Gas prices add to case for delaying T-SPLOST vote
Take the news today about gasoline prices locally (from AJC.com) …
The average price for a gallon of unleaded regular stood at $3.55 Monday, up 3 cents from a week ago and 45 cents from this time a year ago, according to AAA.
The price has risen 15 cents a gallon in the past month.
Georgia’s average price is just slightly below the national average of $3.56, which is the highest price ever for this time of year, the Associated Press reported. Since January, a gallon of gas has risen 25 cents per gallon.
… add this prediction nationally from a Friday story in the San Jose Mercury News (note the part I’ve bolded) …
Some oil analysts predict $4.50 a gallon or more by Memorial Day on the West Coast and major cities across the United States such as Chicago, New York and Atlanta.
… and tell me how this news improves the T-SPLOST’s chances of being approved by voters in a referendum scheduled for July.
On one hand, I suppose a project list with half the spending dedicated to mass transit could be seen in better light if gasoline prices are higher. But that premise depends on voters’ believing those transit projects will benefit them personally, and I still don’t think many voters will review the list and believe that’s true for them.
It’s more likely, I think, that a potential increase of about 28 percent in gas prices (adding $1/gallon to the present $3.55) would put consumers in no mood to add a 1 percent tax to everything they buy — up to a 9 percent sales tax in Atlanta if the 1 percent tax for water/sewer infrastructure is renewed next month.
I say again: It would be in everyone’s best interests to put off this tax for a couple of years. It’s in the pro-tax folks’ best interests because, as of now, all the external factors (higher gas, still-sluggish economy, etc.) seem to be going against them. It’s in the skeptics’ best interests — assuming they could be persuaded to support a better project list — because it would allow time to rework the list. Only the absolutely anti-tax group should favor a July T-SPLOST vote at this point.
I put out that idea last fall without a great deal of optimism that it would take root. But earlier this month, a trio of legislators proposed legislation pretty much along the lines of what I advocated. Will their colleagues listen?
– By Kyle Wingfield
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147 comments Add your comment
Linda
February 20th, 2012
6:27 pm
Kyle starts out with “Gas Prices” & a little over 7 hours later, only 6 conservatives had complained about GAS PRICES & Obama’s roll in causing them to explode. Democrats were all over Bush. Maybe they will still blame Bush. We need some Key Stone Cops to advance the Key Stone Pipeline.
MarkV
February 20th, 2012
6:27 pm
And once again Tiberius proves his lack of intelligence.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
February 20th, 2012
6:27 pm
Source for income tax rate by quintile:
http://www.cbo.gov/publications/collections/tax/2010/AverageFedTaxRates2007.pdf
Tiberius - Your lightning rod of hate!
February 20th, 2012
6:36 pm
So please, MarkV, tell us what “Abolition of children’s factory labor in its present form.” is supposed to mean?
Abolition = to stop or remove.
Yet you’re saying it means we should re-institute it.
Is English your primary language, son? Because it sure doesn’t seem so . . .
Truth Squad
February 20th, 2012
6:36 pm
We subsidize people who want free birth control, free abortions, free sterilizations.
You want big government, you got it.
First, government dollars do not fund abortions here at home or abroad, that is the law, it’s called the Hyde Amendment…look it up. Second, given the popularity of birth control, I could care less that my tax dollars help fund those who want to be responsible. I think it is sad that Republicans are down to birth control and $5 gas as their only hope to avoid massive loses this November.
I’ll take note that no one wants to really talk about gas prices beyond certain narrow ideological interests.
Tiberius - Your lightning rod of hate!
February 20th, 2012
6:42 pm
Once again, never trust anyone with the word “Truth” in their moniker, as it usually denotes someone unable to separate facts from opinion.
And as such, while government dollars cannot DIRECTLY fund abortions, lump sum grants to organizations could be used to do so, as once the money is in the organization there is little in the way of walls to prevent such money from being used for a particular purpose.
And I’m glad that some folks don’t have a problem with government subsidized birth control, but there are others who do. We are called “the responsible people”.
Truth Squad
February 20th, 2012
6:43 pm
@Linda, maybe if Bush and Cheney hadn’t been oil guys they would not have been blamed? Maybe if Cheney hadn’t conducted secret getogethers with oil companies they might have escaped such scrutiny? And perhaps if they hadn’t invaded Iraq under shaky circumstances people might not find so much blame?
