Republicans are against tax cuts increases. Everyone knows that. But Republicans can't stand against lower gasoline prices. That would certainly fly in the face of public opinion.

That's why Congress needs to pass a law capping the price of gasoline.

I'm not much in favor of subsidizing oil or of price controls. Both don't solve our dependence on it. But putting a cap of $2.50 per gallon for wholesale and $3.00 per gallon retail would do the equivalent of tax the industry by causing them to sell their product at a loss (thus erasing their profitability).

Next, the bill should make it a crime to speculate on commodities essential to American economics or national security, including oil, gold, iron, steel and coal. It should make the penalty seizure and dissolution of all assets by speculators in those markets if the assets have not been liquidated within 90 days. It should also make the capital gains tax for speculators 150% of the profits earned, starting 15 days after the law is enacted, to help spur the sale of oil speculators' shares.

The law should also mandate that for every dollar spent on highway construction, $2 must be spent on mass transit construction. For every dollar spent on maintaining a highway, $2 must be spent on maintaining mass transit systems. In addition, the law should require that for every $1 spent on highway construction or maintenance, the state who has the highway built or maintained must allocate $1 of its own tax revenues for investment in alternative energy vehicles.

Finally, it should order the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to make available any and all oil required to prevent shortages in the United States of oil-based products.

This law should stipulate that the price cap remains in effect for no more than six months, or until oil reaches $80 per barrel, whichever comes first. It should also mandate that the law can be put back into full force upon gasoline prices reaching $3.25 per gallon, up to five years after the law is enacted (to prevent oil companies from letting prices fall so they can keep gouging consumers).

This bill won't actually become law. But it will put Republicans on the wrong side of every important issue - the economy, gas prices, alternative energy, and sticking it to Big Oil. Is it a bad bill? Probably. But it's gutsy, and it might spark a new round of national debates on the topics of renewable energy, transit construction, and reducing oil prices. Talking about the same old ideas won't get the Democrats into the White House - and it won't solve America's dependency on foreign oil either.

8:20 am | Comment (2) | Print | Categories: Economics, Frustration

Do you see something wrong with record profits for oil companies and record prices for gasoline?

The Republican Party doesn't.

They filibustered a bill today that would have raised taxes on windfall profits earned by the oil companies and allowed the Securities and Exchange Commission to reign in speculation in the oil markets. For some reason, Republicans thought that targeting speculation, which has been seen widely as the overall cause of increasing oil prices, was a bad thing. Probably because the speculators donate to Republicans.

Tax increases probably weren't the right idea, and history has shown higher taxes do get passed on to consumers. What is so mind-boggling though is that Republicans didn't simply vote against the bill - they voted against DEBATE of the bill. They were opposed to even TALKING about it. Rather than work together to find something to help American consumers, they were more interested in protecting their campaign war chests and special interests, and refused to even discuss this bill.

This is really shameful behavior. The concepts of free speech and free assembly were based on the idea that a free public discourse would ensure a free society. But Congress can't seem to ensure that same free discourse inside the chambers of democracy, and that's disconcerting. And it's a good reason for Americans to vote these people out of power.

Maybe that's why Republicans are so worried.

1:50 pm | Comment (1) | Print | Categories: Economics, Election '08, Frustration, Washington, DC

One thing I've learned about having a skill that is in high demand is this:

Everyone wants your time, but no one wants to pay for it.

Seriously.

As a web developer, I get asked ALL the time if I can "help" with this project or that project. "Help" usually translates into "no pay" or "volunteer effort." But yet, when you agree to help, then they start imposing deadlines and making demands of you. Craigslist is full of these kinds of jokers, who's compensation is listed as "company shares" or "no pay - thanks as a reward." Yeah, that helps pay the bills.

Thing is, my time isn't free, folks. Seriously now. I spent a lot of effort learning what I know, and my boss bills me out at a high rate because I'm good. I don't mind helping people here and there, but I'm really done now with the whole idea of "free services" for people I know.

The worst thing you can do to a friendship is take their skill and treat it like trash by demanding things they don't owe you and act like you're their client while you don't pay them. That's not cool. Be nice to your tech people - remember, we know how to crash your computers!

9:43 pm | Comment (4) | Print | Categories: Frustration, Gratitude, PHP, Technology

Hillary Clinton is the woman who won't quit. Feeling that the nomination is her God-given right, she has refused to step aside for the will of the voters. The only thing left for the Democratic Party at this point is to neutralize her, and make sure that she cannot damage the party further.

The easiest way to do that is for enough superdelegates to switch to Barack Obama so that there are no numbers that make it possible for Senator Clinton to win the nomination.

That way, regardless of whether or not the delegations on the floor attempt to include Michigan and Florida, Senator Obama will have enough votes that he will still win the nomination, regardless of the outcome of that fight.

Then, and only then, will Senator Clinton finally be finished - when the math makes it impossible under any circumstances to win the nomination, regardless of what she tries to do.

4:31 pm | Comment (3) | Print | Categories: Election '08, Frustration

Memorial day is upon us, and so I wanted to warm the weekend up with a bit on transportation.

The headlines that affect you...

• Gas hits $3.83 a gallon. Go ahead. You can cry. Let it out. I'll wait. It's important to get it out now. Seriously. Now that we've got that out of the way...
• 37.87 million of you will take to the roads or skies, which surprisingly is fewer than last year. Apparently $3.83 a gallon hurts some, but 37.87 million still feel the need to travel.
• If you must travel, Metro is getting safer, as they are preparing evacuation plans for all their stations in case of emergency. One has to think, though...why don't they already have emergency evacuation plans?
• American Airlines wants $15 for you to check your first piece of luggage. Though most airlines are struggling, Southwest is still flying cheep fares, in part due to their huge capital resources and ability to buy fuel far in advance. While some of my friends think that airlines should still serve diamond-encrusted champagne on flights, the reality is that the Southwest business model may be the wave of the future. Goodbye, Skymiles, hello Rapid Rewards!

9:55 am | Comment (3) | Print | Categories: Economics, Frustration, Metro, Travel, Washington, DC

Utter gridlock.

8:46 am | Comment (1) | Print | Categories: Frustration