American citizens are paying the highest prices for gas they have ever paid over the past four years, averaging today at about $3.85 per gallon. However, Governor Rick Snyder has proposed to raise the Michigan gas tax, right now at 19 percent, up to 33 percent to raise revenue to fix our famously horrible roads, along with a drastic increase in registration fees.

In an interview with a reporter from mlive.com, Snyder commented how the tax is merely a “user fee” and that Michigan residents understand that.

Apparently Governor Snyder has not seriously taken into account the feelings of the average Michigan resident.

Senior Andrew Puente was not at all thrilled when the notion for this gas tax began to rise in public interest.

“It’s stupid; people already don’t have money for gas,” he said. “I’m beginning to think Snyder is blind to the real issue here.”

Senior Abby Hocking agreed with his view point.

In her annoyance, Hocking voiced how she believed Snyder was being irrational with his decision to nearly double the gas tax, exclaiming how “gas prices are high enough!”

Snyder has proposed this idea to take place in 2014, wanting to raise nearly $1.2 billion a year for road construction funding. However, the communal voice of Michigan residents has not been completely over wrought. As of recently, Snyder’s plan has been attacked feverishly by voters who also claim that raising the gas tax is outrageous as our entire country faces the attack of already rapidly rising gas prices.

In his attempt to win over the majority, Snyder has been expressing in no weak terms how our roads are dangerous and are taking lives every day due to their poor conditions. He feels that raising the gas tax is the only substantial way to raise the vast amount of money needed to fix Michigan roads; however, many others do not share his opinion.

Former MHS student Kurtis McElroy offered the idea of raising taxes on pornography, tobacco, and alcohol sales.

“Raise taxes on the things that harm our state, not what aids us in our day to day life,” McElroy said.

Hocking also took the approach of raising taxes on other things, such as legalized marijuana sales, and reducing Michigan’s already high gas tax.

Backing his classmate, Puente continued on with the fact that “this state has more to deal with than bad roads.” He offered other pragmatic issues plaguing our state, such as the decline in education, the battle with our budget, and Michigan jobs.

“Where is Snyder with fixing the things that really count,” Puente said rather irritably.

There are other view points on the issue though, including those of MHS science teacher Stephanie Crow.

Crow explained how Michigan is one of very few states that do not have a weight limit on its roads, and due to the cheap pavement used that is why Michigan roads are in their burnt out condition.

What is the point of raising the gas tax to fix our roads if we’re going to continue to allow heavy vehicles to drive on them, and once again ruin them? It is a circle of pointlessness.

Despite Governor Snyder’s explanations of how the tax will eventually aid us, Michigan citizens are not fond of any of his tax decisions of the past. After the increase on the film tax, Michigan has desperately lowered the number of film producers coming. Our state took a large hit at this occurrence, with film being nearly 23% of Michigan’s out of state income. In the end, the tax merely hurt us rather than help like Snyder hoped it would.

With Snyder’s past history of tax failures, how is the Michigan population supposed to trust him on this one?

According to a poll taken in January, 2012 by Freep.com, 58 percent of Michigan residents oppose the increase on the Michigan gas tax and registration fee. Also, after Governor Snyder’s proposal, his popularity shot down drastically as 56 percent of the people claimed their dislike for him.

“We can’t keep the economy going if people can’t afford to drive to work,” Hocking stated. “It’s as simple as that.”