Pumpin' Tax Cash With The Gas, Gas, Gas

From the New York Times via StarTribune.com (emphasis mine):

Gasoline prices, which for months lagged the run-up in the price of oil, are suddenly rising quickly, with some experts saying they could hit $4 a gallon by spring. Diesel is hitting new records daily and oil closed at an all-time high on Tuesday of $100.88 a barrel.

The increases could not come at a worse time for the economy. With growth slowing, high energy prices that were once easily absorbed by consumers are now more likely to act as a drag on household budgets, leaving people with less money to spend elsewhere. These costs could worsen the nation's economic woes, piling a fresh energy shock on top of the turmoil in credit and housing.

And how do our state Representatives react immediately after voting to pile new taxes on top of these already high prices? That's Rep. Bernie Lieder, DFL-Crookston (House sponsor of the $6.6 billion transportation bill...now law) and Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, DFL-Minneapolis, pictured below looking positively overjoyed at what they've just done to the taxpayers of Minnesota (actually, Bernie looks a little constipated but at his age it's hard to tell the difference).

(photo by Jeff Wheeler, Star Tribune)

Passing economy crushing legislation can be so rewarding.