Real money saved at the pump, even for a time as brief as the summer season? It's "a gimmick," according to Democratic nominee Barack Obama, "that would save you half a tank of gas over the course of the entire summer so that everyone in Washington can pat themselves on the back and say they did something."
Exemption from gas taxes just for Barack Obama himself and those involved in the Denver stop in the Obama Coronation Roadshow, though? Now that's a plan the freshman Senator from Illinois and his Democrat Convention host committee chums can get on board with!
The committee hosting the Democratic National Convention is using the city's gas pumps to fill up on fuel, avoiding state and federal highway taxes, officials said today.
"There's something there that just doesn't seem right to me because, in a sense, you're saying then that the officials who pass the laws are not willing to live by them, and that concerns me," Councilwoman Jeanne Faatz said.
More below the fold.
Faatz asked if it was customary to have "fleets for dignitaries" not pay for highway taxes if they're using government fuel facilities.
Hickenlooper said it was.
"I believe this is only for elected officials, government dignitaries," Hickenlooper told Faatz.
[...]
"I am just troubled by not having the payment of taxes for what I consider to be a privately funded party, and that's what the host committee is: it's a private organization," [Faatz] said.
"The DNC is not government. The RNC is not government," Faatz added. "They are political parties and they are putting on a huge party, and that is not providing services to each and every citizen each day."
The man for whom this "privately funded party" is being thrown, who is still learning just how much he can get away with at public expense (and with full apologist activity engaged) while still claiming to represent the opposite of the Democrat-machine politics-as-usual operation he has been a part of since he began his political career in the Chicago community organization game, once said he "wanted signs on gas pumps in his [state Senate] district to say, “Senator Obama reduced your gasoline prices”."
Now, he wants signs on gas pumps in the area of the Democrat Convention to say the same thing to delegates and attendees, while all the rest of the great unwashed in America gets is the continued sight of Barack Obama pounding his fist and shouting from the podium (without a stutter, if he's reading from the TelePrompTer; if not, all bets are off), in the carrying baritone that the Chris Matthews' of the world have so fallen in love with, that the idea of a gas tax holiday for the rest of the country is but a "gimmick that would save you half a tank of gas over the course of the entire summer so that everyone in Washington can pat themselves on the back and say they did something."
Of course, as CBS news reported in April, "Obama took a different view on the [gas tax holiday] issue when he was an Illinois legislator, voting at least three times in favor of temporarily lifting the state's 5 percent sales tax on gasoline." Now, though, temporarily suspending gas taxes for the hoi polloi is "a gimmick," while saving some dough for his establishment cronies (who are in need of the handout -- or kickback, if you'd like to call it that -- due to their well-documented inability to raise anywhere near the amount of money they've committed to pay for their Denver Obamafest) is doubleplus cool.
And if called on it, I'm sure Senator Obama would slip into his (extremely, by this point) well-rehearsed mantra of claiming to have been "consistent this whole time" on the issue -- while, as always, still maintaining as brash a double standard as ever.
After a week wherein McCain incorrectly identified Iraq as sharing a border with Pakistan, and then turned around and claimed the "Anbar Awakening" was subsequent to "the Surge" (it preceded it), I would say McCain has bigger problems than deciding which measly Republican initiatives to trumpet, when they will effect gas prices about a quarter of a cent at the pump, and would in all likelihood be fillibustered by Republicans if it came to a vote.
If America doesn't want war profiteers and oil executives making Gazillions in ill-gotten gains at consumer and taxpayer expense running the show, they had best take a long look at Obama. He'll take us there. McCain just represents more of the same.
McCain is great because he...
Grew up in a prominent rightwing Navy family and was indoctrinated in naval dominance of the globe
Went to Annapolis and ranked at the very bottom of his class because he resented authority
Went to Vietnam and crashed several planes
Spent 6 years as a POW and "broke" under torture
Came home and dumped the wife who raised his children while he was away and nursed him back to health on his return
Married a much younger woman who was heir to a mobbed-up Budweiser fortune
Worked in his in-laws' business traveling across Arizona building a base for his political career
Used his in-laws' money to get elected to the House as an anti-abortion, "pro-family" candidate
Worked his way up from the House to the Senate by being a loyal right-wing Republican
As a Senator, got caught helping Charles Keating deregulate S&L's, which cost taxpayers $200 billion, and was censured by the Senate
Promised never to do favors for lobbyists again
Ran for President in 2000 as a reformer and won New Hampshire
Got crushed in South Carolina after he called Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell "agents of intolerance" and they fired back with a pro-Bush smear campaign that McCain had an "illegitimate black child" - actually a dark-skinned child (Bridget) adopted from impoverished Bangladesh. Nevertheless, McCain enthusiastically supported Bush both in 2000 and 2004.
In 2001, he opposed Bush's $1.35 trillion tax giveaway to the rich, but changed his position during the 2007 campaign.
In 2001, he was so opposed to Bush's far-right policies that he considered becoming a Democrat, but ultimately stayed a Republican and supported Bush's far-right policies
In 2002, he was a leading advocate for the invasion of Iraq, spent far more time on TV than any other Senator, and wrongly predicted "victory" and "success" every step of the way
In 2004, he betrayed his friend John Kerry by refusing to defend him against Swift Boat smears
In 2007, when a supporter asked "How do we beat the bitch," referring to Sen. Hillary Clinton, McCain laughed and called it an "excellent question."
