Gas tax: Is Obama smoking something?

The EV1 and the Chevy Volt

I've never thought much of GM killing the electric car. Besides, it was really just a delay. Large automakers survive on economies of scale, and with gas prices what they've been, except for the last couple of years, there was never an incentive for such vehicles, especially if GM had to price them at a break even point, let alone a profitable price.

Recently, as gas prices rose, interest in fuel economy also increased because people could see a financial incentive to invest in more expensive hybrid cars. High gas prices, not the government, justified the higher price of fuel efficient vehicles, as anyone that shopped for a hybrid this summer learned.

Thus, with gas prices skyrocketing downward, it's a bit alarming to learn that President-Elect Barack Obama thinks that a gas tax is a bad idea. Obviously, I don't expect him to outright advocate for a gas tax, it's political suicide, but can the government solve all of America's problems without asking for any help from the people?

I guess I shouldn't be surprised. We're bailing out Wall Street, bailing out homeowners - many of whom were gaming the system from the beginning, bailing out the auto industry, etc., and we're going to upgrade our dilapidated infrastructure, build a $1/2 trillion super grid, add massive solar and wind capabilities, and it won't cost the taxpayer anything.

I guess there is such a thing as a free lunch.