Don't Look Down On the Little People -

[Vinca]

$30.00 is a significant amount of money. That was the message du jour on Morning Joe, parroted by Scarborough, Mike Barnicle and Pat Buchanan. So I figured it out. $30.00 over the course of the summer boils down to about 33 cents a day. What can you get for 33 cents? My first stop was the post office, where I attempted to purchase a stamp to mail off a payment. No go. No stamps for you. Then I hit the convenience store for the local newspaper. Nope. 60 cents. I continued into town to do some errands and finally found something my money could buy. For 30 cents I got 36 minutes on the parking meter across from the thrift shop. Wow - 3 cents left over. Figuring the thrift shop would be easy pickings, I searched and searched for an item I could afford for 33 cents. Sure enough, I found an entire shelf of 25 cent merchandise. There were chipped saucers, broken picture frames, torn posters and a dog figurine with a broken leg. I had to pass. The dollar store was next, but to my dismay you had to buy 3 of the 3/$1 noodles, so they were out. After hitting the "going out of business" sale at Home Depot with no luck, I ended up at the grocery store. This, after all, is where average Americans are really hurting. So I searched and I searched and I searched. A single roll of generic toilet paper, which somehow seemed appropriate, was 69 cents. I came close with a small can of generic cat food - the kind my vet said never to buy - at 39 cents. Finally, I settled on the smallest green pepper I've ever seen. It was 42 cents, but I threw caution to the wind and bought it anyway. So . . . it boils down to parking. You can spend your 33 cents a day on a parking meter, but keep a close eye on it or you're likely to get a $5 ticket.

[leftofcool]

1. But if you drive 100 miles a day round trip to work

to that 7.00 an hour job in an older car that uses too much gas because you can't afford a smaller one, it might also mean extra milk and bread for your kids at the end of the month or maybe the luxury of renting that Disney movie your kids have been wanting to see, or maybe buying a little more baby formula for the new little one.......and I could go on and on.

[Indenturedebtor]

5. Nobody drives 100 miles a day for a 7.00/hr job

You can't afford the gas as it is making 7.00 an hour. No one is that stupid... you'd spend half your money on gas and car repairs instead of just moving closer.

And we can give handouts to people in other ways. Her tactic was to give to the oil companies and take away from the rest of us.

[Genevieve]

19. This post is ridiculous. eom

[VolcanoJen]

27. If you're driving a hundred miles a day round-trip to work....

... it's time to explore moving closer to work, or better yet, light rail.

I sure wish our candidates were talking about light rail, personally.

[4_Legs_Good]

37. I drive 100 miles a day, but I invested in a car that gets 60MPG

And, since I bought it I've saved 4,636 gallons of gas, which at today's prices around here would translate to about $18,035, and if you add in the $2,000 I got back from the Feds for buying an "alternative fuel vehicle", I essentially made $35 for driving to work everyday for the last 7 years!

And MAGICALLY $35 is about what I'd save under Clinton's generous, well thought out, forward thinking, non-pandering plan!!!

David

[Indenturedebtor]

2. Yeah 30 dollars get the fuck outta here

People that have to worry about 30 bucks generally don't have cars. And no one even think about calling me an "elitist". I am an "elitist" on a non-elitists salary so go to hell ;)

[Hoof Hearted]

35. Rural poor do.

[tridim]

3. Paying 33 cents a day for solid roads and bridges is a great value.

Let's do that!

[flor de jasmim]

And you probably should be driving, anyway... ;-)

I am truly appalled at just how stupid they think we are... and then I am appalled at just how stupid some people really are.

[Texas Hill Country]

4. anyone that doesnt need $30 can send it to me.

[Indenturedebtor]

7. I will send it to the FED instead and get way more back

Because that 15 billion dollars will go to construction companies who keep their profits here in the states, and I won't have to pay a few hundred dollars for a NEW TIRE and/or NEW SUSPENSION.

[Vinca]

9. Everyone can use $30, but if it's going to mean highway workers

will be laid off and fuel consumption will increase which will probably cause prices to go up anyway, it's obviously nothing more than pandering. A real solution is to use the windfall tax on the gas company profits to explore new energy sources. That was Hillary's first use of the windfall profits tax, now she's using it twice, the second time to buy votes.

