Would you have said anything?

Gas for 35 cents a gallon leads to traffic jam in Wilmington

WILMINGTON (AP) — Traffic was backed up and police were called to control the crowd after a Wilmington gas station accidentally set the pump price at 35 cents a gallon.
The Wilmington Star-News reported Friday that hundreds of drivers flooded a BP station for the cheap gas after the price dropped around 9 a.m. Thursday.
Station employee Shane Weller said the price for premium gasoline was supposed to be $3.35 a gallon. He complained that customers paid the cheaper price all day without saying a word.
It was all the extra traffic that led station employees to the mistake around 6 p.m. They found it after calling their district manager, looking for permission to changing the price as a way of stemming the flow of customers.
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Information from: The Star-News, http://starnewsonline.com

Taxes and taxes and taxes and taxes and spaghetti, spaghetti

Herald readers have been bombarded with stories on two taxes lately — the upcoming .25-cent sales tax and the business privilege tax. And people in Sanford and Lee County have been bombarded with signs opposing one or both … and it’s causing some confusion, apparently.

In Sunday’s Herald, we talk to the committee trying to sell the public on the SALES TAX … the one you’ll be voting on in the May 6 election. The committee is upset at the public effort to get the business privilege tax (which was approved by the city last June) repealed … not because they’re for the tax necessarily, but because it’s coming at a time when they’re trying to get the public on their side on their tax.

I’m already confused.

But they have a point. Americans For Prosperity, which has not come out against the sales tax (yet), has what looks like campaign signs saying repeal the business tax sitting next to other campaign signs for candidates for the upcoming election. The Average Joe, who isn’t as versed in what’s going on this election cycle, sees the signs, has the words “repeal tax” in his head and when he goes to vote in May, sees the sales tax and votes accordingly. If AFP IS against the sales tax, then they’re pretty much killing two birds with one stone.

Our newspaper has been against the business privilege tax from the get-go, and I’m not speaking for our editorial board here, but I agree that AFP has picked the wrong time to run this campaign. They’ve had nearly six months (they formed in October) to do this … so why now? And this doesn’t mean I support the sales tax (I’m not saying I don’t either) … but it’s making it tougher for the people who do support it (school system, Chamber of Commerce most notably).

The business privilege tax signs are meant for just a handful of people — the city council — who are the only ones who can repeal it. Sure, getting the public on their side may help put pressure on the council … but like I said, why wasn’t this happening in January? February? March? Why just a few weeks before the election (which does not include the city council)?

Oh well. Hopefully we’ll find the answers to those questions. Read us on Sunday, I command you.

If you agree with me (or not), feel free to comment. The seventh comment gets a signed printout of this blog.