Remember the gas-tax holiday that Obama opposed?

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Remember the gas-tax holiday that Barack Obama opposed? Not all Democrats feel the same way — specifically, the Democrats responsible for staging his big party in Denver. The Rocky Mountain News reports this afternoon that the Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee has used the city’s own gas pumps to fill up their cars — bypassing state and federal taxes:

City gives DNC host committee pass on gas tax

By Daniel J. Chacon, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Originally published 03:43 p.m., July 22, 2008

Updated 06:00 p.m., July 22, 2008

The committee hosting the Democratic National Convention is using the city's gas pumps to fill up on fuel, avoiding state and federal highway taxes, officials said today.

"There's something there that just doesn't seem right to me because, in a sense, you're saying then that the officials who pass the laws are not willing to live by them, and that concerns me," Councilwoman Jeanne Faatz said.

The issue came up during the council's weekly meeting with Mayor John Hickenlooper when the Public Works Department requested authorization to be reimbursed by the Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee for use of "fueling facilities, fuel and car washes."

"By doing it this way, by running it through our Fleet Maintenance, that means that that fuel does not pay state or federal highway taxes," Faatz said.

Christine Downs, a public works spokeswoman, said the host committee is not paying the city's locked-in fuel rate but one that's based on the weekly cost of gas. Downs was unable to provide council members an example.

Downs said the contract with the host committee started in March and that $9,700 had been expended so far. The city anticipates making $466,125 total from the contract, she said.

Faatz asked if it was customary to have "fleets for dignitaries" not pay for highway taxes if they're using government fuel facilities.

Hickenlooper said it was.

"I believe this is only for elected officials, government dignitaries," Hickenlooper told Faatz.

"My understanding is in Washington or wherever where this happens on a regular basis, that it's standard operating procedure. I do know for a fact that they're doing the same exact thing in Minneapolis," which is hosting the Republican National Convention, the mayor said.

"Hummmmm," Faatz said.

Hummmmm is right.

Teresa McFarland, a spokeswoman for the Minneapolis-St. Paul host committee, said they're getting their gas at the pump.

"We're not getting a tax break on fuel," she said. "That's not the set-up at this end."

After the meeting, Faatz said it was wrong for the DNC host committee to get a tax break.

"I am just troubled by not having the payment of taxes for what I consider to be a privately funded party, and that's what the host committee is: it's a private organization," she said.

"The DNC is not government. The RNC is not government," said Faatz, who, at the time, had been told that the "same exact thing" was happening in Minneapolis-St. Paul. "They are political parties and they are putting on a huge party, and that is not providing services to each and every citizen each day."

In Colorado, consumers pay 40.4 cents in taxes on every gallon of gasoline. That includes the federal gasoline tax of 18.4 cents per gallon and the Colorado gasoline tax of 22 cents per gallon.

"If you've got a 14-gallon tank, on the average, that's about $5.66 that they don't have to pay for fill up," Councilman Charlie Brown said.

Brown also questioned the need for car washes.

"Why are we washing cars in the middle of a drought?" he asked. "Where are the green police when we need them? Are they poking around restaurants to see that nobody fries food?"

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008...e-pass-gas-tax/

Obama called McCain’s gas-tax holiday proposal “a gimmick” back in April. How would he describe the convention planners’ use of tax-free gasoline while the rest of the country pays its fair share of taxes on fuel? Maybe Obama would like to explain that while he’s talking about hiking fuel taxes to pay for investments in alternative energy sources. Will Democrats be exempt from that tax?

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Democrats ! The 'do as we say, but not as we do ' people!

Whether it's Al Franken "forgetting" to pay employee health care taxes from his AirheadAmerica days, or AlGore and his 10,000 sq ft retro fitted 'enviro-friendly' house, they always have a knack for reminding me of the pigs in Animal Farm.

Four legs good, two legs bad! BETTER!

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Democrats & Republicans! The 'do as we say, but not as we do ' people!

Fixed that for you

No way the Republicans get a pass for being any different

And I agree that the Democrats are like

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Nail hit's head. I do think it's a very pot and kettle world we live in. Shameful none the less.

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Someone's telling a big one.