Yes politics had something to do with it, but their actions did nothing to suggest otherwise.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
February 20th, 2012
6:45 pm
“We” subsidize abortions when King Obozo decrees that health insurance companies have to pay for abortion pills. My statement stands unchallenged.
—————–
“I could care less that my tax dollars help fund those who want [free birth control]”
I think you meant to say “I couldn’t care less…”, but in any case, I couldn’t care less that my tax dollars help fund those who want cheap gasoline.
—————————-
I think it’s sad that Democrats can’t talk about Obozocare or his failed stimulus or his failed economic policies or his failed housing policies or his failed employment policies or the record number of folks on the dole.
MarkV
February 20th, 2012
6:46 pm
Tiberius – Your lightning rod of hate! @6:36 pm
Yes, Tiberius, I understand your problem. It takes a very small, but non-zero intelligence to understand that the “it” in the sentence “Should we re-institute child labor in the form present at that time, because it is on the Communist Manifesto plank?” referred to the “abolition of children’s factory labor in its present from” in the previous sentence. But people lacking that intelligence focus on this kind of a mystery (for them) when they are incapable of arguing the actual point of the comment.
Truth Squad
February 20th, 2012
6:52 pm
@Tiberius, less access to birth control=more abortions! That is NOT more responsible, in my opinion at least, maybe you want more abortions?
Funny how the same people who hate “Big Government” and regulations have no problems with using the power of government to regulate the most personal of choices for citizens.
Like I said, it is kind of sad to see conservatives so desperate that they want to go after birth control. It is as if you folks are determined to reelect President Obama and in a landslide fashion…thank you!
Truth Squad
February 20th, 2012
6:58 pm
@Lil, I think it is good policy to make birth control more accessible to everyone, so I have no problem with tax dollars funding it. But if you folks want to go after birth control, by all means, y’all go for it!
…and still no one wants to talk about the true cost of gas? Color me surprised!
Will the last Democrat in Georgia please turn off the lights?.....
February 20th, 2012
7:06 pm
td
February 20th, 2012
5:41 pm
“If companies continue the trend of “In sourcing” jobs to rural areas of states (Kia and now Caterpillar and others) then Atlanta will not be such the big hub. Have to think about the benefit of all the high speed rail with all the technology available to tele conference.”
Good points. Teleconferencing should definitely be apart of the solution to traffic problems for jobs that can be completed through those means (without being anchored in an office five or six days a week).
But for the many numerous jobs that cannot be completed through teleconferencing, service jobs, research & development, manual labor and skilled trades, maintenance, manufacturing, education, law, medicine, etc, we still need to invest in a multimodal transportation system that includes, expansion and modification of roads, trains and buses.
Though, make no mistake, teleconferencing can play a significant role in helping to abate our traffic and transportation mobility issues, but by no means should it play the only role as the Atlanta region severely needs to cease being singularly dependent on an increasingly inadequate and undersized road network.
Will the last Democrat in Georgia please turn off the lights?.....
February 20th, 2012
7:14 pm
In a truly multimodal transportation network, trains, buses and teleconferencing compliments and relieves stress and undue pressure off of roads.
Commuters will still drive on the roads in very large numbers as rail and bus cannot go everywhere that automobiles can go and the majority of jobs cannot be done through teleconferencing, but rail and bus can help relieve much stress off of major roads that likely cannot and will not be widened anymore and an incomplete and discontinuous surface road network with obvious limitations.
Hillbilly D
February 20th, 2012
7:17 pm
My guess is that the number of people who could telecommute, if they wanted to, would cover about 10% of the workforce. Curious as to what y’all’s guesses would be.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
February 20th, 2012
7:27 pm
Truth Squad: But if you folks want to go after birth control, by all means, y’all go for it!
——————-
Who’s “going after birth control”? We’re just trying to hang on to our wallets, while your fascist Idiot Klown Obozo tries to force folks to pay for things that should be the responsibility of the individual, and which violate some people’s religious beliefs.
If you want some birth control, get on down to the Walgreen and get some, losers. Fifty cents a pop.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
February 20th, 2012
7:29 pm
Truth, how much did you donate to the cause of free birth control for others last year?
