Kiss Your Car Options Good-bye

Rasmussen Reports:

Given last year's record-high gasoline prices and the still-fluctuating price at the pump, most Americans aren't interested in the government tacking on any more, even in the name of fuel efficiency.

Just 10% of adults think the federal government should increase the tax on gasoline by a large amount as a way of encouraging people to buy more fuel-efficient cars, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

Eighty-one percent (81%) oppose a large tax hike for that purpose, and eight percent (8%) are undecided.

These sentiments remain largely unchanged from nearly two years when 86% said they opposed the idea of raising gas taxes by 50 cents a gallon as a result of congressional legislation that would encourage the development of more fuel-efficient cars.

In April of last year, 60% of Americans favored suspending the federal gas tax completely for the summer to offset soaring gas prices.

What's that?  Americans loathe the idea of raising taxes to force 'green' cars onto the market by more than 8 to 1?  Too bad:

In a surprisingly frank statement this morning, General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson confirmed that the Treasury Department is calling the shots on the company's on-going restructuring. As reported by the New York Times, Henderson stated that GM was told by the Treasury Department to offer bondholders only up to 10 percent of GM's equity in return for $27 billion of debt.

"They didn't support us going above 10 percent," Mr. Henderson said. "We went to the maximum that they permitted us." Why 10 percent? According to Henderson, Treasury didn't give a reason.

Washington's control over GM isn't too much a surprise — it's been clear ever since Rick Wagoner was fired by the White House in favor of Henderson that the government was settling into the driver's seat. But Henderson's comments today provide unsettling confirmation of the degree to which Washington is now in control at the erstwhile private company.

No wonder the banks are scrambling to turn back their own TARP bailout money.

The auto industry is going to hell in a handbasket, and Obama is holding the basket.  As if that wasn't bad enough, he's also taking over the financial industry, the energy sector, and health care.  Good news, huh?  As predicted long before the election last November, hope-n-change is going to be disastrous for America in historic ways.

There's my two cents.