According to a recent AAA survey, North Carolina leads the nation in the price of gasoline. Only DC and Alaska (!) have higher gasoline costs. Part of this is due to the fact that our state gets most of its fuel from the storm-ravaged Gulf Coast. However, as noted by the AP:
A key reason for that dubious title here is North Carolina's gas tax. The 27 cents paid on each gallon is the highest among Southern states and fifth-highest nationally. By comparison, Virginia's gas tax is 17 cents per gallon and South Carolina's is 16 cents.
Natch, there have been calls on Governor Easley (known without affection as "Tax Hike Mike") to suspend or at least reduce the gas tax. One would think that this would be a no-brainer. After all, politicians seem to spend a lot of time and hot air talking about how much they want to do for 'the common man' or 'working families' and even 'the poor'. Well, there are a few million people here in North Carolina who could use a little help dealing with the high price of fuel. What does Tax Hike Mike say?
Even as Hurricane Rita appeared poised to disrupt Gulf Coast oil supplies again, Gov. Mike Easley said Wednesday he has no plans to roll back state gas taxes to curb shock at the pumps.
It seems that our governor has been taking lessons from Gov. Blanco. Though we elected him to govern our state, he won't do what he can to lower gas prices. Rather, he whines that the feds ought to do something about it:
Instead, Easley joined other Democratic governors who are pressuring the federal government to solve the problem of higher gasoline prices.
"I hope everybody is waking up, that we've got to do something better than we're doing now on energy in this country," he told reporters. "We want to see Washington take up this issue."
In other words, I and my fellow Tar Heels can get stuffed as far as Tax Hike Mike is concerned. If we start feeling too much of a squeeze at the pump, we can go to Washington to cry on Uncle Sammy's shoulder.
Just remember to fill 'er up before crossing into VA: Tax Hike Mike needs the money.
I've managed to save up roughly $60404 in my bank account, but I'm not sure if I should buy a house or not. Do you think the market is stable or do you think that home prices will decrease by a lot?
Posted by: Courtney Gidts | November 14, 2005 at 01:28 PM
I've managed to save up roughly $60404 in my bank account, but I'm not sure if I should buy a house or not. Do you think the market is stable or do you think that home prices will decrease by a lot?
Posted by: Courtney Gidts | November 14, 2005 at 01:30 PM