We hear this all the time in Pennsylvania because our Governor will not sign an extraction tax on shale gas. The Liberals always shoot back with “Well....your hero Sarah Palin imposed one in Alaska, and you wouldn’t call HER a Socialist, would you?”
Taxing shale gas right now would stymie further development over the next year or two because prices are so low - note that a tax akin to Palin's gas tax would not kick in at these prices.
The state's workers need the drilling jobs more than the state goverment needs the taxes - but try telling the lib morons in Harrisburg that.