tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973827.post3091966634694279230..comments2024-01-11T07:40:01.736-05:00Comments on The Stopped Clock: "Gas Tax Holiday" Pandering Is A "Big Deal"Aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16523334580402022332noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973827.post-5751450523372428212008-05-06T19:08:00.000-04:002008-05-06T19:08:00.000-04:00Economists seem to be largely of the opinion that ...Economists seem to be largely of the opinion that oil companies and gas stations will raise prices to be consistent with demand (as already occurs), or more cynically that they will raise prices opportunistically, such that there will be little to no reduction in gas prices despite a "gas tax holiday".<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akVL7QY0S8A" REL="nofollow">This is a one-hour lecture</A> on the struggles of the middle class. (I hope that doesn't scare you off.) I linked to it in a recent post, but it's worth linking again.<BR/><BR/>Let's just say, the price of gas is an issue - but it's an issue because of the economic realities facing the middle class. It's not just in Detroit that people are going to have trouble getting to work or school because of higher gas prices - it's an unavoidable expense that many families ("stable, two-income families") aren't well positioned to absorb.<BR/><BR/>Peak summer gas prices is only part of the problem - winter heating bills are also going to keep going up.Aaronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16523334580402022332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5973827.post-13079912753848319312008-05-06T13:55:00.000-04:002008-05-06T13:55:00.000-04:00If the gas tax gets "waived", I'm sure somehow the...If the gas tax gets "waived", I'm sure somehow the price of oil will go up to compensate for the tax. <BR/>What I want to know is what happens when people can no longer afford to drive to work and/or their cars break down and they can't afford to fix them. I teach school in Detroit and the gas station near my school is $3.75 per gallon. I can afford this, but most of my students' parents cannot. This whole thing scares the crap out of me and I would like to see more ideas other than "Let's waive teh gas taxez!!1!1!"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com