Federal Gas Tax Relief: A Misguided Impulse

Washington periodically rediscovers the idea of suspending the federal gasoline tax whenever fuel prices rise and voters grow restless, and the White House and a bipartisan handful of lawmakers are once again contemplating a suspension of the tax. The proposal is politically tempting because it can be marketed as immediate relief for motorists. But let's face things head-on: This would represent a change distinctly less than salutary. It would be a small - and largely cosmetic - gesture that obs