Marathon Pundit: Paying enough? Democrats want to raise gasoline prices

Regular gasoline is averages $3.40 a gallon in Morton Grove. One gas station here, ironically a Marathon station, was charging $3.49 last week.

But one of my senators, Dick Durbin, wants me to pay more.

The rest comes from the Senate Republican Communications Center:

Dem Leaders Call For Tax Hikes
Despite ‘Record’ Gas Prices, Dem Leaders Call For A ‘Minivan Tax’ That Their Own Dem Colleagues Rejected Last Week

DEM LEADERS: ‘We Urge You’ To Raise Taxes By ‘More Than $20 Billion’

SENS. REID, DURBIN, SCHUMER, MURRAY & OTHERS: “We Urge You To Consider Ending A Number Of Tax Loopholes And Other Subsidies That Benefit Big Oil And Gas Companies. Closing These Loopholes Would Save The Federal Government More Than $20 Billion Over 10 Years.” (Sens. Reid, Durbin, Schumer, Murray, Bill Nelson, Menendez, Cardin, Sherrod Brown, Whitehouse, & Gillibrand, Letter To Speaker Boehner, 2/8/11)

· “GAS PRICES – The Average Price Of Regular Gasoline In The U.S. Is Higher Now Than In Any Other February In History, according to new data released yesterday by the Energy Information Administration. The $3.132 average is slightly higher than the previous record of $3.13 on Feb. 25, 2008, when prices were on the way to more than $4 a gallon by that summer.” (Politico’s ‘Morning Energy’ Blog, 2/8/11)

Dem Controlled Senate Rejected A Similar Energy Tax Hike Just Last Week

“Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) Offered Another Amendment To Repeal The [1099] Provision But Paid For It By Issuing New Taxes On Oil Companies.” (“Senate Repeals Part Of Health Care Law,” Politico, 2/2/11)

· SEN. CARL LEVIN (D-MI): “We Would Reform Unjustified Tax Expenditures Related To Oil And Gas Production By Large Oil Companies, companies that are enormously profitable with or without these tax expenditures.” (Sen. Carl Levin, Remarks, 2/2/11)

BI-PARTISAN REJECTION OF ENERGY TAX HIKES: Sens. Begich, Bingaman, Conrad, Landrieu, Nelson, Pryor, And Webb Voted Against The Levin Amendment. (S.Amdt.28 to S.223, CQ Vote #7; Amendment Rejected 44-54: R 0-48; D 42-7; I 1-0, Begich, Bingaman, Conrad, Landrieu, Ben Nelson, Pryor, And Webb Voted Nay, 2/2/11)