The Great American Gas Out

I hope you all did your part to stick it to Bush’s Big Oil Buddies today by holding off on filling your tanks until tomorrow, when gas prices will be three cents a gallon higher. That’ll show ‘em! Today’s boycott will be a lesson to all greedy corporations that we will no longer allow them to profit at the expense of the consumer!

But the people paying $3.50 per gallon at the pump aren’t the only victims of corprate greed. Big Oil keeps a dime out of every gallon of gasoline they force us to buy. Compare that to an 18 cents per gallon federal gas tax, plus your state gas tax (34 cents per gallon in WA), plus any local city or county gas taxes, and you’ll come to the realization that the greedy oil companies aren’t only stealing from you, but from our Democrat leaders as well. After all, the ten cents Exxon or Conoco profits on every gallon is ten cents that our benevolent Democrat leaders won’t be able to take from us as punishment for buying gas. Furthermore, the higher gas prices rise, the less likely the American sheeple will vote for gas tax increases, forcing Democrats to raise gas taxes anyway and look like heels for doing so. Thanks to the selfish public’s primitive lust for lower taxes, noble Democrats will be supplanted by idiot Repugs who have absolutely no appreciation for the art of social engineering by way of confiscatory taxation. Without progressives to nurture and guide us as they have throughout history, the human race will essentially be left to wander alone in the wilderness – only they won’t be wandering: they’ll be driving big, smog-belching Hummers with “W” stickers on the windows and a Black man chained to the rear bumper.

In order to end the destructive cycle of corporate greed and save the planet for any children we haven’t got around to aborting, Congress must act now to raise gas taxes to such a degree that the oil companies will be afraid to raise prices at the pump - instead of it happening the other way around. A $9 per gallon federal gas tax would not only put money back into our pockets, but would relieve traffic congestion and the strain on our environment by making it too expensive for anyone other than celebrities, politicians, and newspaper editors to drive a car. It’s a practical and courageous solution, so frankly I’m not surprised a liberal paper came up with it.

Comments

[csason]

first !!

[csason]

Lar, I LOVE the art of social engineering by way of confiscatory taxation. The most intelligent woman in the world agrees with you, 0.4 % !!

It's about time we got around to this crucial but totally avoidable conversation.. besides, some idiot over at the last post is trying to convince us the healthcare system is fine just the way it is.

btw, I messed up and *filled* all the tanks today..sry, I got my dates mixed up

[Kinky Bee]

Still snickering at seeing Exey get a mani/pedi and facial at the Nail Salon. Hee hee! *snicker*

Oh, sorry! Back to the problem at hand!

I did one better, Lar. I filled my gas tank up today, when it was 14 CENTS/GAL. higher than over the weekend. Whoooo Hoooo!! I really stuck it to those sissy Big Gas Companies. Ummm....wait...a...second...

[Kinky Bee]

"a Black man chained to the rear bumper"

Oops! We weren't SUPPOSED to do that? I thought that was "BLING", or some other cool, hip, ghetto word. I swore that the Revs. Jesse and Al said it was cool to "PIMP OUT" your cars with "BLING". I am so confused. I have no idea how to be a truly cool, ghetto, nappy headed Ho. I may just have to become athletic and join the Rutger's BB team. *sigh* I try so hard. I should probably just stick to being a Dominatrix.

[camojack]

Sorry...but my Harley was Running on Empty.

Had to fill 'er up, but it was only 5 gallons...

[Bush4Ever]

When are we going to have a day when we don't go out in the Sun? After all, with solar power being one of the main power sources of the future, you KNOW that the Bu$Hitler KKKrime Family started this Illegal, Immoral & Fattening War For Oil For Sunshine because, in addition to having the most oil, the MidEast also has the most sunshine.
Connect. The. Dots.

9/11 WAS AN INSIDE JOB!!!!

[Maria in Iowa]

*completely loses track of thread for a moment*

Nice bike, Jack! Kinda cute rider, too.

[Che]

only 5 gallons...
Yeah, but they were premium gallons. You might as well just ask the oil company execs if you can send their kids to college for them.

Incidentally, I always wonder how much gas is in the hose at the pump? If I fill up with 2 gallons (yes, it's a bitch bike, but at least it's kick start only, so I have a macho limp from March-October), how much of those 2 gallons of premium am I getting, and how much is the low grade crap the 16 year old before me put in his riced-out Accord?

[libmeister]

Out of guilt Big Oil should donate its dime-a-gallon profit to the Democratic Party. Then we wouldn't have to rely on George Soros pouring his millions into our cause.

