Mendoza retracts podcast claim
Monday, Jul 22, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Politifact…
[Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza] said [on a podcast] Indiana has a higher gas tax than Illinois does, even after a recent hike.
By every government measure we checked, and by acknowledgement from Mendoza’s office itself, the claim is wrong.
Illinois residents pay 8 cents more in state excise taxes for each gallon of gasoline than residents of Indiana, according to revenue officials in both states. We rate Mendoza’s claim False.
* She owned it and said she wouldn’t do it again…
Even so, if you’re driving any significant length of time to save 8 cents a gallon, you’re doing it wrong.
- Linus - Monday, Jul 22, 19 @ 2:26 pm:
Getting it wrong, being called on it, checking it out and then owning it: That’s ultimately getting it right, and it doesn’t happen often enough in politics and government today.
Bravo to the Comptroller for this good example.
- Steve - Monday, Jul 22, 19 @ 2:27 pm:
It was nice of her to retract. But, it’s not going to matter one bit. The numbers are the numbers. If those near the Indiana border find it cost effective to gas up in Indiana , they will.
- Donnie Elgin - Monday, Jul 22, 19 @ 2:29 pm:
The google could have helped her - no excuse for this.
- JS Mill - Monday, Jul 22, 19 @ 2:30 pm:
=If those near the Indiana border find it cost effective to gas up in Indiana , they will.=
So what.
Roads don’t pay for themselves. Maybe the dead beat class thinks they do, but they don’t.
- Sonny - Monday, Jul 22, 19 @ 2:31 pm:
BGA interns working hard for their junior Andy Shaw merit badges this summer.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Jul 22, 19 @ 2:32 pm:
If you eat it, you own it, that’s how you stick around when the hard fight needs to be fought, and ideology not right or wrong is the fulcrum.
This is how you want folks to go about their business. Good on the Comptroller.
- OutOfState - Monday, Jul 22, 19 @ 2:38 pm:
Good for her. Admit the mistake and move on. Maybe didn’t need to say she trusted faulty info, but if it helps her sleep at night to get that off her chest, fine.
- Hamlet's Ghost - Monday, Jul 22, 19 @ 2:38 pm:
That “significant length of time” is a small number.
Assuming a 20 gallon gas tank (my car has a 16 gallon tank) saving $0.08 per gallon saves $1.60 per tank of gasoline.
At $3.20 per gallon, and with a 30 mpg car, as soon as you drive more than 15 miles out of your way (round trip) you are losing money.
If that Indiana gas station is 7.5 miles off your route you break even. Barely.
A 40 gallon tank and 15 mpg gives the same result.
But I suppose the emotional satisfaction of “sticking it to the government” has some intangible value.
- Hamlet's Ghost - Monday, Jul 22, 19 @ 2:42 pm:
Although, if you’re going for cigarettes and fireworks anyway might as well fill ‘er up and save a couple of dollars.
- City Zen - Monday, Jul 22, 19 @ 2:55 pm:
So she double-checked and still got it wrong? Can’t wait to see that CAFR.
==If that Indiana gas station is 7.5 miles off your route you break even==
You can’t put a value on spite.
- Iggy - Monday, Jul 22, 19 @ 2:56 pm:
isn’t it the worst when your intern feeds you a statistic that they got from a meme on twitter. ugh, I hate it when that happens.
- Hugo Igoe - Monday, Jul 22, 19 @ 2:59 pm:
Poor Abdon. That kind of work might’ve cut it at the Sun Times but there is a higher standard when it comes to Illinois government. /snark.
- late to the party - Monday, Jul 22, 19 @ 3:21 pm:
“You can’t put a value on spite.”
Paying more for gas to own the libs.
- Original Rambler - Monday, Jul 22, 19 @ 3:44 pm:
So prior to the gas tax increase, were Indiana border residents hightailing it to Illinois to buy gas? Were there stories about that happening? Can’t they do the math?
- Blue Dog Dem - Monday, Jul 22, 19 @ 3:49 pm:
I would expect the IDOR to issue a detailed report on tax collections for July as soon as they are available. Probably a state wide report augmented by a border county breakdown.
- Birds on the bat - Monday, Jul 22, 19 @ 4:07 pm:
Did she ever own up to deceiving voters last fall about wanting to be Comptroller when she really wanted to be mayor of Chicago?
- I Miss Bentohs - Monday, Jul 22, 19 @ 4:19 pm:
== You can’t put a value on spite. ==
environment > spite
I just did.
- zatoichi - Monday, Jul 22, 19 @ 4:21 pm:
Gas a block from me was $2.79 today. Last week $2.87, several weeks ago $2.65. For good roads, $.08 just disappears.
- Da Big Bad Wolf - Monday, Jul 22, 19 @ 7:16 pm:
==Did she ever own up to deceiving voters last fall about wanting to be Comptroller when she really wanted to be mayor of Chicago?==
I guess she could want to be both.
- Cadillac - Monday, Jul 22, 19 @ 9:10 pm:
Good on her to correct. At least she didn’t compare Missouri.
- G'Kar - Tuesday, Jul 23, 19 @ 12:21 am:
I drove to Kentucky over the past weekend. Between Bloomington and Champaign the gas seemed to be in the 2.78 range. In Indiana, the price was in the 2.76 range, although I did see a couple at 2.66.
- Pundent - Tuesday, Jul 23, 19 @ 6:24 am:
Gas prices tend to balance out regionally over time. Case in point, I normally fill up at Sams or Costco. I went to Wisconsin over the weekend and the prices were within two cents of what I just paid.
- NorthsideNoMore - Tuesday, Jul 23, 19 @ 12:26 pm:
There is always going to be some IL residents that will be able to take advantage of their geographic location and skip out on a buck per fill up, some of which will be offset by travelers through the state The Copmtroller corrected herself which is good and responsible of her but the Gov and ILGA own the MFT increase (needed IMO) and other tax increase. Comps office is better off for being able to keep up with the states bills now. Which is overall going to better for the bottom line.