July 10, 2006

Mr. Paulson Drop the Big Tax Bomb Now!

Sir, your must-do list for Mr. Paulson as a new US Treasury, Comment & Analysis, July 10, is very long but nonetheless you sort of forgot the “whatever-you-do-just-remember-your-wedding-anniversary” item in it.

The only thing really worthy for sticking out a reputable neck such as Mr. Paulson’s at a time like this, would be to promote a substantial new tax on gasoline consumption in the USA, thereby killing many sick birds with one single shot, and bringing much rewards for the neck-owner, the nation and the world at large.

For instance when so many remind Paulson about the need for Social Security reform they should not forget that whatever he does there will come to naught if the USA does not solve its most fundamental structural weakness, its excessive consumption of oil. Now reduce oil consumption and you need to do much less about Social Security, financial crisis, fiscal deficits, trade-deficits, oil dependency and, the top of the heap, Gore’s environmental sermon.

Let us hope Mr. Paulson does not go for a pellet gun and starts to dilute all his personal goodwill capital handing out one little aspirin here, and another one there. Let us hope he has already spoken with his perhaps willing but until now completely ineffective oil-addiction-fighting boss, about the need to Drop the Big Tax Bomb Now!