What would you drive if you didn't have to pay for it?  The New York Times reports this morning that "The use of a car -- gas included -- is one of the benefits of being a member of the House of Representatives."  In fact, "There are few restrictions on what kind of car the members can choose, and there is no limit on how much they can spend."  The only restriction the Times could find was a 2007 rule "requiring members to choose cars from a list of low-emissions vehicles approved by the Environmental Protection Agency," although some members drive unapproved cars leased before the rule went into effect.  Only 125 members make use of the benefit, and the Times tells us there is no similar benefit for Senators, so we're not paying for McCain's Cadillac CTS or Obama's Chrysler 300. 

With gas prices rising steadily toward $4 a gallon, Presidential candidates John McCain (R - Ariz.) and Hillary Clinton (D- N.Y.) have proposed a temporary halt on the federal gas tax this summer.  Reuters says the idea "is viewed as a bad idea by many economists," who argue "that since refineries cannot increase their supply of gasoline in the space of a few summer months, lower prices will just boost demand and the benefits will flow to oil companies, not consumers."  According to Reuters, a Brookings Institute report estimates that the holiday would save each driver about $28 on gas this year. 

That got us thinking -- since we, as taxpayers, buy the gas for these Representatives, how far out of Washington could we send each one on our $28 savings?  We checked Gasbuddy.com and learned that, this morning, the cheapest gas station near their Capitol Hill offices was charging $3.60 per gallon.  With that in mind:

Democrat Charles B. Rangel, Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, should get about 24 mpg (highway) in his 2004 Cadillac Deville.  At today's prices, with our $28 savings, we could get him about 184.80 miles from his office.  According to the Times, we pay $774.50 a month for his car. 

Representative Jim Saxton, a New Jersey Republican, could only get about 161 miles for our $28 in his 2004 Chevy Trailblazer (21 mpg highway).  We pay $310 a month to keep him in the SUV.

Democrat Bobby Rush of Illinois would be particularly hard to get rid of.  His 2007 Lincoln Navigator would get him only about 116 miles away for our $28 at 15 mpg on the highway.  The Times didn't reveal what we pay for Rush's car. 

The bottom line seems to be that we could get each of these guys at least 100 miles from Washington for the $28 we'd save if they suspended the federal gas tax.  It might not be a bad use of the extra cash…

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