THAT’S DEBATABLE:

Sens. John McCain and Hillary Clinton have been pressing for a gas tax holiday this summer to give consumers a break from escalating fuel prices. Most experts have slammed the proposal. Would you support a suspension of the 18.4-cents-per-gallon tax this summer to lower fuel prices?

 

Eliminating the gas tax for a limited time is worse than short-term policy; it’s pretending to solve the problem when it won’t. The real answer to high gas prices is to drive prices down by increasing the supply, through developing America’s oil resources in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and offshore deposits, which McCain and the Democrats have consistently opposed.

Dana Rohrabacher

(R-Huntington Beach)

 

Who will pay the $9 billion credit card bill for a gas tax holiday this summer? All Americans, but Californians will pay the most.

Federal gas taxes have been benefiting the traveling public since 1932 (albeit less to Californians as we rank near the bottom in tax dollars making their way back to our state). Unchanged for more than a dozen years, neither the federal nor state taxes have kept up with inflation forcing maintenance to be deferred by Caltrans and local agencies. Deferred maintenance is up to four times more costly than routine maintenance.

In 1997, the federal highway bill TEA-21 authorized a 10% increase in maximum truck weight with no accompanying funding for the resulting 25% increase in infrastructure damage.

California now holds the distinction of having the worst roads in the country, costing the car owner $700 per year for repairs compared to a national average of $400. The estimated $28 savings won’t even cover your gas to the mechanic’s shop.

Debbie Cook

Democratic candidate, 46th congressional district