To all.........
PLEASE pass this onto your political e-mail list once you have had a chance to read. The pain at the gas pump isn't just being felt when we fill up but also at the grocery and drug store.
PLEASE pass this onto your political e-mail list once you have had a chance to read. The pain at the gas pump isn't just being felt when we fill up but also at the grocery and drug store.
A Few Questions For Barack Obama As He Tries To Explain Why He Has No Solution To Combat Rising Gas Prices______________________________________________________________________
Today, Obama Will Hold A Press Conference To Discuss Gas Prices:
"[Obama] Will Hold A Press Conference On Gas Prices In Indianapolis Friday Morning." ("Obama To Take Questions," Time's "The Page" Blog, 4/25/08)
NOTE: As Of April 25, 2008, The Average Price Of Regular Gasoline In Indiana Was Over $3.63 Per Gallon. (AAA Website, www.fuelgaugereport.com, Accessed 4/24/08)
QUESTION: What Are Obama's Short-Term Solutions To Help American Families With Rising Energy Costs?
Obama: "I would be dishonest if I said we've got a lot of short-term answers to bringing down gas prices. I don't think we do." (Suzanne Malveaux, "Clinton, Obama Take On Big Oil," CNN.com, 4/1/08)
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NOTE: Under Sen. John McCain's Gas Tax Suspension Plan, Families Would Save 18.4 Cents On Every Gallon Of Gas. "Hard-working American families are suffering from higher gasoline prices. John McCain calls on Congress to suspend the 18.4 cent federal gas tax and 24.4 cent diesel tax from Memorial Day to Labor Day." (John McCain For President Website, ww w.johnmccain.com, Accessed 4/22/08)
"A USA TODAY Analysis Showed That McCain's Gas-Tax Proposal Could Save Motorists $6.8 Billion In Taxes During The Summer." (Kathy Kiely, "Gas-Tax Holiday Among McCain's Plans For Economy," USA Today, 4/16/08)
QUESTION: Why Does Obama Not Support Immediate Gas Tax Relief For Hardworking Americans Now, When He Supported It As A State Senator?
Obama Now Opposes A Gas Tax Holiday. "In a new policy split in the presidential campaign, Barack Obama opposed a federal gas-tax holiday supported by John McCain, the likely Republican nominee." (Nick Timiraos, "Obama, Clinton Split Over McCain Plan For Gas-Tax Holiday," The Wall Street Journal, 4/24/08)
Obama Called The Gas Tax Holiday A "Bad Idea." "Earlier Monday at a community college in the Philadelphia suburbs, Obama rejected a tax holiday as bad economic policy. 'I've said I think John McCain's proposal for a three-month tax holiday is a bad idea,' Obama said, warning consumers that any price cut would be short lived before costs spike back." (Nick Timiraos, "Clinton Joins McCain On Gas-Tax Holiday," The Wall Street Journal's "Washington Wire" Blog, blogs.wsj.com, 4/21/08)
But In 2000, Obama Voted To Suspend The State Sales Tax On Gasoline. (S.B. 1310: Senate Third Floor Reading, Passed, 50-0-6, 3/8/00, Obama Voted Yea)
The State Of Illinois Suspended Its Five Percent Sales Tax On Gasoline. "After a whirlwind legislative session, Gov. Ryan signed legislation ... that suspends the state's 5 percent sales tax on gasoline. If that is passed on to consumers, fuel prices would drop by about a dime per gallon." (Dave McKinney and Fran Spielman, "Ryan Signs Suspension Of Gas Tax," Chicago Sun-Times, 6/30/00)
QUESTION: Why Did Obama Say The State Tax Suspension Didn't Help With Gas Prices, When Experts Said It Did?
Obama Campaign Claims That The Gas Tax Holiday Did Not Help Consumers. "Subsequent studies showed the tax did little to save money for consumers. Sen. Obama's campaign has pointed to that failure in rejecting the McCain proposal, which Sen. Obama says doesn't guarantee a benefit for consumers." (Nick Timiraos, "Obama, Clinton Split Over McCain Plan For Gas-Tax Holiday," The Wall Street Journal, 4/24/08)
But In 2000, Gas Prices Suddenly Dropped Between 8 And 10 Cents A Gallon Overnight When The Tax Suspension Went Into Effect. "When the tax suspension went into effect July 1, the change in price was obvious, as prices suddenly dropped between 8 and 10 cents a gallon overnight." (Karen Mellen and Ray Long, "As Gasoline Prices Drop, Tax Debate Continues," Chicago Tribune, 7/20/00)
AAA Attributed Part Of The Decline In Gas Prices To Illinois' Temporary Suspension Of Its Gas Tax. "The price of gasoline in Illinois dropped 40 cents since its peak this summer, according to the latest survey Wednesday, a record decrease for one month. ... The AAA credited both states [Illinois and Indiana] for temporarily suspending their five percent sales tax on gasoline, and on an increased supply of cleaner-burning reformulated gas." (Robert McCoppin, "State Gas Prices Set Record One-Month Decline," Chicago Daily Herald, 7/19/00)
AAA Chicago Motor Club's Steve Nolan: "The Temporary Repeal Of The State Gas Tax Has Helped [With Gas Price Drop]..." (Robert Manor, "Illinois Finds Dramatic Relief At Gas Pump," Chicago Tribune, 8/17/00)
The Decline In Gas Prices Was "Aided By The Suspension July 1 [2000] Of The State's 5 Percent Sales Tax on Gasoline." "State legislators had called for the hearings as pump prices soared well above $2 a gallon. The recent decline--aided by the suspension July 1 of the state's 5 percent sales tax on gasoline--took some of the political expediency out of the hearings." (Courtney Challos, "Legislators Now Irked Over Falling Gas Prices," Chicago Tribune, 7/13/00)
QUESTION: Why Has Obama Opposed Immediate Gas Tax Relief AND Proposed Increasing Taxes On Two Other Sources Of Energy - Coal And Natural Gas?
Obama Told A Texas Newspaper: "What We Ought To Tax Is Dirty Energy, Like Coal And, To A Lesser Extent, Natural Gas." ("Q&A With Sen. Barack Obama," San Antonio Express-News, 2/19/08)
In 2006, Indiana Produced The Eighth Most Amount Of Coal In The Nation. (Energy Information Administration Website, www.eia.doe.gov, Accessed 4/23/08)
Indiana Was The Second Largest Consumer Of Coal In The Country, Using 66,000 Thousand Short Tons In 2006. (National Mining Association Website, www.nma.org, Accessed 4/23/08)
In 2006, Indiana Used 60,582 Thousand Short Tons Of Coal To Generate Electricity. (Energy Information Administration Website, www.eia.doe.gov, Accessed 4/23/08)
Nearly 92 Percent of Indiana's Total Coal Consumption Is Used To Generate Electricity. (Energy Information Administration Website, www.eia.doe.gov, Accessed 4/23/08)
In 2007, The State Of Indiana Consumed 532,827 Million Cubic Feet Of Natural Gas. (Energy Information Administration Website, tonto.eia.doe.gov, Accessed 4/23/08)
Of That Total Amount, Residential Consumers Used 142,720 Million Cubic Feet Of Natural Gas. (Energy Information Administration Website, tonto.eia.doe.gov, Accessed 4/23/08)
Industrial Consumers Used 273,136 Million Cubic Feet Of Natural Gas. (Energy Information Administration Website, tonto.eia.doe.gov, Accessed 4/23/08)
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