Schellinger vs. Long Thompson: what will they do?

Via this South Bend Trib article, you can find the actual plans of Jim Schellinger and Jill Long Thompson. As you might expect, there's a lot of overlap between the two. Schellinger's is significantly more detailed, which is nice for the wonkier of us, and he actually makes references to the eventual goal of "universal coverage" for health care, which is a bonus to me. Plus, each candidate has one "big" idea that the other doesn't share: expanding broadband internet across the state for Jill, and 20% of Indiana's energy from renewable sources by 2015 for Jim. Of the two, again, I prefer Schellinger's.

Combined with this gas tax holiday nonsense I gotta say I'm starting to lean Schellinger.

And speaking of assuming the voters are morons, today Thompson fleshed out her plan to cut gas taxes:

Thompson said a cap on the gasoline sales tax when the pump price exceeds $2.75 per gallon would save Hoosiers today 7 cents a gallon or $150 million a year.

"The high cost of oil is having an impact on many, many Hoosier families and it’s important for us to give them a break," Thompson said.

Thompson said such savings would stimulate the state’s economy by allowing families to spend elsewhere.

Wow, that $150 million sounds like a lot. Of course, if there are 6.5 million people in Indiana, then that means every Hoosier will save... $23. Per year. Just shy of two extra dollars a month you can use to "stimulate the economy." What will you do with all that money? Buy a hot dog? Lose it in your couch cushions?

gas taxes and basic economics

Riddle me this, John McCain, Hillary Clinton, and Jill Long Thompson:

After you dispense with the gas tax, thus lowering the price some $.18, what's to stop the oil companies from raising the price back to where it was before and pocketing that 18 cents for themselves?

I'm not the only one wondering. Paul Krugman:

Why doesn’t cutting the gas tax this summer make sense? It’s Econ 101 tax incidence theory: if the supply of a good is more or less unresponsive to the price, the price to consumers will always rise until the quantity demanded falls to match the quantity supplied. Cut taxes, and all that happens is that the pretax price rises by the same amount. The McCain gas tax plan is a giveaway to oil companies, disguised as a gift to consumers.
...
The Clinton twist is that she proposes paying for the revenue loss with an excess profits tax on oil companies. In one pocket, out the other. So it’s pointless, not evil. But it is pointless, and disappointing.

Meanwhile, Tom Friedman is apoplectic at the very suggestion of a holiday and what it says about our long-term priorities.

Hey Hoosiers: before you let the gas tax holiday sell you on these clowns, consider that the gas tax fuels (no pun intended) the highway trust fund, which is used by states and localities to build and maintain roads. How were your potholes this winter? Your snow plowing? De-icing? What if next winter is as bad as this past one? Would you rather have your snow plowed and your pot holes filled like last year or would you rather save 18 cents on the gallon at the pump?

You can't have both.

Indiana Dems: like Republican wannabes

Yesterday Democratic gubernatorial candidates Jill Long Thompson and Jim Schellinger debated in Fort Wayne. One of them is a gajillionaire who wants to run the government like a business and the other one boasts that she's never ever raised a single tax, which is going to be extremely helpful in a period when schools are overcrowded, all the roads are covered with potholes, and the same candidate wants to extend broadband lines to rural communities.

What I've really been looking for in a governor is someone who's either going to a) punt on all the truly difficult decision-making and leave it to someone else to cover the budget, or b) someone who will approach every difficult decision thinking to himself, "Hmm, what would someone who does a job with completely different objectives than mine do?"

The problem with Indiana Democrats is they honestly believe everyone's a Republican, so they just run as more sensible (or, in some cases, less sensible) Republicans, trying to slip the occasional logical position into a plan that's otherwise designed to out-Republican the Republicans.

"Yeah, I might be the guy who's against selling off all the state's property to foreign investors, but I'll run the government as a for-profit entity that operates purely out of self-interest! Out-capitalism that, bitchez!"

"Sure, I believe that the government should create some kind of, ya know, infrastructure, but don't worry, I'll make sure it does so without spending money!"

"Yes, admittedly, I'm not sure all liberals should be put to death, but I've built an entire church out of guns!"

I'm not sanguine about this gubernatorial election.