Then, put 'em on the pump. Carry a whole sheet with ya.
Someone's bound to read 'em while their fuel bill is passing fifty bucks per fill up.
I've already had 2 FReepers ask me to send them the template for this.
Posted on 04/02/2008 4:47:50 AM PDT by Lonesome in Massachussets
Today House Democrats appealed to ignorance, in their usual fashion, by summoning executives from the five biggest oil companies to berate them for high gasoline prices. This is fundamentally stupid in at least two respects.
First, these same Democrats purport to be worried about "global warming" and committed to taking strong measures to combat it. Needless to say, the simplest way to reduce carbon consumption, if you really believe that carbon consumption will cause an environmental disaster, is to increase the price of energy. This is why some honest global warming advocates have argued for huge increases in the gasoline tax. Conversely, if the price of gasoline were to decline as House Democrats said they wanted today, the result would be increased consumption and increased carbon emissions. If the Democrats aren't willing to pay the price to reduce energy consumption (i.e., higher gasoline prices), they should quit yammering about global warming and admit they knew all along that the alarmism was BS.
Second, if you really want the price of gasoline to fall, there is only one way to achieve that goal: increase supply. Yet these very same Democrats have made it difficult, and sometimes impossible, to do so. Had Bill Clinton not vetoed oil development in northern Alaska, enormous amounts of oil would now be flowing to American consumers, reducing the price of gasoline for everyone. Further, as one of the oil executives pointed out today, 85% of our coastline is off-limits to drilling.
In short, pretty much every policy that the Democrats have pursued for the last three decades has contributed to the shortage of oil, and resulting high price of gasoline. For the Democrats to pretend that high prices are the fault of the oil companies--which, unlike the Democrats, actually go to great lengths to bring energy to American consumers--is beyond hypocrisy.
John Stossel pointed out on 20/20 (to Babs Walters' obvious chagrin) that Ronald Reagan saved about $4000 off the cost of the average home by deregulating trucking. This clearly illustrates the huge impact that essentially unnoticed government actions have on the economy. These perverse economic actions are popular with the beneficiaries, (Truckers, in the case of ethanol, farmers and their suppliers) but impose unnecessary costs on the general economy.
Europeans are experiencing improved economic growth precisely because they are adopting Reaganesque (properly Thatcheresque or Friedmanesque) economic reforms that America adopted two decades ago.
Who is our new Reagan?
This is why some honest global warming advocates have argued for huge increases in the gasoline tax
Well, I do not also want to pay HUGE increases in the price of food.
and shoes.
And ... everything ever transported in America anywhere.
Rank stupidity - American consumption of fuel is not driven by the dynamic of you and I driving around the countryside using gasoline.
Why do they need an inquiry? I thought they’d pretty much made up their minds that the oil companies are run by the Devil.
Just more Democrat theater.
The “grilling” that I heard on the radio news was simply histrionics, pantomime and stagecraft, by all involved, the Democrats, the Republicans and the Oilmen. Everyone knew his role and said his lines nicely.
It was not an edifying sight or sound.
“It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.”
If environmentalists truly didn’t badly block all of the still much needed improvements in both North American domestic oil drilling (both on land and off shore) and in the still much needed building of many more oil refineries throughout the U.S. (the last U.S. oil refineries were built in 1976), then the ongoing problems with gas prices here wouldn’t truly exist today.
High gasoline prices are caused partly by global demand and mostly by politicians and environmentalists. The Democrats need to have a villain to distract the public from their failed policies. They have greatly restricted drilling in the U.S and have outlawed it completely in Anwar and in the Gulf. The total federal, state and other taxes on gasoline are about $.40 per gallon. Then the Democrats blame the oil companies to prevent any serious discussion of the problem.
The audacity and gall of people who live on the public dole from money they confiscated from those who earned it and vote themselves outrageous salary increases, perks and benefits in the dead of night questioning industry leaders whose salaries, perks, benefits and operating procedures are established and supervised by a legally elected and formed Board of Directors is breathtaking.
I never cease to wonder how politicians, particularly LIBERAL politicians, who engage in this despicable conduct can look at their reflection in the mirror.
Why didn’t these oil execs take the opportunity to point out how stupid and useless government regulation and the idiots who propose it are.
Why can’t I get called to a congressional hearing...
Not to worry. Judging from reports available to me, they cannot see themselves in a mirror.
And don’t forget these same selfless “public servants” passed laws that confiscate 24-48 cents per gallon from “Big Oil” while they legitimately earn 8-14 cents per gallon through competitive operations. Is it Big Govt or Big Oil that is creating value and earning its take?
Judging from the little snippets on the news, that is exactly what the oilmen did, on cue.
It’s not an inquiry, it’s “reality television”, without the reality.
I think Rush said it best. Government, who takes far more in taxes than oil companies make in profit on a gallon of gas, could produce a moratorium on same for a year and see what develops. I didn’t hear anything of the sort. I would suggest a moratorium on government for a year or two. The economy would absolutely explode with cash. Not a chance in open flame.
