Minor Thoughts from me to you

Even President Bush realizes that spending has to be prioritized. Sadly, Congress has yet to learn the lesson. Bush Rejects Gas Tax as Way to Shore Up Bridges - New York Times

Asked about the gasoline proposal, which could amount to an increase of 5 cents a gallon under schemes floating around Congress, Mr. Bush said, "Before we raise taxes, which could affect economic growth, I would strongly urge the Congress to examine how they set priorities."

In a nod to using earmarks to pay for transportation projects like the one supposed to pay for the "bridge to nowhere" in Alaska, Mr. Bush said:

"From my perspective, the way it seems to have worked is that each member on that committee gets to set his or her own priority first, and then whatever is left over is spent through a funding formula. That's not the right way to prioritize the people's money."

Why is Congress talking about raising the gas tax?

Representative James L. Oberstar, Democrat of Minnesota and chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, suggested this week that a tax increase might be needed to finance a proposed trust fund to repair bridges in the Federal Highway System, A large percentage of the bridges have been identified as having structural problems.

Mr. Oberstar raised the possibility of a temporary 5-cent-a-gallon tax. The idea has some bipartisan support.

Representative Don Young, Republican of Alaska and former chairman of the transportation panel, said he could possibly support such a tax. Mr. Young has previously voiced support for increasing the gasoline tax.

Oh, well, if Don Young supports it, it must be a good idea. This is, after all, the same man under Federal investigation for taking bribes. He's also infamous for treating tax money as his own personal slush fund. Obviously, we should follow Rep. Young's advice on tax policy.

No, wait. I've reconsidered. Let's prioritize our spending instead. Let Congress actually decide to fund what matters instead of what personally enriches them. Then we could repair the nation's bridges without needing to raise a dollar of additional taxes.

That would demonstrate true political courage.