"My understanding is in Washington or wherever where this happens on a regular basis, that it's standard operating procedure. I do know for a fact that they're doing the same exact thing in Minneapolis," which is hosting the Republican National Convention, the mayor said.

Just for the record.

Teresa McFarland, a spokeswoman for the Minneapolis-St. Paul host committee, said they’re getting their gas at the pump.

“We’re not getting a tax break on fuel,” she said. “That’s not the set-up at this end.”

If anyone knows differently, please provide the ammo.

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I think it's a bunch of bull.....but if it's true, it's wrong.

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I really couldn't care less because the gas tax holiday is a dumb idea that won't make a hill of beans difference. It's a gimmick.

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Well, according to one of McSame's ads it is Obama's fault for high gas prices.

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There's more to this add than you are letting on...

Here's the low down on it.

By The Associated Press

Mon Jul 21, 2:22 PM ET

TITLE: "Pump."

ADVERTISEMENT

LENGTH: 30 seconds

AIRING: National cable and Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Northern Virginia and Wisconsin.

SCRIPT: Announcer: "Gas prices — $4, $5, no end in sight, because some in Washington are still saying no to drilling in America. No to independence from foreign oil. Who can you thank for rising prices at the pump?"

Crowd chanting: "Obama, Obama, Obama!"

Announcer: "One man knows we must now drill more in America and rescue our family budgets. Don't hope for more energy, vote for it. McCain."

McCain: "I'm John McCain and I approve this message."

KEY IMAGES: A lonely gas pump with heat waves rising around it. A pump's price readout rolls over to $5. At first indiscernible, background chanting grows louder. A smiling Obama appears on the screen with a pump rising over his right shoulder. It is now clear that the chants are a pro-Obama crowd: "Obama, Obama, Obama!" The screen goes dark. A clip appears of McCain speaking to a crowd, replaced by a still shot of McCain against a blue backdrop.

ANALYSIS: This ad is the latest tit-for-tat commercial over energy in the presidential campaign. Earlier this month, an Obama ad accused McCain of being "part of the problem" of high gas prices. This one flat out blames Obama.

The main premise of McCain's ad — that opposition to drilling is responsible for high gas prices — is an assertion that has been disputed even by McCain allies. There is a strong case that proponents make for additional drilling, but few will argue that it would alleviate this summer's prices at the pump.

President Bush this month called on Congress to lift a moratorium that has blocked energy development over 80 percent of the country's coastal waters and to allow drilling in an Alaska wildlife refuge. But Bush has said that these steps "will take years to have their full impact" on energy costs. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a McCain backer, opposes lifting the ban on new oil drilling on the continental shelf and has said the moratorium is not responsible for rising prices.

Randall Luthi, who heads the Interior Department's Minerals Management Service that operates the federal offshore energy leasing program, told The Associated Press this month that even if leases became available now, "It will be 5 to 10 years or longer for actual production."

It is true that Obama opposes lifting the moratorium on offshore oil drilling and has opposed drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a step Bush and many Republicans support.

The ad is silent on McCain's own record. McCain, too, opposes drilling in the Alaska refuge and during his 2000 presidential run opposed lifting the offshore drilling moratorium as well.

But gas prices are proving to be a combustible political issue.

A poll by the Pew Research Center in late June showed that nearly one of every two Americans now rate energy exploration, drilling and building new power plants as the top priority — all of them stands embraced by McCain. Only 35 percent gave those steps top priority five months ago.

At the same time, nine in 10 people in a USA Today-Gallup Poll last month said energy, including gas prices, would be very or extremely important in deciding their presidential vote in November. Those surveyed considered Obama better than McCain on energy issues by 19 percentage points.

Since last month, McCain and the Republican Party have run three ads promoting McCain on energy; two of them criticize Obama.

In a response to the ad, Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor said: "Barack Obama has fought for energy independence in the Senate and has a plan to invest $150 billion in renewable sources of energy that will create five million new jobs and provide struggling families with an immediate energy rebate and a $1,000 middle-class tax cut."

How will Obama gain "energy independence" when he's against most of the more practical ways of getting there? Of course, he has time to change his mind.......