[Hoof Hearted]

18. Hey THC, that was my idea too. Let's set up a foundation :-)

[onenote]

22. HRC has no problem asking for money -- maybe she should stop and give folks a break

[Hoof Hearted]

32. Oooo, that reminds me, I need to go donate to her campaign today! Thanks!

[merh]

6. Why hasn't she proposed the legislation yet?

She can do that as a senator and get folks to support her and back it, if she really believed in it.

Someone provide me to the link to that proposed legislation, I want to read it. Tell me which day she intends to introduce it.

[Indenturedebtor]

8. Have to get back to you on that

Dodging sniper fire at the moment sorry :eyes:

[DMorgan]

10. After she wins the votes from the gullible in Indiana and NC

There will be NO NEED for her to do so. She will suddenly see the "wisdom" of her economics advisers!!!!

She's bluffing! She's pandering, She's telling lies.

[lapfog_1]

11. To get your $30 savings (if you actually get it)

you have to buy $567 of gasoline.

Methinks that if you are spending $567 on gas over the summer, and saving $30 is a lifestyle changer, perhaps you could do something else to save that money...

Might I suggest driving less... carpools...

Inflate your tires on your car to the factory recommended amount and wash/wax your vehicle... you will save more than the $30 potential savings from the suspension of the gas tax.

[Hoof Hearted]

12. I find this post very helpful.

I'll let you figure out why. Please, keep up the good work.

[QC]

13. There have been times in my life when thirty bucks was a lot of money.

A lot of people have had that experience, thought it seems to be something of a rarity at DU.

[merh]

15. Please provide me a link to where I can read her proposed

legislation. She is still an active member of our government, a member of that branch that actually writes the laws, so it is not asking too much to want to read her proposed legislation and when she will be introducing it to the rest of the senate. Does she have someone in the house that will support it, should it make its way out committee (that is if it is ever written and introduced.)

[Vinca]

16. There was a time in my life when all I had to eat for a week were

grapefruits stolen from a neighbor's tree and a partial box of oatmeal. Almost everyone has been through hard times. My post is to demonstrate that - given the weak dollar and cost of energy - it amounts to hardly anything these days. Anyone who cares at all about the greater good - having decent roads and bridges, for example - should be insulted by this idiotic proposal by McCain and Clinton. And that's not scratching the surface. Think about supply and demand and you know, if demand rises, so will gas prices, tax holiday or no tax holiday.

[cali]

36. thirty bucks would certainly be very useful to a lot of people

in one chunk. 3 bucks a week is useful to very few.

[walldude]

14. I have an idea.. we can all donate our 30 bucks to Morning Joe

maybe then he can afford to buy a fucking clue..

[Hoof Hearted]

17. I am accepting cash and money order and assure you I can use it more than captain Joe.

[anigbrowl]

20. A bus trip costs me $1.50. 33c is about the price of a cigarette.

I'd save more money by quitting smoking. And I don't even smoke much any more.

[Hoof Hearted]

23. You'd save more of your life by quitting smoking too.

Added bonus.

[americanstranger]

21. Anybody see McAwful turn that $30 into $100 this morning?

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/193272.php

Not only did he throw economists under yet another bus (according to McAwful, they 'don't matter' - sound familiar?), but that hypothetical 30 bucks Vinca was talking about miraculously got turned into $100!

Gawd, they lie like fucking dogs.

- as

[Blue-Jay]

24. Sometimes the Little People creep me out.

[2rth2pwr]

25. If it is insignificant, please just send it to me.

[scheming daemons]

26. Sure... let's give the American people 33 cents a day to put 300,000 construction workers on the

unemployment line.

[annie1]

28. i don't think the problem is that it's not significant, but rather that it's not significant to....

everyone, but that is who will receive it, everyone. but don't make fun b/c to many people $30 is significant. it certainly has been to me in the past. i can remember some very hard times.

[VolcanoJen]

29. Kick... excellent post!

:dem:

[Hoof Hearted]

30. kick.

[Hoof Hearted]

31. I'll kick this again

[Kukesa]

33. And so will I. Kick! n/t

[Hoof Hearted]

34. I'm in love with this thread.

[Hoof Hearted]

38. Let's kick this one back up there with the "stupid voter" thread!