As you no doubt remember, last summer the I-35W bridge collapsed into the Mississippi River, killing 13 people. It had been rated structurally deficient a few years before because of cracking and fatigue. In a 2006 memo, inspectors worried it was so weakened that it may need to be condemned before it collapsed. But, because of technical complications and cost concerns, the repairs were scrapped in favor of periodic inspections-- a gamble that failed catastrophically.
This summer, John McCain wants to weaken the entire US transportation infrastructure for the sake of a feel-good government giveaway. He wants to gamble with your safety in hopes you will reward him in the fall. What do you get out of it? You might save a few dollars on gas this summer.
Following the Republican mantra that government giveaways are good as long as they don't go to the stinkin' needy, John McCain wants to do away with the Federal Fuel Tax between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Besides doing nothing for the consumer, this bit of fluff legislation will weaken infrastructure, hand more profits to the oil companies, and dump more of our bills on the next generation. So before the wingnuts start spewing their lies on cable news, let's fumigate some talking points with facts:
"The federal tax goes to boondoggles unrelated to transportation." Wrong!
The Federal fuel tax amounts to 18.4¢ per gallon. Talking heads will no doubt imply this money is thrown into the Black Hole of Washington, never to be seen again. Absolutely wrong. The funds are used for transportation infrastructure with the lion share going for roads and bridges:
As of Oct. 1, 1997, the 18.4¢ tax on a gallon of gas goes to:
15.44¢ Highway Account
2.86¢ Mass Transit Account
0.10¢ Other Trust Funds (note, that's a tenth of one cent, which goes for projects like leaking fuel tanks)
0.00¢ General Revenue
(Note: an old 4¢ deficit reduction component was redirected into the highway account in 1997)
So the money goes to keeping you safe on the road and growing mass transit as a sane alternative to our unsustainable oil dependent culture.
"But the gas tax is growing out of control!" Wrong!
The federal tax has not increased since 1997. And since it is a static fee, it has not grown with the gigantic leaps in fuel cost through the Bush years. Nor has it has not kept pace with inflation or increased road maintenance costs. When better automotive efficiency is factored in, the federal gas tax affects drivers less than it did in 1970.
"But a tax holiday will spur the economy!" Fat chance.
Gas prices also include a US average 28.6¢ state tax, with individual state taxes ranging from 8¢ (Alaska) to 44.4¢ (California). If you are paying $3.45 today, will you travel more if you pay $3.27 this summer-- a 5% discount?
That, of course, assumes prices come down at all. With the constant fluctuation in oil prices combined with the oil companies' strong incentive to keep pump prices up, it is likely the consumer will see no decrease when they fill up.
"The government will find the money elsewhere." Yeah, in the national debt.
Taxes not collected this summer will never be recouped. That means less money to fix our highways going forward. Sure, Congress will put emergency spending on the national credit card, but funding will come later and more erratically. I-35W had temporary repairs pushed back to 2008-2009 in part due to budget concerns. The result was a disaster that will cost billions more on top of the human tragedy.
Make no mistake, McCain's proposal is irresponsible pandering at its worst.