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Sheldon Silver, Assembly Speaker, said the problem lies in Washington, specifically from the failures of the Bush administration and by suspending the gas tax, even for summer, would cost the cash-strapped state $500 million.

Sorry Shelly, you can blame DC only after you blame yourself and the state and their addiction to our money. Then look at DC, but before you point your finger at President Bush look at the environmentalists and your own Party.

We have not built any refineries in over 30 years, we cannot drill in Anwar, off our own shores, not in your back yard or my back yard because the envirowackos won’t allow it and congress gets the pay off for stopping it.

We have no choice but to import the oil we use, we are even to the point that we have to import already refined oil and gasoline. They tax the crap out of the oil companies and at the same time subsidize them. Congress forces us to invest in ethanol there by giving up a third of our corn. Don’t use food for energy unless you already have an oversupply of it.

We subsidize farmers and pay them not to grow crops when they SHOULD be growing everything possible, instead we are now importing food from other countries like Mexico. We should be growing our own food and drilling our own oil.

Your party refuses to build any nuclear power plants and is now requiring clean coal burning power plants to buy carbon offsets there by driving up the prices on our electric rates. Oil burning electric power plants suck up oil and others natural gas.

Before you point the finger of blame at President Bush do your frikin homework, look at your own Party, look at what they are doing to us and by the way….. look in the mirror.

It’s easy to blame Bush, he’s everybody’s lap dog.

Gas tax debate follows partisan lines

The Republican-led New York State Senate favors it while their counterparts in the Democratic-controlled Assembly stand opposed. The issue is a call for a “summer gas tax holiday.”

As the price of fuel rockets toward $4 per gallon, the state Senate has introduced legislation to suspend collecting taxes on gas purchases from Memorial Day through Labor Day, traditionally the busiest driving time of the year. In New York state, that move could amount to a savings of 50 cents per gallon, according to lawmakers, and the savings could rise if federal and local governments did likewise.

“Higher prices at the pump coupled with higher costs on everyday items like milk, bread, and eggs are making it more difficult for middle-class families to make ends meet,” said senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno.

But as the bill was being announced, opposition from the Assembly was quickly taking shape. Sheldon Silver, Assembly Speaker, said the problem lies in Washington, specifically from the failures of the Bush administration and by suspending the gas tax, even for summer, would cost the cash-strapped state $500 million.

“There is absolutely no guarantee that tax savings would be passes on to consumers. In fact, I believe that oil companies will simply raise their prices to eliminate any cost savings for the public,” said Silver.

In Washington, federal lawmakers have broached the notion of ceasing gas taxes for the same period this summer and Erie County Legislator Michael Ranzenhofer, R-Clarence, has called for a similar measure.

Some estimates say if all three government branches — federal, state and local — agreed to suspend gas taxes, motorists could save as much as 65 cents per gallon.

As of Wednesday per gallon pump prices in Buffalo, according to AAA’s daily fuel gauge report, were $3.74 for unleaded gas and $4.51 for diesel, respectively.