The Gas Tax is Great

John McCain's and Hillary Clinton's plan to suspend the gas tax has been called everything from a "political ploy" to the "dumbest thing ever." The only thing it has not been called is a good idea. Why? Because the gas tax is great. It is shocking to hear a Republican attack the best and fairest tax in the country.

The gas tax is used to pay for the building and upkeep of our nation's roads and highways. If you don't drive a car, you are not using our highways; therefore, you aren't made to pay for something you don't use. If you drive a lot, creating a lot of wear and tear on our roads, you are made to pay your fair share.

For years this is how Republicans have been telling us they want taxes to work. The gas tax is fair, because the amount you pay is based on the amount to use. The gas tax is universal; no one-- not even criminals, drug dealers, or tax dodgers-- can get out of paying the gas tax. The gas tax is good because it discourages you from doing something which is bad for the air we breathe and bad for our health. And finally, the gas tax is simple. You don't need some huge IRS bureaucracy to monitor the gas tax. Instead of talking about suspending the gas tax we should be talking about how to make all our taxes more like the gas tax.