Oil is Dems fault!

[Bigmack]

Big, biiiiiig swig of the Kool-Aid here, folks.... LTTE from the Seattle Times today. I imagine there's similar letters being astroturfed to every paper in the US.
- - - - - -
Spontaneous compunction

This is in response to the anti-Bush caterwauling regarding high gas prices and the (faulty) premise that "Oil companies are gouging America!" The reason gas prices are so "high" now can be summed up in one word: Democrats!

It was Democrats in the 1970s who, because of pressure from environmental extremist groups, forced the capping of highly productive oil wells in California. The result: the "gas shortage" that first resulted in gas-pump lines.

It was, and is, Democrats in the 30 years since that "gas shortage" who have done all they can to stop oil exploration and drilling in oil-rich American-soil sites.

It has been Democrats who have passed all the laws, regulations, restrictions, etc., on oil companies in these past 30 years, preventing them from building new refineries as well as modernizing existing refineries.

It has been Democrats over the past 30 years who have been the lapdogs of the environmental extremism movement, who put "grass and bugs and birds" over providing America with cheap energy.

Today, it's Democrats (and their left-wing liberal supporters) who, while whining "we need oil independence" out of one side of their mouths, scream "you can't drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, California, off the coasts, etc.!"



More at link:


— Ken Simmons, Auburn

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2002950998_tuelets25.html
--------------------------------------------------------

EDIT: COPYRIGHT: PLEASE POST ONLY 4 OR 5 PARAGRAPHS
FROM THE COPYRIGHTED NEWS SOURCE PER DU RULES.

[Mr_Spock]

1. Good to know the whining morans still can't take responsibility

for

ANYTHING

Republicans can not be in charge since they can't take responsibilty

[NewJeffCT]

2. And, it was Republicans

who, for 30 years, have blocked research into alternative fuel sources. Imagine if the federal government had spearheaded this idea since the late 70s? I'm guessing hybrid cars would be more like the standard these days.

[EstimatedProphet]

5. Hell, fully electric cars would be the standard today

[underpants]

7. Have they had any contacts with the oil industry in that time?

:bounce:

[Joe Fields]

15. We may have even hit upon a more unique and efficient .....

form of energy to replace fossil fuels. Without the badly needed research money, we'll not know for some time what might have been.

[Virginia Dare]

3. Ah, yes, the blame game....n/t

[sinkingfeeling]

4. How can anybody believe the oil companies will build new refineries?

Why would they invest billions of dollars in building these, knowing it would cut into their profits and that peak oil is on the horizon?

[underpants]

10. I must have missed that before

Good point. This is a great little tactic it seems to me. We all ASSUME that they would build them....hmm just like we ASSUME that insurance companies would cut malpractice rates if tort reform is passed.

Did they say they would?

Could it just be cover for reducing their liability? (carefully tucked away tax breaks for the oil companies)

[Montauk6]

6. This actually reminds me of a random thought I had the other day

Maybe the high prices are a decoy. "Well, you folks won't let us drill in these oil-rich areas because of environmental concerns, so..."

Then, as the prices climb, people out of desperation start thinking, 'hey, I still gotta drive to work; maybe, we need to let these guys do their drilling, if it's going to help me out.' So then, the environmentalists start losing the hearts and minds of the people. And Big Oil wins.

Like I said, just a random thought...

[Montauk6]

23. Well, I guess I'm not TOO far off...

Bush Eases Environmental Rules on Gasoline

WASHINGTON - Under election-year pressure to reduce surging gasoline prices, President Bush on Tuesday halted filling of the nation's emergency oil reserve, urged the waiver of clean air rules to ease local gas shortages and called for the repeal of $2 billion in tax breaks for profit-heavy oil companies.

Still, experts said Bush's actions wouldn't have much impact on prices at the pump. The president warned that motorists would have to dig deep into their pockets all summer long.