“It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.”
******
Dems waited in the minority for years, jealous of the hearings being called and chaired by hated Republicans. They finally got the majority they craved, are calling all the hearings that they want, and everyone (who used to watch cspani is totally bored by the kabuki ritual of the whole thing. No one cares because these “hearings” are travesties!
Cspan administrators claim not to count viewership, but I bet they know that their numbers are way down.
i can’t read the last six postings
Oh, that was just a screenshot. I’ll make a bigger one so it’ll be legible. One sec..
Republicans can demagogue pret darn good when they want to.
Great idea!
A variation:
Big Oil makes 10 cents profit on each gallon you buy.
Big Government takes 50 cents for each gallon you buy.
{Obviously I am just putting in rough numbers here.]
I do blame the oil executives who refuse to say exactly this during these sessions. They had the nations attention and refused to place the issue back where it belongs with meddling politicians.
That’s why no hearings command viewer attention like they used to do.
Our government doesn’t regulate all prices charged by private businesses, YET. However, it’s a goal of the left to have government set all prices. That’s part of marxism. They know that they don’t dare try it YET. These hearings are just to prepare us for what they really want to do.
Executives have a fiduciary responsibility to shareholders and cannot, as a matter of law, treat their companies as a charity. Even if they could or wanted to, the result would be that investments in oil companies would dry up and our gas tanks would dry up soon afterwards.
We live under a Tyranny Of The Stupid.
It’s almost not possible for our federal government to be more worthless than it is today. Apart from national defense I’m not sure why we even have it anymore beause it does absolutely nothing good for the country. Completely, utterly worthless.
No doubt that was a total waste of time, but at least it was a total waste of time on something unlikely to hurt the larger economy. So, to the extent it limited Congress’ efforts on things likely to hurt the larger economy, it probably wasn’t a bad use of their time, as weird as that sounds at first.
I’m not sure that it will not hurt the economy. Our current energy policy is deeply flawed (and too ambitious). This kind of theater is intended to convince the electorate that they are victims who need protection, protection afforded by congressional Democrats.
It’s also a shakedown of the oil companies. The Democrats want to encourage oilmen to “donate” to Democrats and discourage “donations” to Republicans. In either case, these political “donations” are “donations” only in the sense that the money paid by a restaurant in Chinatown to the local tong association is a donation.
"Until Congress takes a closer look at the commodities sector with the same vigor that it employs when questioning oil companies, the problems will persist.
Commodities were invented as risk management tools. They provide a haven of sorts against risk for producers and consumers of particular commodities. Speculation is a necessary segment of the commodities markets to guarantee liquidity. If there is no speculation there won't be a viable futures market.
However, in recent years the speculative community has grown and mutated. It has become such a powerful force that it minimizes trade participation due to huge margin calls and gyrating prices that can destroy a hedge program literally in minutes. The big commission houses have learned very well how to play the game, when to force out the weaker players and seize control of the markets. Hedge funds, investment bankers, retirement funds and every sort of financial entity is playing in the commodities arena, and the largest firms can move the markets almost at will. It is the biggest financial scam since, well, the sub prime mortgage fiasco. Actually, the excessive speculation in commodities pre-dates the sub prime mess.
Do oil companies play in the commodities arena? Absolutely. Do OPEC countries play in that arena? Absolutely. OPEC countries only began about two years ago as they realized that the higher oil prices climbed, the more money they had to help assure prices continued to climb. While the CFTC tries to identify "trade" and "speculative" participation in the markets, it really has no idea just how much speculation is involved. Commodities are not doing the job for which they were intended"
Mike
Sorry, I wasn’t clear. I was talking about the Clements thing. I agree on energy policy.
CHANGE???? DIMS DELIVERED!!!!!!!!
This is a good reminder of just how the Demograft Party delivers on the promises of their candidates!
A little over one year ago:
1) Consumer confidence stood at a 2 1/2 year high;
2) Regular gasoline sold for $2.19 a gallon; (Hillary, and the Dem’s were going to “fix” this, remember?)
3) the unemployment rate was 4.5%.
Since voting in a Democratic Congress in 2006 we have seen:
1) Consumer confidence plummet;
2) the cost of regular gasoline soar to over $3.50 a gallon;
3) Unemployment is up to 5% (a 10% increase);
4) American households have seen $2.3 trillion in equity value evaporate (stock and mutual fund losses);
5) Americans have seen their home equity drop by $1.2 trillion dollars;
6) 1% of American homes are in foreclosure.
7) The value of the U.S. dollar has plummeted.
8) oil price, doubled.
9)job expansion? OVER, and now going backward.
)10Groceries up 70 dollars on average per month.
America voted for change in 2006, and we got it!
I never cease to wonder how politicians, particularly LIBERAL politicians, who engage in this despicable conduct can look at their reflection in the mirror.
They look in the miror and repeat the following:
And I’m good enough, I’m smart enough and by golly, people like me.
Not seeing your point
thanks for the enlarged gas sticker picture. they will be appearing around town. ;)
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