THE "GAS TAX HOLIDAY" AND TIMING

Last spring when gas prices started rising week after week, John McCain backed a "gas tax holiday" that would lasted from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The 18.4 cent per gallon tax would have saved individual drivers an estimated $25-30 dollars during this time, but also would have added to an already growing problem.

You see, this tax is specifically used to support the Highway Trust Fund, which funds road projects nationwide and (oh yeah) is already facing a 3.4 billion dollar shortfall. So, in essence, we'd be trading our safety on the nations roads for a few cents at the pump. If this had actually taken place, I wonder how the people of Minneapolis, Minnesota would have reacted to this?

You see, thanks to neglect, the city experienced a tragedy just one year ago. The Interstate 35W bridge killed 13 and injured more than 100 when it collapsed into the Mississippi River. In its wake, critics like Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said, "If we don't put money into our roads and bridges and infrastructure, our economy will get even worse. We won't be able to transport anything across this country."

Those are some strong words. But less than a year later, when citizens were feeling the pinch at the pump, McCain was willing to "roll the dice" for some short-term support at the polls. That's not the kind of leader I'm looking to elect, and I'm sure more than a few commuters in Minneapolis would agree.

And, as irony would have it, these citizens will be able to voice their concerns first-hand with McCain during the Republican National Convention which is taking place in less than a month at the Convention Center in (you guessed it) Minneapolis, Minnesota.