Bush urged lawmakers to expand tax breaks for the purchase of fuel-efficient hybrid automobiles, a politically popular measure that's also supported by environmentalists. He also directed the Environmental Protection Agency to use its authority to temporarily waive air quality laws in states if that would relieve a local gasoline supply shortage.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060426/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_28

[kenny blankenship]

8. Democrats must be the cause of record HIGH PROFITS for the oil sector

in that case. And those record profits are records not just for the oil industry but for all industries in the U.S. since records have been kept.
Democrats: good for the profits of business apparently.
(On the other hand, maybe it is price gouging by the oil patch and refiners taking advantage of Chimpy's permanent war in the Middle East that's behind the high price of oil and gas.)

[EstimatedProphet]

9. Stupid jerk

Does he really think that the oil companies, AFTER GETTING TO WRITE THE ENERGY POLICY, have nothing to do with high oil prices?

[gatorboy]

11. Someone must have watched Hardball yesterday.

There was some Repug woman whining about enviornmental extremists yesterday. Usually I can suffer some of these folks but her voice was beyond grating....Another talking point from the "Pass The Buck" party. :eyes:

Oh well, when the coasts fall into the ocean, I'm sure they'll figure out how to blame that on the Democratic party as well.

[tjwash]

12. It wasn't our fault!!!!!!!

Really it wasn't! An old friend came in out of town! The car ran out of gas! We got a flat tire! We didn't have enough money for cab fare! The tux didn't come back from the cleaners! There was an earthquake! A terrible flood! Locusts! IT WASN'T OUR FAULT I SWEAR TO GOD!!!

[bowens43]

13. This bubba just doesn't get it.

Oil Independence isn't about increasing the amount of domestic oil available, it's about decreasing the need for oil.

[madrchsod]

14. it is all bullshit

there is no shortage of oil at all. in fact oil production and drilling has increased across the planet. if people would look at the facts they would see george has no intention of doing anything. it`s starting to smell like an october surprise to me but i`m not sure if the america economy can last that long.

http://www.worldoil.com/InfoCenter/statistics_main.asp
WorldOil.com - Industry Statistics

check the numbers from the industry

[Sinti]

17. Thanks for the link - and yes, the BS gets thicker by the minute

They want to make more profit, plain and simple. And if the prices to come down just a little (50 cents a gallon or so) and take the 'pubs take credit for it, they can say that's why they swept the election. Of course, you know, Democrats don't have a plan, no answers at all.

I believe this strategy got tested back in the fall. Folks felt (at least the ones in the Boise area) at that time that there was a lot of corruption in their state government, particularly the governor himself. The price of gas went up over $3, and suddenly people were fuming about this instead, then the 'pubs in the gumint started clearing their throats, and saying they were going to do something about this, blah, blah, blah. Next thing you know, gas drops to 2.50 and the public went, hey, look, they actually did something for me! They were VERY HAPPY with their legislators. I'm sure the same trick could work on a larger scale.

[alcibiades_mystery]

16. The cry is "We need ENERGY independence"

not "we need oil independence." That's A. Second is the laughable notion that drilling in ANWR would get us there. A true imbecile.

[KyuzoGator]

18. It was yesterday's Rove Memo Of The Day: (LINK)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=1015149&mesg_id=1015149

[underpants]

19. The Associated Press is on the case BigMack

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1019862

[AX10]

22. I see that Nedra Pickler is at it again.

:eyes:

[porphyrian]

20. Yeah, Democrats are in charge of oil companies.

Democrats are close friends of the Saudis. Democrats lied to start an unnecessary pre-emptive war in Iraq.

:eyes:

[CatholicEdHead]

21. Wow, he is sure connected to reality

:sarcasm:

[bklyncowgirl]

24. Compare gas prices under Clinton to those under Bush.

Let's see

$1.00-$1.50 under Clinton.

$2.00-$4.00 and rising under Bush.

Yup those Democrats sure raise oil prices don't they.