Pander Country

It's open season as far as pandering goes, with Hillary Clinton and John McCain trying to outdo each other, while Obama seemingly forges a lonely path of common sense on this issue. Well, the path is lonely among presidential candidates anyway. Unsurprisingly, those not looking to derive immediately political mileage are pretty much unanimous in their opposition to this inane idea coined by a senile, old man and quickly picked up by a candidate who would embrace Osama bin Laden if it would give her the presidency.

But I wonder if there just may be a middle path. What if instead of a gas tax holiday, there was a diesel tax holiday? That way, the relief would affect those who need it most, truckers who are particularly feeling the pinch of high fuel prices, while ensuring that the drivers of SUVs pay their fair share. The typical large truck in the U.S. contains something like a 250 gallon tank. An elimination of the federal tax on diesel fuel would save those truckers about $50 for every full tank, which when the truck is fully loaded, can take the truck about 1200 miles. On a run from New York City to San Francisco, the savings for a trucker would be about $125.

It makes sense to eliminate the tax on those who are disproportionately affected by high fuel prices, but ludicrous to eliminate it for everyone, since the average car driver would feel no difference while together, the hit on the system would be unimaginable. So if we're going to do this, let's target the right people.