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Why stop at mayor? Run for president!
Some of you may recall that there is precedence for stepping from a local elected office onto the national scene. Lately, as I look at the dearth of quality candidates running for President of these United States, I've wondered about running for that job. In the first place, I have not sat under any one pastor long enough to have his or her sermons held against me. And in the second place, my spouse has not held a big time elected office since our marriage almost fifty years ago. Finally, while I am considered by some to be elderly, I would not be the oldest person running this year. The problem of choosing a candidate to run as a Democrat has gotten ludicrous enough without my entering that fray. Consider the run up to the Republican Primary however. To my knowledge, Ron Paul has not withdrawn from the race. I don't think John McCain would agree to a three way debate between him and Ron Paul and me. So, maybe it would be just me and Ron Paul. The problem with such a debate would be that he and I would agree on too many things. Not only that, but I cannot imagine that many folks would switch from watching the TV program "American Idol" or "Dancing With the Stars" to watch Ron Paul and me try to find something to argue about. The most serious drawback to my entering the race to be the Republican candidate for President would be that I am an announced Democrat. What if I were to run as an Independent? It would be fun to challenge one of the Democrat candidates and the Republican candidate who have advocated the removal of Federal taxes on gasoline for the summer. Please don't misunderstand. I know full well that a recent reaction to a national crisis is that the American people should go shopping. And, some folks are being given some spending money to do exactly that. Removing the taxes on gasoline for the summer is a similar idea. We should drive to Atlanta to see the Braves play baseball, or go to Gulf Shores, or show the kids the Grand Canyon. I have a better idea. Let there be three tiers of taxes for gas. One is for the standard collection of pumps where I fill my pickup truck. A lower tax could be for the collection of pumps where I fill my tractor. The lowest tax could be for commercial and delivery trucks: log trucks, bread trucks, ice cream trucks, etc. Gas taxes are for highway construction funds. The guys in Clarke County who work for the highway department need their jobs to feed their families and pay for their home mortgages. Where will the money come from to pay them if we remove the taxes on gasoline? Surely, no one would advocate taking jobs away from my neighbors who work for the highway department in order that other people can drive more cheaply up to the race track in Talladega. Some of my friends will be shaking their heads and saying that I am another Democrat who thinks we need taxes on gasoline. That's right. You see, Ron Paul and I would agree that if you use the highways, you should pay. Who should pay to four-lane US 84 if not the taxpayers? Who should pay to get an interstate highway in the Blackbelt if not the taxpayers? If we want improved highways, we have to pay for them. That's all. One final thing: no candidate running for President ever says the two words "Fair" and "Tax" in juxtaposition. I'd change that. What do you think? Should I announce my candidacy from the Federal Post Office lawn, or From the Nethermost?
Jim Herod, a retired Georgia Tech professor, tends to things in the Nethermost on the southside of Grove Hill and now apparently wants to tend to things nationwide.
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