[Dave]

ExKKKon and sHELL won't be getting any of my money until they start being responsible and give everyone back every dime they have stolen from the people. At least Chavez uses his profits from oil to do good things like making Venezuela a workers paradise.

I've had to cancel the western swing of the "jump, little eichmanns, jump" tour because Laurie David won't let me use one of her two private jets. Seems that she and sheryl crow need their space from each other while the teaching kids about the evils of consumerism and global warming.

[Arbiter]

Jerry Falwell's death was an inside job.

[one_who_pays_attention]

"The New York-based Commonwealth Fund released a comprehensive cross-border study of health care systems in rich countries and, no surprise, ranks the U.S. as pretty much last. Except when it comes to cost, that is. We pay more overall and get less.

"What everyone who cares to look knows is that there are two health care systems in America—one for those with money and for those without. The report spelled it out plainly:

The U.S. ranks a clear last on all measures of equity. Americans with below-average incomes were much more likely than their counterparts in other countries to report not visiting a physician when sick, not getting a recommended test, treatment or follow-up care, not filling a prescription or not seeing a dentist when needed because of costs.

"Many people have enough money, or otherwise identify themselves with money, that they’re grateful for what they believe is class-A health care. Thank god, they say, we’re not plagued with bureaucratic stasis and long wait times as are people at public hospitals or in socialist countries like Britain or Germany. They’re wrong. We’re at the bottom in most everything and for everybody.

"The Commonwealth Fund does, indeed, say that the poor are in bad shape when it comes to preventable illnesses and chronic conditions. But, even the insured do badly. For instance:

The U.S. and Canada rank lowest on the prompt accessibility of appointments with physicians, with patients more likely to report waiting six or more days for an appointment when needing care.

"On the other hand, Canada achieves approximately the same level of waiting using less than half the amount of money as the U.S. What is even more striking is that American medicine, despite the huge amounts of money poured into it, is so poorly organized that much of what would be good care gets negated by the haphazard system. Specifically, the U.S. is technologically behind and organizationally backward. Said the report:

Other countries are further along than the U.S. in using information technology and a team approach to manage chronic conditions and coordinate care. Information systems in countries like Germany, New Zealand and the U.K. enhance the ability of physicians to identify and monitor patients with chronic conditions. Such systems also make it easy for physicians to print out medication lists, including those prescribed by other physicians.

"In short, as you have probably experienced, your primary care physician has no idea what your specialists are doing and vice versa. Not only are patient records not mutually accessible among medical personnel, they’re not even computerized. That’s right, a majority of U.S. health care providers still rely on written records. According to the U.S. Health and Human Services Department, 30 percent of current health care spending (up to $300 billion) each year nationwide is inappropriate, redundant or unnecessary. One result, said the U.S. Institute of Medicine, is that up to 98,000 people in the United States die every year from medical errors. The governor of Wisconsin, Jim Doyle, found it necessary to institute a program of “paying $10 million for a grant and loan program to increase the use of electronic medical record (EMR) systems.” So, what we already pay for health care isn’t enough; the public sector has to pay to bring us even with the other rich countries.

"The U.S. wasn’t last in every category. “The area where the U.S. health care system performs best is preventive care," said the Commonwealth report, “an area that has been monitored closely for over a decade by managed care plans.” Although this was our best category, we still did worse than Canada and Australia.

"In all, then, what do we get for the nearly $2 trillion a year we spend? “Despite having the most costly health system in the world,” the report sums up, “the United States consistently underperforms on most dimensions of performance, relative to other countries.”

If we needed any more evidence that, dollar for dollar, we get the worst possible system, here it is. Whether or not we move to government-based health insurance, or keep some form of public and private insurers, we need a national health care system. We clearly cannot rely on this patchwork of duplicate and non-communicating operations that cost lives, money and health. If other countries can do it, so can we—if we can only muster the political will.

[Arbiter]

"And if my grandmother had wheels, she'd be a wagon."

-Montgomery Scott

[Methinks]

Larry,

Frankly I'm sooo tired of your snide remarks about gouging and our sainted government working tirelessly on our behalf. This is nothing to be snide about. The fact that oil companies make ANY profit at all (let alone a whopping $0.09) speaks volumes for the lack of progressyve truthy progress in this country.

Everybody KNOWS that profits = price gouging, greed and growing poverty. While Exxon spends billions to make billions, just look at how impoverished our impoverished are! Shemeeqa in section 8 housing down the block can't even afford the BMW she saw advertised on the cable channel she viewed on her on her plasma TV while chewing on her Big Mac and super-sized fries as she waits for reparations check. Poor thing will just have to pimp her American made ride instead. 'Cuz, you know, the white man keepin' her down. That's poverishis poverty. But I digress...

