STILL A FEW HOURS TO TEMPORARILY FORESTALL THE PRITZKER TAX

6/30/19

As anyone sentient who lives in the Land of Lincoln knows, the state gasoline tax doubles to 38 cents a gallon tomorrow, 7/1/19.    We filled up all vehicles in the Quinn household today, and I filled my Subaru, which, while not being the transportation mode of choice for those who think politically as yours truly does, is one heck of a vehicle, but I digress.   I hope all of you filled your tanks as well, if for no other reason than to stick it in the eye of the governor, whose name should forever adorn the gasoline tax, now christened by yours truly the Pritzker tax.  If not, you still have 2 ½ hours to save yourself a few bucks and maybe send a message, however insignificant in itself, to our public servants in Springfield and their cheerleaders in the media/political complex that dominates this state.

Yes, yes, I know…it’s for infrastructure, for the roads, and the roads around here are in a condition that would make most of the Third World recoil in horror.   But even those of you who look young are not young enough to be that naïve.   The history of such transportation taxes, most saliently the federal gas tax, is replete with tales of their proceeds being raided for whatever suits the whims of those in power and desperate to stay in power, even those whims that cannot, even with the contortions of an Olympic gymnast, remotely be described as infrastructure.   Oh, yeah, they’ll use it to fix the roads, just like they used the lottery proceeds to fix the schools.

If I could be assured that the proceeds of the gas tax would be used for infrastructure in a very narrow sense, which translates into fixing roads and bridges, rather than being raided for other “vital needs” and/or used only for glitzy, ribbon-cutting, photo-op projects that serve only to make the politicasters look good for spending your money on projects that will only further stretch operating and maintenance budgets, I wouldn’t be too upset by the additional 19 cents a gallon I, and you, will pay.   But I’m 62 years old and have been paying attention to such things for at least 52 of those years.   I neither am nor look young…and certainly am not naïve enough to believe the protestations of the popinjay Pritzker and the poltroonish postulants who populate his praetorian guard.   I am, however, more than delighted to assign his name to his heretofore most salient achievement…the Pritzker Tax.   Think of Governor Pritzker, and those he serves, every time you fill up.