In 2007, with the U.S. on the brink of attacking Iran, McCain joked by singing "Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb Bomb Iran."
In 2008, when caught doing favors for lobbyist Vicki Iseman and her corporate clients, lied about his actions
I think having a gas tax holiday is a great idea. During the Great Deppresion Franklin Roosevelt declared a bank holiday and it was one of the many great things he did to end the depression. John McCain in my opinion is the only candidate running who cares about the gas prices and is not the usual selfish and phony polition.
Politicians don't live in this country, they live in "Washington World". They bypass our laws, tax codes, and anything else the privilege of political office will grant them. While you and I struggle to make ends meet they ride the gravy train fueled by our tax dollars.
America was once a wonderful country. Now the vermin run it. Anyone know a good exterminator?
Please tell me what a combat journalist is? Let me guess, a writer with a camera and a m16, m4, or a 9mm. Or wait..... your a gunner on a hummvee, or holster launcher with a camera. Get the [redacted] out of here, You couldnt tell me otherwise, your a wanna be [redacted] soldier-marine that never made it. So if you want to talk about war or "combat" you better learn the right way before you talk.
Edited for profanity. Good to see you've got the fortitude to post under your own name, too, "Anonymous." Very brave.
Clearly you're so knowledgeable that you don't even know how to click the "profile" link above and read. Pity, that; you miss out on all kinds of great insight when you're too thick to actually exert a minimal level of effort to find out the most basic things.
Best to you, and have a happy ignorance-and-hate-filled day,
JE
Barack Obama's 300 Spartans (Advisors)?
It seems that you claim to be truthful and advocate CHANGE, and yet you enlist 300 soldiers, (advisors) to give advice on "as the world turns", is quite alarming. If you sir, need 300 paid advisors to help you make a decision then you have not done your homework. You have managed to create your own independent congress of people that are burning thru your $5.00 internet donations like sand thru an hour glass. It alarms me that if THEY decide to place you in that office, your staff would double?
If your 300 were like the Spartans and lead by a leader like King Leonidas , of which you are not, then your 300 advisors are justified.
But in this case they are not.
You wish to be the President of the United States of America, and yet you still lie, you hire an outrageous staff of succubus's that have their own interests, you do not attend to the poor, you are too concerned with keywords and false policy that fool those that really want CHANGE, you cannot stroll thru an American neighborhood unless you have your SS officers with you, not allowing Americans to protect you, you are so concerned that you will say the wrong thing, because you are not allowed to speak your own words, you have taken from the American people their hard earned $5.00 and given them nothing in return, you have no idea how big and deep the rabbit hole is that you have started to go down. The 300 Spartans defended their freedom and their Homeland, and you sir, are defending those that wish to rape the land and enslave Americans like Xeres attempted to do.
You are making policy on the run, without regard to the outcome, and we Americans will suffer for your mistakes and blunders.
These next four years will be yours, but the next four years after that will be for the American People.
CHANGE FOR AMERICA FOR AMERICANS!
The American Republic
A Sovereign Republic
Jeanne Faatz is right in pointing out this hypocrisy, but I think someone really should take the appropriate steps to demand an accounting of each and every time gasoline was dispensed, the driver, the vehicle and the payee. An official complaint should be filed with all of the appropriate taxing authorities and law enforcement agencies. Just because they got caught and may pay restitution, that does not mean they did not commit fraud, theft, tax evasion etc. The DNC is NOT an official government entity; they should be prosecuted for cheating the American people just like any of us would be. -- dns
{ Regarading names: I am using a "handle" to try to be consitant accross a few different Blogs, it probably is one of the oldest, still in use in the computer industry, 1971 } { Also, I am using a seperate email address in order to keep well organized. }
dns -- Dennis
When I hear democrats scream about all the deaths of our troops in Iraq, I wounder why I never hear about the 58000 of our troops killed in VN. It was a another dumb Kennedy that got us into that fracus when the NVA had never attacked us and had no wepons of mass destruction. Kennedy was then followed by another idiot democrat Johnson who would not let us win there.
I fear the democrats much more than any terrorist. If the democrats win the White House, it will not be long before we would wish we had Mr. Bush back there. We best wakeup before it is to late. JC Meyers, Disabled vet of the dirty little war in VN.
3 themes I would like to share:
1. Create and sell T-shirts that say:
OBAMA
(insert picture of flip flops)
How do you like my flip-flops?
CHANGE
2. Make a commercial focusing on OBAMA and CHANGE. Use repetative pictures of him behind the podium that says CHANGE on the front and then play different snippets where he, in his own words, has changed from one position to another. This will help change any positive image that he is trying to create with the word CHANGE to a more negative but realistic and doubtful one. I believe it will work.
3. McCain should plan something new and exciting every day. Stay unpredictable. Don't let Obama be the perceived leader. He will contiunue to whine, but McCaine will continue to take the high road and keep moving forward. By the time he responds to one thing you do, you will have already done another positive. You will leave him spinning! God's blessings! Pass this on to the McCaine camp if you agree; I'm not sure how to do it.
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