North Carolina Primary Coverage: Presidential Candidates Gas Plan

Both Senator Clinton and Senator McCain have pushed for a gas "holiday" of sorts for the coming summer months, which will cut gas prices by almost 18.4 cents a gallon. Gas prices are expected to reach four dollars before this summer. While this plan will lesson the burden placed on those low income families that vote for the Democratic ticket this November this plan will do little to ease the burden for the long haul. It's a commonly known fact that people drive more in the summer than any time during the entire year and but this "holiday" will only end up saving families a reported half a tank of gas over the three month period, a projected twenty-eight dollars total. And while any kind of relief is greatly appreciated by the American public, we as a country have to think about the long term. Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst at the Oil Price Information Service, predicted that Clinton's "holiday" will only end up harming the American public more than it helps in the long run as seen through the law of supply and demand. The gas prices temporarily go down, people use their cars more ,taking advantage of the tax break, and the price of gas continues to go up in response. Senator Clinton said that the funds to ease the tax on gas would come from a tax imposed on the profits made by the oil companies, two of which BP and Royal Dutch Shell reported a 17 billion dollar profit due to record high gas prices.