Repub politician harassing Citgo for cheap oil deal to poor Americans

[JohnyCanuck]

Big Oil fan after little man

Rep. Joe Barton, the powerful Texas Republican who is chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, launched a bizarre investigation last week into possible antitrust violations by a major oil company.

You will be surprised to learn that Barton, one of the top recipients in Congress of campaign donations from the energy industry, is not probing whether ExxonMobil or Chevron or any of the other oil giants engaged in price gouging when gasoline and heating oil costs skyrocketed the past few years.

No, the good congressman has set his sights on the only oil company that actually dared to lower its prices last year - at least for the poorest Americans.

In a Feb. 15 letter to Citgo, the Houston-based company owned by the Venezuelan government, Barton demanded that company officials produce by tomorrow all records, minutes, logs, e-mails and even desk calendars related to Citgo's novel program of supplying discounted heating oil to low-income communities in the United States.

http://www.nydailynews.com/02-23-2006/news/col/story/393825p-333918c.html

[Mr_Spock]

1. I know - what a sorry as jerk with nothing better to do...

So typical a thing for a Republican to do too...

[Terran1212]

2. Attack the commies in Venezuela!

Automatically will rile up millions of Rightwingers...

[rodeodance]

3. Democracy had a good segment about this today--probably a

transcript up about it.

[Webster Green]

4. I hope Chavez tells him to go fuck himself...

Actually, the odds of that happening are not too bad.

[rodeodance]

5. "the good congressman" te he.

[rodeodance]

6. "Big Oil fan after little man" headline.

[Nutmegger]

7. What the hell is the problem?

They are the ones who cut funding to the poor! (Food stamps for crying out loud!!!)

They are the ones who are sending our money down the crap-shoot.

They are the ones who are constantly raping the poor and the middle class.

Bless Chavez, he's helping the poor in a foreign country.

We can't even take care of our own people. :cry:

[rodeodance]

8. article says Chevez was suspose to respond by today--guess he missed

Barton's dealine.

.....During the last election cycle, he was second only to fellow Texan Tom DeLay in the amount of oil industry contributions. During two decades in the House, Barton has raked in nearly $2 million in campaign donations from oil and electric companies.

He is such a rabid defender of the energy industry that when a group of scientists issued a damning study last year about the growing danger of global warming, Barton immediately launched one of his shotgun investigations. He fired off letters to each of the scientists and demanded that they list all the sources of their funding and provide him with their research data and notes.

Now Barton is after Citgo, the oil company that dared to do the unthinkable - lower oil prices for poor Americans.

Earth to Barton, call home.

Originally published on February 23, 2006

[mrcheerful]

9. Has anyone noticed that gas prices go up the last few days of each month

and stay up until the 2nd week of each month? 2 days ago gas was around 2.15 a gallon, went out for gas today and it was up to 2.35. If that isn't price gouging aimed at the seniors and dis-abled then I'm a born again piglican. So whats the repigs do about it? Yep, go after the one oil company that tries to do the right thing for poor americans. Btw, the last week of each month is also when people get their welfare checks too, so the price gouging is aimed at those who have no choice but to pay the higher prices.

[xchrom]

10. another tapeworm sucking on the lifeblood of the people.

[Jayhawk Lib]

11. If Chavez wants to make a positive statement

Why doesn't he have all Citgo stations sell gas 50 cents below market price? I am glad that a few poor people benefited from his little publicity stunt but the vast majority of poor people never benefited one iota. The cost to him was not any more than a commercial on television.

[Peace Patriot]

12. What a jerk thing to say, Jayhawk Lib! "I am glad that a few poor people

benefited..." You don't know what you're talking about.

And, as a matter of fact, Citgo IS selling gas below market price.

See comment #4:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2130843

You have a bad day, or what?

[Jayhawk Lib]

13. Citgo is not any cheaper here.

It is not the highest priced nor is it the lowest. I stand by my original post and I respect your opinion also. I guess we agree to disagree and that is fine. It would be pretty boring if we all agreed on everything all of the time....