$30 to $35 more dollars in my pocket

That's my answer to this headline at the Bradenton Herald.

What difference would 5 more cents make?

That's based on 200-225 miles worth of driving, 12 gallons of gas a week. Or about what dear wife and I average. I must say I don't live in Manatee County where this tax is being proposed.

The article begins-

Ronald Reagan was in the White House, rap music was entering the mainstream and gasoline prices averaged $1.20 a gallon, which included 7 cents in taxes imposed by Manatee County.

That was in 1985. Now, two decades later, a son of Reagan's vice president works in the Oval Office; rap songs often appear at the top of the pop-music charts, and regular unleaded costs about $2.50 a gallon. But Manatee still charges 7 cents a gallon.

So what. People pay plenty of taxes on that gasoline. State, Federal etc. Gas has nearly doubled in price over the last 18 months. The public is justified in not wanting to pay more.

As always the people advocating come up with a vague list of projects/reasons for the increased tax. Make mass transit more attractive. Making a bus trip take an hour instead of seventy minutes isn't going to get people to stop using their cars when the same trip takes 15 minutes.

Palm Beach County had a similiar debate some ten years ago. The tax had vocal opposition but got passed. The political damage? Little, no commissioner got defeated for re-election. Unfortunately the voting public can have a short memory.

I rather keep my $31.20

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