oberon, this post of yours that you placed up while comments were dead?

Calculated Risk notes that the public debt rose a just a tad last year: about $574.3 billion (after subtracting surpluses in social security and other trust funds).

You're lying. Calculated Risk did not make any such misstatement of fact, you did that on your own. The figure you cite includes ALL government "trust fund" surpluses including SS surpluses, as anyone who can read the linked Treasury figures could figure out in about 3 seconds.

I don't accuse you of the following, but it always amuses me when the debt doomsayers scream and yell about the national debt, yet at the same time insist that nothing at all is wrong with Social Security.

Future post upcoming on the public debt and how it gets misrepresented over at Stubborn Facts.

Tully,
Did you mention pot? Here's a new twist to an old plant

If anyone is bored, there is always this to get a great laugh over what our adversaries are spewing.

I suggest not combining the first subject with the last.

As for the record: how about using the oil tax to create a hybrid between birds and humans. Then our off-spring can fly instead of drive.

P.S. Tully, my imagined Clinton response to Chris Wallace's "North Korea accusation" was meant to be a bit humorous...

Anymore I consider Clinton's real words to be a bit humorous!