Congress is really trying to ensure it’s approval rating is lower than George Bush now — according to the Wall Street Journal, a congressionally mandated commission will recommend broad upgrades to the nation’s transportation infrastructure financed by a hefty 40 cent per gallon increase in the gas tax. They cite increased need for maintenance and increased cost of that maintenance as a reason for the need to increase the taxes. STOPandGO.org strongly opposes such a sharp rise in gas taxes. A better solution would punish the drivers that cause the damage to the roads in the first place — namely by removing the current tax breaks that provides incentives for individuals to buy large trucks.  Registration fees should be raised on “extreme” oversize vehicles to force the owners to bear the burden of the externalities they are imposing on others. Raising the gas tax somewhat achieves this, but also punishes all drivers which is not fair.