Raising taxes is both holy and Kosher and has no impact on the squeeze Paul Krugman tells us is felt by the middle class because, as we all know, taxes do not raise the cost of things. Right?

Social engineering is and should be the number one goal of government. Well, I mean, except for coercion of course. After all, coercion is the means by which we achieve "The Great Society". Without government tyranny, we unwashed masses would all be running around making our own arrangements between each other - as propagated by the Reich Wing hate monger, Milton Friedman, in his series "Free to Choose and supported by Ronald McDonald Raygun. We'd all be living an even more prosperous life than we are now. Mama gaia, who the hell needs that?

I'm reminded of the screed of a racist, ignorant slave owner in our shameful past (Thomas Jefferson):

"When the government fears the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny".

[Che]

If doctors worked for the government, who would John Edwards sue? He'd starve and have to move into a smaller home. Have you no compassion?

[The Exorcist]

Believe me, that "W" sticker doesn't look any better close-up, from the rear bumper that Bush chained me to, than it does from the windshield of our hybrids 20 feet away.

[DoubleU]

Yes but paying those taxes are a good thing, it isn't as if the government is going to waste it.

[Arbiter]

Larry, how can you complain about Big Oil when we're fighting a battle over the unjust treatment of police who are just trying to enforce the wondrous teachings of the Religion of Peace which clearly states: No Beer For You!!!

[Arbiter]

Sorry, here's the link:

http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article1787863.ece

[csason]

In a previous lifetime, before I was stricken with poverty..I somehow managed to be the guy that they called the 'manager' of an ElectroPhysiology Study lab..or EP lab in hospital lingo.
But really..manager was short for cardiologist babysitter. Oh yes, I had to know their little birthdays and such, but overall they were a nice enough bunch (except for the tantrums) of doctors. The doc that I was 'personally assigned to
was a board certified electrophysiologist, a sub specialty of invasive cardiology. Our primary admits were 'sudden death' or maybe ventricular tachycardia..with an abberant pathway thrown in here and there.

There was a long list of foreign doctors who wanted to move here to practice...(they threw tantrums, too) and everyone I have ever assisted told me horror stories of the places they came from..

But really, the truth is..my daughter was diagnosed with a rare and orphan disease-Osler Weber Rendu syndrome. The way we found out was she had a stroke at age 34 months. She went to be with her Grandaddy 2 years ago. She would be eighteen this year.

She was treated by Ladislau Steiner in Virginia with his Gamma Knife. There are dozens in America, but only one in India..maybe two in all of Great Britain.

So, one_who_pays_attention... Whoever you're paying is feeding you b.s.

[one_who_pays_attention]

Wed May 16, 1:18 AM ET

HONG KONG (AFP) - "A debate raging over the morals of Hong Kong's racy media took a bizarre twist Wednesday with revelations that a decency watchdog had been flooded with obscenity complaints about the Bible.

"The Television and Entertainments Licensing Authority (Tela), which oversees the publishing industry, said it had received 208 complaints that text within the holy book was indecent.

"'I can confirm that the complaints were received', said a Tela spokeswoman. 'The thrust of the complaints was that the Bible was obscene, that different parts of the Bible were offensive to readers'.

"Tela refused to divulge details of the complaints, but local media reported that they referred to acts of violence, rape and cannibalism reputedly contained in the Old and New Testaments."

[Arlo]

Che,

High five on the kick only. I gotta 93" S&S shovel hardtail that kicks back and has hobbled me twice. It's like being in love with an abusive woman. I keep going back for punishment.

[one_who_pays_attention]

"So, one_who_pays_attention... Whoever you're paying is feeding you b.s." -- csason

I'm afraid I can't afford to pay all those institutions around the world, the WHO, the OECD, etc, etc, etc, American reporters, Reuters, and all major worldwide media outlets at the same time. In fact I can't afford to pay anyone. But enjoy your dream.

One swallow doth not a summer make. And one example from any poster here proves nothing whatsoever about health care in the USA. In fact, 10 examples here prove nothing. Only cross borders research can prove the point.

And that has been done.

[Arlo]

It's a FACT healthcare is not available to all income stratas in the US. For example, I have an aunt who is indigent. Her husband had a diabetes related stroke and stayed in intensive care for 28 days until he died. The total bill was over $1.2 mil. OK, get this. She is having to pay it off $30 per month. Have you ever heard of anything more heartless???

[Arlo]

If only my aunt could have gotten my uncle to Father Fidel...