Didn’t think so.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
February 20th, 2012
7:32 pm
“Michelle’s Aspen ski trip marks 16 Obama vacations in three years”
——————–
How many vacations has the average 99-percenter taken in the last three years?
Linda
February 20th, 2012
7:36 pm
Truth Squad@6:36, Govt. dollars don’t pay for abortions? Ahem! Medicaid pays for some abortions & state dollars pay for abortions.
http://www.prochoice.org/about_abortion/facts/public_funding.html
@6:45, So, Bush was blamed for escalating gas prices because he was a “big oil guy” & because of “secret getogethers” (that you know about) & the invasion of Iraq? So, Obama is NOT being blamed for escalating gas prices because he is not a “big oil guy” & because of no “secret getogethers” (that you know about) & because he escalated the Iraq war & then pulled out, against the advice of his military advisers?
Rafe Hollister
February 20th, 2012
7:36 pm
Kyle, I am in your last group, I will vote No on T-Splost simply because the ones who created this transportation mess are still in charge and have given no indication that they have improved whatsoever.
Putting it off will do no good if Oblamer is reelected. Do you think gas prices are going to come down in a lame duck second term. Gas will probably be close to $7 a gallon at the end of his second term if we are unfortunate and he fools the electorate again. I’m guessing they will go up significantly, as he will use the rising cost of fossil fuels, to double down on the failed solar and wind boondoggles.
Hillbilly,
I think the percentage would be slightly higher than 10%, but I know what you mean. Lots of people do not have the discipline to work at home, too easily distracted and unmotivated, so they end up falling behind with their work, and if they are good employees realize their short comings and quit the telecommuting. The others are fired because they try to get away with the poor productivity. There are others who just like the socialization and crave the office, pity them.
Truth Squad
February 20th, 2012
7:44 pm
@Lil, you keep saying all this stuff about President Obama yet you continue to focus on issues such as birth control which is only going to ensure that he is reelected?
I don’t think guys have caught on yet, but soon as it sinks in that “birth control” includes access to condoms, $5 gas will seem like a quaint issue.
Michael H. Smith
February 20th, 2012
7:44 pm
Bart Abel
February 20th, 2012
5:15 pm
Anyone who would accept the way Hitler perverted the Bible and Christianity as valid and to further use such insanity as logic to present an argument, is just as mentally deranged as Hitler, Brucie.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
February 20th, 2012
7:46 pm
“It’s in the pro-tax folks’ best interests because, as of now, all the external factors (higher gas, still-sluggish economy, etc.)”
——————-
Don’t forget this factor: Obozo’s array of tax increases at year end. The appetite for self-inflicted TSPLOST taxes should be about nil.
Linda
February 20th, 2012
7:47 pm
Truth, Birth control pills cost as little as $9 per month & are accessible for free.
Do you think women should have the right to pay for them?
Do you think that women should have the right to keep their birth control methods private, that is between them & their doctors (& their drug stores)?
Do you think that women should have the right to keep their birth control methods private, away from the scrutiny of their employers, their insurance companies & the federal govt.?
Hillbilly D
February 20th, 2012
7:50 pm
Rafe
Yeah, there is that side of it, too. It was just my guess that that’s about all the jobs, where you could telecommute; 10%, give or take. Of course, I’m a bit of an anomaly on here I guess because I live in a blue collar world. I can only think of one or two posters, offhand, that don’t work in white collar or office type jobs. That’s, of course, of the ones who I know their occupations. Most of them I have no clue what they do.
Michael H. Smith
February 20th, 2012
8:02 pm
Disclaimer: As long as birth control means devices or drugs that prevention of conception and not a means termination of life after conception for any reasons other than: Rape, Incest or threat to the life of the mother.
Do you think women should have the right to pay for them(birth control drugs)?
Yep! If they want to. However as you pointed they can be free of charge.
Do you think that women should have the right to keep their birth control methods private, that is between them & their doctors (& their drug stores)?
Yep!
Do you think that women should have the right to keep their birth control methods private, away from the scrutiny of their employers, their insurance companies & the federal govt.?
Might be difficult but yep.
And though I support religious freedoms of others who against birth control as defined in my disclaimer, I personal support the use of any and all means of birth control that prevents conceptions and have no problem paying for through insurance premiums and taxes to provide such prevention. Sterilization only after a woman has under gone a thorough medical evaluation and exhaustive consultation from a doctor, due to the seriousness of the consequences after such operations.
