{"article":{"__typename":"BlogArticle","id":"BlogArticle:3388","isTnfCompatible":true,"datePublished":"2008-05-06T13:34:08Z","title":"The government giveth, and the government taketh away","slug":"the-government-giveth-and-the-government-taketh-away","wordCount":51,"layout":"standard","isFreelance":false,"isPython3":true,"preview":null,"watsonInfo":{"topCategory":{"full":"/art and entertainment/books and literature/science fiction","one":"art and entertainment","two":"books and literature","three":"science fiction","four":null,"__typename":"WatsonTopCategory"},"categories":["/art and entertainment/books and literature/science fiction","/technology and computing/internet technology/email","/science/social science/history/genealogy"],"__typename":"WatsonInfo","keywords":["ridiculous direct subsidies","Alex Knapp","gas tax","oil companies","original thought"]},"grapeshot":{"segments":["neg_fx","gs_finance_tax","an_affordable_housing","gs_business_energy","gs_finance","gs_business","pos_alcohol","pos_chasemarriott","pos_citibank","pos_creditcard","pos_disasters","pos_diseases","pos_disney_fxfargo","pos_ey","pos_facebook_safety","pos_hermes","pos_ibm","pos_mobkoi","pos_septembereleven","an_bankofamerica_negative","an_facebook_safe","an_fidelity_safe","an_jpmc_safe","an_ms_safe","ap_alfaromeo_safe","ap_bankofamerica_safe","ap_citi_banking_safe","ap_citi_hurricanes","ap_citi_injury","ap_citi_naacp_safe","ap_citi_sex_safe","ap_citi_transportation_safe","ap_facebook_infeed_safe","ap_facebook_safe","ap_fidelity_safe","ap_gwp","ap_jpmc_safe","ap_ms_safe","ap_netflix_israeli_safe","ap_texas_shooting_safe","general_safe_gv","an_saudiaramco","gs_politics_misc","ap_sustainableinvesting","ap_children_newparents","gs_politics"],"__typename":"Grapeshot"},"editorialProject":null,"seoTitle":"The government giveth, and the government taketh away","shareTitle":"The government giveth, and the government taketh away","dek":"","shareDek":"","url":"https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2008/05/the-government-giveth-and-the-government-taketh-away/3388/","ampUrl":"https://amp.theatlantic.com/amp/article/3388/","fbiaUrl":"https://www.theatlantic.com/facebook-instant/article/3388/","canonicalUrl":"https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2008/05/the-government-giveth-and-the-government-taketh-away/3388/","hasMeter":true,"dateModified":"2013-07-17T19:19:38Z","shareImage2x1":null,"primaryChannel":{"displayName":"Business","__typename":"Channel","slug":"business"},"authors":[{"displayName":"Megan McArdle","socialMedia":[{"platform":"TWITTER","url":"https://twitter.com/asymmetricinfo","__typename":"SocialMedia"}],"__typename":"Author","id":"Author:825","url":"https://www.theatlantic.com/author/megan-mcardle/","biography":{"default":"Megan McArdle is a columnist at Bloomberg View and a former senior editor at The Atlantic. Her new book is The Up Side of Down.","__typename":"Biography"}}],"channels":[{"slug":"business","__typename":"Channel"}],"primaryCategory":{"__typename":"Channel","displayName":"Business","url":"https://www.theatlantic.com/business/","slug":"business"},"reviews":[],"secondaryByline":"","shareImage1x1":null,"shareImage16x9":null,"shareImage4x3":null,"shareImageDefault":null,"shareImageSquareDefault":null,"shareImageLeadArt":null,"shareText":null,"content":[{"__typename":"ArticleParagraphContent","idAttr":"","subtype":null,"innerHtml":"I agree with Kevin: forget playing with the gas tax, and focus on eliminating all the of the ridiculous direct subsidies to oil companies. I promise, they'll keep pumping the stuff anyway.

Update Alex Knapp had the original thought; forgot to link him too. Let me correct that error now."}],"categories":[],"leadArt":null,"embeds":[],"editorsNote":null,"advertisingInfo":{"disableHouseAd":false,"__typename":"AdvertisingInfo"}}}