[mtrawls]

The government will use whatever tax dollars it gets ... and want even more. No matter how high the taxes are. As for removing our dependence on foreign oil ... the problem lies largely with environmentalist groups, which are a large barrier to change. These people say we need to be free of foreign oil -- but raise hell if anyone suggests drilling in a very tiny portion of Alaska. They bemoan the build-up of greenhouse gasses, but dread the thought of nuclear power plants (which are very clean, and only produce a small amount of waste, which is largely a political issue rather than a health issue). Instead of proposing a 50 cents research tax, how about we just ask the government to get things right, and use what they have in a wise fashion?