Michael H. Smith
February 20th, 2012
8:09 pm
Just fill in the blanksif you will Linda… the only thing worse than my typing skills, are my editing abilities and I’m on a real roll tonight.
Linda
February 20th, 2012
8:12 pm
Truth, Donors who donated to Komen & women who participated in walks for the cause, who ended up with bleeding feet, were unaware that Komen was donating to Planned Parenthood. We are appalled! Donations in the form of money to & participation in Komen fundraisers will decrease. How many women will DIE as a result of Komen’s decision to continue to subsidize abortions rather than concentrating on research?
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
February 20th, 2012
8:15 pm
How many women will DIE as a result of Komen’s decision
———————
About the same as the number of males who will die, since the unborn are about 50/50 of each sex.
Truth Squad
February 20th, 2012
8:18 pm
@Linda, the idea is to keep them free thanks to various programs and Obamacare. I don’t want to hear about abortions from those who oppose birth control because less of one leads to more of the other.
I believe men and government don’t have babies and really should keep quiet about certain matters regarding giving birth or not.
Lastly, I think Republican overreach on this matter is going to hasten the end to employer-based health care.
Well, I see this blog post is no longer about gas prices and mass transit. I do know that the longer we pretend that oil isn’t a finite resource, the more costly it is going to be to build mass transit. Those states that build mass transit will be more attractive for business. Traffic is ruining our quality of life which has been a good selling point for the area and the state. I believe people will choose jobs and improved quality of life over outdated ideology and fear.
Brosephus
February 20th, 2012
8:19 pm
HD
I’d wager upwards to 30% because of the IT fields. Other than that, there are way too many hands-on service jobs to make telecommuting very effective here.
Linda
February 20th, 2012
8:19 pm
Truth, Do you think a 75-year-old woman & a woman (with 4 children) who has had a tubalisation should be forced to have the same insurance coverage as a 25-year-old woman who is newly married?
Rafe Hollister
February 20th, 2012
8:31 pm
Hillbilly
Sorry, I didn’t get your point. You are right, telecommuting doesn’t work for the trades and blue collar workers. But, most of the mind numbed robots traversing the highways into and out of Atlanta are State and Federal workers, Coca-Cola, Commercial Real Estate folks etc. Not that much manufacturing going on anymore, excluding Lockheed, since GM and Ford shut down in Atlanta, and no construction jobs anymore.
Rafe Hollister
February 20th, 2012
8:37 pm
Lastly, I think Republican overreach on this matter is going to hasten the end to employer-based health care.
_____________________________
Not sure that is a bad thing. We should buy medical policies like we buy life insurance and long term health care insurance and car insurance. We should be able to deduct the cost like the employers are allowed to do.
That way I could exempt, birth control, maternity, drug addiction, mental health insurance, and just pay for the things that may happen to me. Maybe it would cost less.
Linda
February 20th, 2012
8:38 pm
Truth@8:18, “Keep them free?” Who is “them?” Are you talking about women, i.e. me?
NO ONE opposes birth control except the Catholic religion.
If you believe that “men & govt….really should keep quiet about certain matters regarding giving birth,” then you are opposed to Obama’s agenda & your own statements above.
There is NO “Republican overreach on this matter that is going to hasten the end to employer-based health care.” Obamacare forces employers to provide health care for the first time in history. That’s an overreach. Obamacare forces religious institutions who oppose birth control to provide birth control, against the separation of church & state, for the first time in history. That’s an overreach. Obamacare forces insurance companies to provide birth control for free, for the first time in history. That’s an overreach.
Obamacare is designed to end employer-based health care.
Hillbilly D
February 20th, 2012
8:49 pm
Bro, Rafe
I was just guessing at the 10%. I guess it could be higher given that Atlanta is the Capitol. Of course, it might help the traffic, if they moved the capitol back to Milledgeville.
Brosephus
February 20th, 2012
8:53 pm
HD
That probably would help out a bit, quite a bit. My guess is probably on the high side, but I’m of the opinion that a secretary/exec asst could probably telecommute some days and not be missed in the office.
Rafe
Remember that some of us mind numbed people ensure you have the freedom to call us such without having to worry about it.
