I‘ve written before about Congressional Democrats who stubbornly stick to their plans to raise taxes on gasoline, regardless of the realities facing American consumers. But what to do with a senior House Republican — like former Chairman Don Young (R-AK) who still wants to raise gas taxes by a dollar a gallon:
You’d think that when even an entrenched Democrat like John Dingell withdraws his support for a gas tax increase, any Republican would get the point. Not so with Young. If the goal is to reduce demand, why don’t we simply raise taxes by $25 per gallon? Such a price increased might create a hardship for consumers, but Young doesn’t appear to be considering that. Beyond that, it’s troubling to see a senior Republican eager to dilute the GOP’s strong brand against new and higher taxes. Young faces an ethics investigation, a primary challenge, and a credible Democratic opponent for the first time in years. Let’s hope that whoever may be representing Alaska in the House next year, he be opposed to tax increases rather than supportive of them.
