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 Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey chats with Bobby Lemmon of Shelbyville (back to camera) during a GOP banquet in Marshall County. (Marshall County Tribune Photo by Clint Confehr) [Click to enlarge] |
Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey (R-Blountville) was in Lewisburg on Saturday for the annual Marshall County Republican Party dinner. Barack Obama was campaigning elsewhere.
When asked what effect a gasoline tax holiday would have on the state budget, Ramsey replied with a couple points that are remarkably similar to what Obama has said in response to his rival for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Sen. Hillary Clinton's proposal to have the oil companies pay the fuel tax instead of motorists came after Sen. John McCain suggested a gas tax holiday.
"That's one of those feel-good things that doesn't do any good," Ramsey said.
"It would devastate our road construction budget," Ramsey said of a suspension of state fuel tax collections. "It's a short-term gimmick."
Told that Obama called a gas holiday a gimmick, Ramsey replied he was unaware of that. After considering for a moment, he added, "I was trying to get the right word."
Suspending motorists' payments of motor fuel taxes "won't help anything," Ramsey said in remarks after his dinner address that reviewed the chain of events leading to his election by fellow state senators to be the speaker of the state Senate.
Ramsey later endorsed McCain's candidacy.
In Tennessee the speaker of the Senate also serves as lieutenant governor.
"We're the only state without an elected lieutenant governor," Ramsey said before the dinner when asked how he views recent proposals to change the system and have an elected lieutenant governor. "I'm all right with it."
He said he had a "problem" with the idea "at first," partly because the proposal arose after he was elected speaker and he's the first Republican in the position after 140 years of a Democrat as speaker.
He said he might run for the post if it requires a state-wide election.
"It won't happen until 2014," and it requires legislative action as well as voter ratification in 2010, said Ramsey, who's reportedly had ambitions of running for governor.
Rallying Marshall County Republicans to campaign for McCain appeared to be first on Ramsey's mind Saturday night when the evening's events were opened by County Party Chairman Andrew Wood.
"Everyone knows we have a huge election coming up," Wood told the audience of more than 100. "We have three candidates and, in particular, we have two we don't want."
As for more local races, Ramsey said U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander won't have trouble being re-elected.
State Sen. Jim Tracy (R-Shelbyville) has been targeted by Democrats as vulnerable so Republicans should help his re-election campaign, Ramsey said.
On another note, Ramsey said he and state Sen. Bill Ketron (R-Murfreesboro) are cooperating in getting the so-called AT&T bill enacted. The bill would enable statewide franchising of cable TV services.
Both say competition in the cable TV business should lead to better service.
Currently counties and municipalities grant cable franchises. Those governments won't lose the franchise fees if the bill becomes law, Ketron has said.
Ketron was absent from the dinner because he was in Alexandria, Va., judging a contest between high school students in "We the People," an organization advancing citizenship.
Ramsey has led lawmakers toward ending the practice of issuing drivers licenses to illegal immigrants, and changing gun carry permit laws, he said.
"We're making a difference, but I need some help," Ramsey said. He called on Marshall County Republicans to campaign for state and federal candidates.
"John McCain was not the first choice of the people" during the Tennessee primary, he said.
His preference was Fred Thompson, Ramsey said. Mike Huckabee was his second choice.
"But McCain beats the heck out of the other two," he said. "The most important issue for the country is national security."
Meanwhile, "Watching Obama and Clinton battle it out" for the Democratic nomination, Ramsey said, "I love it."
If we make the oil companies pay the tax instead of us, then they will just raise the price of gas that much more to make up the difference. The problem is supply and demand, bottlenecking at the refineries, and the decreasing dollar. Come on people we know what the problems are.
You are right, it still comes back to the consumer one way or another.
The average person may not save very much on a tank of gas but look onto the savings trucking companies would have during these months.
Don't you think when the prices of gas goes up the products that truckers carry go up? If you don't think so then you haven't visited a grocery store lately.
Who pays the extra? The consumers that's who!
"Why wouldn't it help the consumer?" Did he actually mean to say that it wouldn't help the oil companies since they would be picking up the tab?
-- Posted by HappyMe on Thu, May 8, 2008, at 3:26 PM
Demand for gasoline is already high during the summer months. Do you think people would drive more or less if gas suddenly went down 18 cents? If anything, people will drive a little more, increasing demand while the supply of gasoline stays the same. This would allow the oil companies to raise prices, and your 18 cent "relief" would quickly disappear.
Even if the gas tax holiday worked the way it is supposed to, what would the average person save, about a half tank of gas?
True that!
Ramsey's comments are typical political misdirection. True, McCain's proposal of suspending the gas tax would mean a loss of revenue; however, Hillary's proposal would only change the source of the tax revenue, having it come from the oil companies, rather than from our pockets. Aren't we all getting tired of Exxon's continual gloating over their record profits? We need a break, however temporary it may be.
Did I miss something here or was it the hope that something WOULD be missed. Will it stick in the minds of people that it would "devastate our road construction budget" if there were some tax relief at the pump for consumers and so cause them to disapprove of Clinton's proposal? Actually, what I read two paragraphs earlier was that the oil companies (with their record breaking profits) would be paying the taxes. Wouldn't that mean that the same money would be there.....only paid by different people? The article reads "Suspending motorists' payments of motor fuel taxes "won't help anything," Ramsey said" I ask, "Why wouldn't it help the consumer?" Did he actually mean to say that it wouldn't help the oil companies since they would be picking up the tab?