Fly on the Wall Alert: Obama, LaHood, and Tom Friedman Tee Off
In yesterday's New York Times, columnist Tom Friedman published an impassioned plea for American policy-makers to reconsider their knee-jerk opposition to raising the federal gas tax or debating a carbon tax to set a more appropriate price for energy use. Friedman writes:
The president on the links. (Photo: Gawker)Accordingto the energy economist Phil Verleger, a $1 tax on gasoline and dieselfuel would raise about $140 billion a year. If I had that money, I’ddevote 45 cents of each dollar to pay down the deficit and satisfy thedebt hawks, 45 cents to pay for new health care and 10 cents to cushionthe burden of such a tax on the poor and on those who need to drivelong distances.
As it happens, Friedman had the perfect opportunity to talk about his views during a long day of golfing with President Obama and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
The Nation wondered why the White House has focused its media courtship more on "traditional newspapers" rather than the bloggers who helped power Obama's election victory, while Politico's Michael Calderone declared that Friedman's audience with Obama had vaulted him "to the front of the access line."
But if Friedman's tee time with the president -- said to be a fan of the columnist's latest book, Hot, Flat, and Crowded -- is truly a mark of increased influence, one supposes it's only a matter of time before Obama and LaHood reverse their strong opposition to a gas tax hike to pay for long-term infrastructure investment.
Ah, to be a fly on the wall...
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog USA
Friday’s Headlines Are Tired Out
Whether it's from degradation or the dust resulting from wear and tear, it's becoming increasingly clear that tire and brake emissions are harmful, perhaps even exceeding tailpipe emissions.
Study: What Road Diets Mean For Older Drivers
"After a road diet, all motorists seem to drive at a rate that feels comfortable to a mildly-impaired older adult."
Op-Ed: Why Is Fare Evasion Punished More Severely than Speeding?
A.B. 819 offers California the opportunity to decriminalize fare evasion and replace punitive measures with more equitable approaches.
Talking Headways Podcast: Local Culture and Development
We chat with Tim Sprague from Phoenix about supporting local culture through development projects and the importance of sustainable development and transportation.
City of Yes Yes Yes! Adams Calls for Elimination of Parking Mandates on ALL New Housing
Mayor Adams today announced the historic end to one of the city’s most antiquated — and despised — zoning laws requiring the construction of parking with every new development.
