The federal excise tax on a pack of cigarettes may likely be increased by 62 cents to $1.01 a pack if President Obama signs the State Children’s Health Insurance Program(SCHIP) legislation passed by the House today. This will accomplish a couple of things. First, nearly four million more kids can be qualify for the coverage (7 million have it now), and second, the higher cost per pack is going to convince some younger smokers to quit, or not start smoking.

• It seems to me that the sort of person that would go to The Shout House wouldn’t so much be the same sort of person who hangs out on Twitter, but that could just be the circles I run in. If you are on of those people, you can now follow the Shout House on Twitter: @ShoutHouseMpls.
• Also on Twitter, @barackobama_mn, if you’re into that sort of thing. Which lead me to the Minnesota Tax Plan Challenge, which will show you (very roughly) how your taxes will be affected by each presidential candidate’s plan (assuming either of them could manage to get their plan passed intact).
• Per electoral-vote.com, here’s how Barack Obama and John McCain are trending in Minnesota. Sorry, Greg, no numbers for Bob Barr. Also, pretty good (non-partisan) news summary on the front page there. Worth a daily visit.
• Twitter again: @techkaraokempls. The Tech Karaoke craze is sweeping the nation and Minneapolis is one of six chapters nationally. Next event is Friday, 9pm, at the U Otter Stop Inn. Open to all. [facebook event] [facebook group] [facebook fan page]
• At Minnov8, Court Paves Way for Publicly Owned Broadband. This is big. Not surprising that smaller, more rural communities with little access to broadband are leading this charge.

And don’t you forget it.

Minnesota Monitor has an item on proposed corporate sponsorship for our parks.

Minneapolis taxpayers could soon be greeted at their city parks by banners advertising a national home improvement chain that has no stores in the city proper. Lowe’s says it’s willing to donate $90,000 in goods and services to six parks. The string attached: Lowe’s wants to hang 8-foot by 2-foot banners proclaiming “This area brought to you in part by Lowe’s” in outdoor locations such as Loring Park as well as smaller signs near donated equipment reading: “These products and more are available at Lowe’s.”

Say wha? No, WTFF?!

Like it’s not bad enough that there are parks called “Gold Medal Park” to begin with (scandal-ridden as it is) (not that it’s not a nice space).

I’d readily take my $30/year from the Twins Stadium and add them to my tax dollars that already go towards city and regional parks. Yes, I will gladly pay extra to keep your corporate sponsorship off our parks.

Funny how with a stadium, you’re glad that there is corporate sponsorship so that’s less out of your pocket to pay for a stadium you probably didn’t want to pay for in the first place.

There’s another argument in here somewhere about corporate interests in government affairs and privatization.

I guess the said thing is that we can’t find enough money in the budget to adequately fund the parks in the first place. Although I wouldn’t be surprised if Lowe’s made the offer anyway.

(Isn’t there already a water park in North Minneapolis somewhere with a corporate sponsorship? Or Cedar-Riverside? Or did someone blog it? I can’t remember now where I saw this.)

I do not pretend to understand the gasoline economy when it comes to Minnesota and the world. I’m just listening and trying to sort it all out.

I’ve heard that by inflation’s standard, gasoline is relatively cheap. I’ve heard that oil companies make exorbitant profits. I’ve heard oil companies make big profits because they make big investments in research and risk and are just plain big companies. I’ve heard oil markets are controlled by Middle East interests and secret societies. I’ve heard arguments about war for oil. I’ve heard oil companies pay billions to our government in taxes every year and arguments for drilling off-coast and in ANWR a way to increase oil supply.

Lots of conflicting viewpoints and philosophies, really.

Now I’m hearing about states suspending gas taxes for the summer to help the economy, and I would appreciate your thoughts on the matter.

According to the NYT:

…state gas taxes, which run as high as 45.5 cents a gallon, often add far more to the price of gas than the 18.4-cent federal excise tax and are the primary cause of price disparities across state lines. So lawmakers and candidates at the state level have been getting into the act…The New York plan, sponsored by Republicans in the State Senate, would suspend three state gas taxes, amounting to about 32 cents per gallon, from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

The Florida plan would create a tax holiday around July 4, cutting 10 cents per gallon off the 33.2 cents in total state gas taxes.

Meanwhile Minnesota just recently raised our gas tax by 5.5 cents per gallon (phased in through October) amidst a swarm of debate, emotion and fear-mongering (mostly about paying for bridges without thought of trimming pork projects). The NYT piece shows a gas holiday for the summer would save the average Minnesota driver less than $50 for the entire summer. That won’t even get two adults into Valley Fair.

It seems like we as a society continue to think in the short term and talk out of both sides of our mouths when it comes to fiscal responsibility and taxes. Here’s a piece from the Hartford Courant that address this way of thinking:

Any 9-year-old understands that paying less for something is a nice thing, but most adults know it is not always the smart thing to do. Suspending the gas tax would cause consumption to go up, which in turn would cause oil prices to go up.

The Strib’s Nick Coleman is happy to pay his taxes — even says “It is an American thing,” about our responsibility to pay gas taxes.

So in a meandering way, I think I agree with everyone. I agree gas prices are too high for my personal budget. I agree it’s our responsibility to pay taxes. I agree we need to be thinking long term about prices and not be reactionary — heck, I don’t even remember to keep 5 cent/gallon coupons.

I suppose the disconnect for me (as only a five year MN resident, mind you) is why the gas taxes in Minnesota were raised when all these other states are looking for gas tax relief and if ~$50/summer is really enough reason to bother for any state.

Of course, the gas tax increase is a done deal now, but I wish every time the local news does a story on the gas taxes (one local station seems to do a segment on each 10 o’clock newscast), they would subtract the new taxes just to make it fair to our fellow gassy states.