Endorsement: The Democratic Primary, 2008

Regular readers will know that I have been torn between the two leading contenders for the Democratic nomination. As it happens, however, on the very day that my ballot arrived, a difference emerged that blew the race wide open for this Oregon voter. I refer to the candidates' differing position on the federal gas tax.

The gas tax, you will recall, is set not as a percentage, but as a set value per gallon. This means that as the price of gasoline increases, that tax becomes increasingly a smaller proportion of the total price paid at the pump. Given that gas prices have approximately tripled over the last eight years, you might expect a concomitant rise in the federal gasoline tax, especially in the face of increasing concern about the physical condition of the country's basic infrastructure. But no. Instead, now that the tax has shrunk to its lowest level ever -- and it was always among the lowest in the industrial world -- there are calls to eliminate it.

Hillary Clinton has called for a tax holiday on gasoline during the summer months. This is a brazen instance of pandering. For anyone short of a long-haul trucker, the personal savings generated would be trivial. And the Federal treasury, unstable enough to have already irrevocably destroyed the status of the dollar as the world's leading currency, frankly is in no position to absorb this kind of crap. (It was in no position to broker a forced loan on behalf of every individual taxpayer, either -- is there a way your "tax rebate" could be paid back, other than by future taxes? -- but one does not expect coherent or constructive action from the current administration).

None of this is rocket science, and a simple grasp of the fundamentals is no guarantee that someone can be a great President. But at least it's a start. For standing up to this nonsense, Barack Hussein Obama has earned this blog's endorsement for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States of America.

Vote!

The L&TM5K Quiz Leaderboard

The Thursday Quiz

The Quizmasters: Most Total Stars Accumulated

1. Mrs. 5000 (37)
2. DrSchnell (33)
3. Rex Parker (27)
4. Cartophiliac (24)
5. la gringissima (23)
6. Karmasartre (20)
6. d (20)
8. Phineas (17)
9. Boo (15)
10. Elizabeth (14)
11. The Calico Cat (13)
11. Karin (12)
13. gs49 (11)
13. Rebel (11)
15. Nichim (9)
15. Critical Bill (9)

The Gold Standard: Most Gold Stars

1. Cartophiliac (13)
2. DrSchnell (10)
3. The Calico Cat (8)

Most Silver Stars

1. Mrs.5000 (11)
2. drschnell (8)
3. la gringissima (7)

Most Blue Stars

1. DrSchnell (8)
2. Rex Parker (7)
3. Karin (6)
3. Phineas (6)

Most Green Stars

1. Mrs.5000 (19)
2. d (11)
3. Rex Parker (9)
3. Boo (9)


Longest Streak of Consecutive Quizzes Earning Stars

5 Rex Parker, TQIV - TQVIII.

4 Kadonkadonk, TQLXXIV - TQLXXVII.


Longest Streak of Consecutive Quizzes Earning Gold Stars

2 Blythe, TQVI & VII; Mrs.5000, TQIX & X; Fingerstothebone, TQXIII & XIV; Missy, TQXX & XXI; Cartophiliac, TQXXIV & XXV; gs49, TQLIII & LIV; DrSchnell, TQLXVII & LXVIII; The Calico Cat, TQLXXII & TQLXXIII; Elizabeth, TQXCV & TQXCVI

Season Champions

First Season: 1. Rex Parker -- 2. Rebel -- 3. Blythe.
Second Season: 1. Rex Parker -- 2. Phineas -- 3. Becky
Third Season: 1. DrSchnell -- 2. Cartophiliac -- 3. Mrs.5000
Fourth Season: 1. Cartophiliac -- 2. Karmasartre -- 3. DrSchnell
Fifth Season: 1. gs49 -- 2. Phineas -- 3. Karmasartre
Sixth Season: 1. gs49 -- 2. DrSchnell -- 3. la gringissima
Seventh Season: 1. DrSchnell -- 2. Boo -- 3. (tie): Cartophiliac, Karmasartre, la gringissima, Serendipity, Mrs.5000.
Eighth Season: 1. Mrs.5000 -- 2. Kadonkadonk -- 3. d
Ninth Season: 1. Mrs.5000 -- 2. la gringissima -- 3. Eversaved

Complete Sets (Contestents who have won at least one of each color of star)

Rex Parker (completed TQXI)
Blythe (completed TQXVI)
Rebel (completed TQXX)
Mr. Shain (completed TQXXIII)
drschnell (completed TQXXIX)
Karin (completed TQXXXIII)
Karmasartre (completed TQXL)
Phineas (completed TQXL)
Cartophiliac (completed TQXLII)
Elizabeth (completed TQXLII)
la gringissima (completed TQXLIV)
Nichim (completed TQXLVIII)
Mrs.5000 (completed TQLIV)
Boo (completed TQLXII)
Kadonkadonk (completed TQLXXV)
Fingerstothebone (completed TQLXXXIX)
Elaine (completed TQLXXXIX)
The Calico Cat (completed TQXCI)
Critical Bill (completed TQXCII)
Dug (completed TQXCIII)

Big Purple Asterisk Winners (For discovering substantial factual flaws in the quiz)
Becky (TQXVI)
Cartophiliac (TQXXXVII)
Yankee in England (TQLVIII)
Fingerstothebone (TQLXXXIX)


The Monday Quiz

Most Exclamation Points Accumulated:

1. Mrs.5000 (35)
2. la gringissima (34)
3. drschnell (33)
4. Cartophiliac (28)
5. Chance (23)
6. Karmasartre (21)
7. d (17)
8. The Calico Cat (16)
9. Rebel (14)
10. Critical Bill (12)
11. Nichim (11)
12. gs49 (10)
12. Karin (10)
12. mhwitt (10)
12. dug (10)

Longest Streak of Consecutive Exclamation Points
6 la gringissima, MQLXXV - MQLXXX.

5 drschnell, MQXXIV - MQXXVIII.
5 drschnell, MQLI - MQLV.
5 la gringissima, MQLII - MQLVI.

Season Champions

First Season: 1. (tie) Becky, Chance, Mrs.5000
Second Season: 1. (tie) Mrs.5000, Phineas -- 3. (6-way tie)
Third Season: 1. (tie) Cartophiliac, DrSchnell, Karmasartre, Mrs.5000.
Fourth Season: 1. DrSchnell -- 2. Cartophiliac -- 3. (tie) Chance, la gringissima, gs49.
Fifth Season: 1. Chance -- 2. (tie) Mrs.5000, la gringissima, Karmasartre, Nichim.
Sixth Season: 1. (tie) DrSchnell, la gringissima -- 3. Karmasartre.
Seventh Season 1. la gringissima -- 2. Eversaved -- 3. (4-way tie)

Last Update 8/7/09