Are high gasoline prices un-American? Maybe not

…But are low gas prices good for America? Some economists say no. Only sustained high prices will force this nation to develop alternatives to foreign oil, they say.

“The only way one can effectively address this problem today and get an immediate kick is by raising the price at the pump and keeping it there,” economist Philip Verleger told New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman. An additional tax of 50 cents to $1 a gallon would give the government cash to buy back the most fuel-inefficient vehicles on our roads. “The best monument to 9/11 we could erect would be a mountain of crushed gas guzzlers,” Verleger says.


I suspect even-higher gasoline taxes would be as popular here as Michigan football. But is someone driving an SUV with a “Support the Troops” magnet on the tailgate helping the terrorists more than our armed forces?

After the Twin Towers fell, Americans were ready to sacrifice in order to defeat our enemies. But the only sacrifice came from the families of our brave men and women killed in the War on Terror.

Coshocton Tribune (Ohio)