Enough already with this lousy four bucks a gallon gasoline.
On the eve of what promised to be a lucrative summer tourism season
in this Water-Wonder Land, now know as Pure Michigan, this is the worst
thing that could happen.
Who the heck wants to drive up to the bridge when you could take the
gas money and fly to someplace warm?
To grant some relief at the pump, there's been some chatter about
suspending the gasoline tax for the summer and in Michigan that would
mean an automatic savings of 19 cents a gallon.
But given a chance to embrace this notion, the governor declined.
His critics will argue, what does he care, the taxpayers are filling up
his black SUV every other day?
Gov. Rick Snyder sees this as a short term fix and he's loathed to
engage in any of that stuff. He is all about long term fixes and views
the temporary hold on the gas tax as counter to his desire to bring
"stability" to the state's economy.
He argues it's the short term fix that got us into this mess in the
first place and a "short-term thing isn't going to make a difference"
so "as a practical matter," he's a no vote.
Some motorists might disagree as they do the math: Buy 20 gallons
of gas and knock off 19 cents for each gallon. That's almost four
bucks in your pocket and not on the outrageous bottom line for the oil
companies.
So far no legislator has moved on this although one could predict
that somebody will. It's just too juicy of an issue to ignore and
think of the publicity, positive P.R. such a move would attract.
But the governor is not about P.R. as he doesn't worry about playing
to the grandstands for popular support.
If he was, he never would have endorsed a tax on retirees.