Ted
February 20th, 2012
10:07 pm
Just a big thumbs down to Mike Luckovich for taking no comments, ever. Obviously, his skin is thinner than those he criticizes in his cartoons. Shocking! He can dish it out, but certainly can’t take it, even a small dose. Appreciate Wingfield who actually does write about things of substance.
Dumb and Dumber
February 20th, 2012
10:43 pm
Luckovich stopped taking comments because of all the hate mail and death threats. He’s a cartoonist, not a paid-typist like Kyle; he doesn’t have to care what you think. He’s got a couple of Pulitzer prizes to his credit … which is a couple hundred percent more than Kyle. You don’t have to read his cartoons if they offend you … its called…wait for it … freedom of choice. I know, conservatives hate that phrase.
As for the Road Tax vote — it was designed to fail be the GOP controlled Gold-Domers. They wanted to show they did something about transportation — so they punted — and in typical fashion — didn’t think it through. Now they realize they will be blamed for this Lipsticked-Pig and they want to change the rules. I hope they have the election in August when they planned and it goes down in flames so that people in this state will stop reflexively supporting anyone who calls himself “conservative” — because the Georgia version of “conservative” is incapable of effectively governing and they are set to prove it, again.
Enjoy Your Car!
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
February 21st, 2012
6:37 am
He’s got a couple of Pulitzer prizes to his credit
———————-
Yes, and Obozo won the Nobel Peace Prize! Sometimes the award says more about the awarder than the awardee. And folks who don’t slavishly hew to the leftist line don’t win Pulitzers.
Not impressed.
@@
February 21st, 2012
7:08 am
That list proposes that the road in front of my house be widened to 4-lanes. My neighbors are vehemently opposed. I’m going to follow the directive of AJC leftists and love my neighbor.
NO to T-SPLOST!!!
I’m lookin’ for land on a dirt road.
Road Scholar
February 21st, 2012
9:10 am
@@: Never buy a house on a road with a painted centerline! Advice my mom, a real estate broker, gave me. It’s true! Traffic will not decrease! And good luck trying to beat the need to widen.
Out by the Pond
February 21st, 2012
9:51 am
How does a blog about a local sales tax degenerate into so much hate for the President of the United States. There are some really small minds out there. Just saying
Road Scholar
February 21st, 2012
10:15 am
Out: It is amazing , isn’t it! There is just so much anger, and hate out there. Sometimes I think people feel they are protected by their “Anonymous” comments since they sit behind their keyboards. Some people are just trying to get a “rise” out of others. Some are just uninformed. Those are the ones I feel sorry for! Hope you have a good day!
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
February 21st, 2012
10:42 am
Thanks for your situational concern, hypocrites.
Jeff
February 21st, 2012
11:57 am
Allright all you people out there I am going to break this down for you. The TIA TSPLOST will help this state. What is the one thing that everyone is worried about right now? The answer is jobs. If this TSPLOST is passed it will create jobs in the roadway construction industry. Jobs mean an improving economy. Also to the people that think this TSPLOST will bring more roads to the state you might want to look at the projects on the list. Most of the projects are to improve what we already have. And do not worrry. I will be surprised if gas gets to $4.00 this year. I beleive last year the same analysts were predicting $5.00 a gallon gas. We never saw $4.00 in Georgia.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
February 21st, 2012
12:20 pm
TSPLOST may create construction jobs, but it will destroy other jobs. Taking tax revenue to pay for roads, etc, means those dollars aren’t spent elsewhere.
The jobs argument is bogus. TSPLOST should be decided based on a cost-benefit analysis, which libtards hate because it usually means they don’t get more power and more of our money.
Jeff
February 21st, 2012
1:33 pm
Barry please educate us on how exactly it will destroy jobs? By the way your cost benefit analysis comment shows that you are not educated on the issue at all. The folks at GDOT have already done a cost benefit analysis. I think you may want to furthur educate yourself before you open your mouth again.
I will break it down even furthur for you. The money the Federal Government gives GDOT to build and maintain our road system is drying up fast. With out the TSPLOST the current problem will just get worse.
Also if the TSPLST does not pass they will have to go to plan b. A tax based on how much you drive. So would you like to pay maybe a few extra cents on most of your purchases for the next 10 years, or possibly have to pay a per mile tax that may never end?