Saturday, September 10, 2005
Why Ben Cline is wrong (again)
So today, Rep. Delegate Ben Cline stood alongside Sen. Steve Newman at a gas station trying to urge Virginia to purge its gas tax because of the high cost of fuel.
Cline says it would cost Virginia about 20% of the surplus (minus the rainy day donation) to enact this, and this is what needs to happen to keep families in Virginia moving.
Ben may be a nice, if naive guy, but he's WAY out of his league here.
Basically, Ben is a relative lightweight in the GA. A sure vote for the GOP without question or conscience. A former chief advisor to Goodlatte, he's basically fallen into his current position.
If not guarded by a district specifically designed to protect Vance Wilkins, he would have been put out on his ass by Mimi Elrod in the special election. Democrat David Cox (a fine and decent man as well as a minister) has matched him virtually dollar for dollar in fundraising in the 2oo5 race. David, with virtually no political experience, is a far better choice for that area.
When Ben Cline speaks, it's almost verbatim of the Republican party platform that would make Rush Limbaugh blush. I get the feeling he doesn't really understand how his "ideas" would translate to actual fiscal policy. The "pain in the gas" is just another example.
Why would repealing the gas tax be a bad idea? Well, first of all, it's a progressive usage tax. It's one of those that only affects those who use more fuel than the rest of us, primarily SUV-drivers (who tend to be predominantly better off).
Secondly, gas prices really aren't high enough to destroy family budgets. A 13 dollar difference for a 15 gallon fill-up from a year ago is not bankrupting the citizens of Virginia. An inconvenience? Absolutely. A bankbuster? No. (although wait until home heating bills come calling this winter)
It's a simple matter of supply and demand. When Virginians demand less gas, the supply will go up, and prices will drop. The government does NOT need to fiddle with this free enterprise.
It's time the voters of Rockbridge, Augusta, and Amherst Counties put this political poseur where he belongs: living on his parents' farm.
Cline says it would cost Virginia about 20% of the surplus (minus the rainy day donation) to enact this, and this is what needs to happen to keep families in Virginia moving.
Ben may be a nice, if naive guy, but he's WAY out of his league here.
Basically, Ben is a relative lightweight in the GA. A sure vote for the GOP without question or conscience. A former chief advisor to Goodlatte, he's basically fallen into his current position.
If not guarded by a district specifically designed to protect Vance Wilkins, he would have been put out on his ass by Mimi Elrod in the special election. Democrat David Cox (a fine and decent man as well as a minister) has matched him virtually dollar for dollar in fundraising in the 2oo5 race. David, with virtually no political experience, is a far better choice for that area.
When Ben Cline speaks, it's almost verbatim of the Republican party platform that would make Rush Limbaugh blush. I get the feeling he doesn't really understand how his "ideas" would translate to actual fiscal policy. The "pain in the gas" is just another example.
Why would repealing the gas tax be a bad idea? Well, first of all, it's a progressive usage tax. It's one of those that only affects those who use more fuel than the rest of us, primarily SUV-drivers (who tend to be predominantly better off).
Secondly, gas prices really aren't high enough to destroy family budgets. A 13 dollar difference for a 15 gallon fill-up from a year ago is not bankrupting the citizens of Virginia. An inconvenience? Absolutely. A bankbuster? No. (although wait until home heating bills come calling this winter)
It's a simple matter of supply and demand. When Virginians demand less gas, the supply will go up, and prices will drop. The government does NOT need to fiddle with this free enterprise.
It's time the voters of Rockbridge, Augusta, and Amherst Counties put this political poseur where he belongs: living on his parents' farm.
