Reply #21: Couple of points, and a simple question for Obama supporters

[lumberjack_jeff]

1) Hillary's plan is not the same as McCains. Hillary would make up the shortfall by a windfall profits tax on oil companies, while McCain would cut services.
2) Let's turn this around slightly - look at it from a different angle. Given the record profits by oil companies, is a tax on consumers the best way to pay for roads? It isn't really a shell game - fuel prices are not established by the cost of production. They are set by what the market will bear. Instead of these huge profits going to the producers and the cost of infrastructure borne by consumers, perhaps there is a more equitable way to distribute the burden. Fuel prices will continue to go up, regardless. As a cost containment measure, the benefit isn't that it'll drive prices down, it's that prices will be less than they otherwise would be. Prices would follow a parallel curve, just $0.18 lower than Obama's preferred do nothing solution.
3) The term "tax holiday" was an unfortunate choice of words, but one thing I admire about Hillary is her relative willingness to suggest new solutions.

Now the question:
Obama supporters, do you think that a sales tax on fuel levied on the consumer is a better method of paying for highways than a windfall profits tax on producers?