The Government Response: More Bureaucracy

AP News Story:
http://www.gopusa.com/news/2007/august/0808_gas_tax1.shtml

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Reports indicate that after the recent tragedy involving the collapse of the IH-35 Bridge will result in higher taxes to fund more government. The government is trying to make a profit over a tragic event by raising the gas tax! After Congress and State Legislatures have increased the size of government exponentially over the past two decades, the essential government services, like public infrastructure, are seemingly left in ill-repair. If the size of government, the cost of government, and the amount of taxes has increased so much, why do the taxpayers receive less in terms of service and results?

Government bureaucracies have become black holes for our tax dollars. The essential government services are ill-funded at the local, state, and federal level, while social spending on non-essential services or services that can be met better through private industry, receive more funding. For example, the gas tax is a tax that was created as a dedicated tax to fund highway construction and maintenance. Currently, this tax is not used for this purpose at any level of government. In Texas, the State Legislature has decided to use 65% of this dedicated fund for highway maintenance and the other 35% of this dedicated tax to fund everything from public education to county courthouse renovations to public art projects. The federal government is probably even looser in its spending of a dedicated tax.

The slapstick reaction by unelected and unaccountable bureaucrats and Congress to the tragedy in Minneapolis is to increase the gas tax. Increasing a tax in the name of public safety is just another scam perpetuated by our elected officials who are attempting to control our pocket books. The government already makes over 10 times more profit on a gallon of gasoline through the gas tax than Exxon/Mobile does in gas sales! Why should we allow the government to increase their profit margin when we, the taxpayer, do not even know where the existing money is being spent?

If you remember after the September 11 tragedy, there were many local gas stations that hiked their gas prices 3-fold due to uncertainty of supply. Many of these local gas stations were charged with price-gouging and there was significant public outrage.
Today, the federal government is attempting to increase their profit margin to increase the funds of unaccountable bureaucracies that have historically given us fewer results. The public should be outraged over the attempt at our government and its elected officials to price-gouge the American taxpayer. Instead, the taxpayers should be asking Congress to stop the frivolous spending and irresponsible earmarks and fund the necessary functions of government. What have these bureaucracies done to prove to the taxpayers that their money will be used efficiently? As long as the American people look to the government for response to problems, the more they will raise our taxes.