Gas tax inflates

The Oregon Legislature had a chance to, if not protect, at least insulate its eastside constituents from a tax hike.

In depressingly typical fashion, lawmakers seem intent on wasting that chance.

That’s three times the 2-cents-per-gallon increase Gov. Ted Kulongoski proposed last fall.

We endorsed the governor’s plan because it was modest. Kulongoski seems to understand that we Eastern Oregonians tend to put more miles on our vehicles than many of our westside counterparts.

We also supported — and still do — the idea behind the proposal: To raise hundreds of millions of dollars to repair bridges, highways, county roads and city streets.

Legislators tout the clause in the proposed bill that delays the gas tax hike until Jan. 1, 2011, or until the state’s employment rate has risen for two straight quarters, whichever comes first.

We’re not comforted. If the economy does surge before 2011, significant inflation is likely to come along for the ride. Which hardly seems like the right time to raise the gas tax by 25 percent.