[Chairman_December_19th_Society]

Good morning. The price of gas vis-a-vis the 2006 election has me worried. This is the one place, I think, the GOP is highly vulnerable--even though it's not their fault. The GOP is in charge, and the prices are going up, and folks are not amused. Pocketbook issues tend to be biggies, and the perception is the GOP is willingly letting it happen.

And, remember, in politics, perception is reality.

[Miss Marple]

I agree about the gas prices. Americans don't understand how gasoline prices are set, and it's certain that the media isn't going to educate them.

I think the President needs to address it by a national prime-time address with concrete measures to lower costs (like reducing the gas tax, temporary stopping of boutique gas mixtures, etc.) He also needs to address the speculation and competition from overseas which drives prices up. Some people on FR have speculated that George Soros might be pushing the price higher in an effort to harm the administration.

As you said, perception is what's important, and the people need to see that the President understands the problem and is addressing it.

[Peach]

Welcome back. And I agree with you about the gas prices and how it might influence '06 elections. But I really don't want to see a tax applied to oil companies which some Republicans have suggested. It won't help the consumer, will hurt the oil companies and is socialism lite vs. capitalism.

[lysie]

Good morning.

Good to hear you had a nice time.

I agree about the gas prices and the midterm elections. Even when prices are much lower just mention oil companies and people go beserk and blame the Pubs.

[alwaysconservative]

Good morning, and thanks for the ping, Chair!

I don't know what to say about gas prices and the elections. Hopefully the annual climb in in prices will have faded into memory. The way that the GOP can turn this to their advantage, IMO, is to tout ANWR and building more refineries (pointing out how the fossils on the left have stifled progress for close to 30 years. . .). This could be a GOOD issue to turn things against the eco-wackos AND tout our progress on pollution as well.

[Molly Pitcher]

Gas prices: a "real" issue, yes...

Jemian, thanks for those links and congrats on achieving your goal. In some ways those 2 years have flown by, and in other ways...but your heart's desire is to return to the field, so many, many blessings to you.

[b4its2late]

They could help themselves tremendously by passing legislation to remove the 18.4 cents in federal taxes and also force the states to follow suit by threatening to withhold any matching federal highway funds. And if the dems filibuster it in the Senate so be it. I'm sure the funds are already earmarked and a temporary tax cut won't amount to a hill of beans, though the democrats will cry foul, but that's all the better. Make it effective June 1st and expire November 1st. Take NY for instance, the highest gas taxed state. Federal and state gas taxes are over 60 cents a gallon. Maybe I'm nuts, but 60 cents a gallon is 60 cents a gallon.

[gulfcoast6]

GOOD A.M. TO YOU MOST HONORABLE CHAIR, ALL, FROM THE MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST, USA, BRUISED BUT NOT BROKEN!!!! WELL, BENT A LOT BUT NOT BROKEN!!!!

The kids took me on a tour yesterday from Waveland, Bay St. Louis to Ocean Springs, my first drive by. Never in my wildest dreams did I think there was so much destruction done by the hurricane. from the beach drive inland for several blocks is nothing, no houses, ruined trees. piled up cars, trucks, boats, unbelievable. The clean up has mostly been completed but the bigger buildings are being torn down as we speak. Never in my life have I seen so much and so powerful a hurricane can be.

Now, the problem. Insurance companies, not paying off the claims, fighting them, blaming it on water, with State Farm catching most of the heat. The agencies (all of them) who have sold the insurance has told folks that they did NOT need flood insurance if the elevation was so and so, well, now I guess they are saying 'ahhhh, I was only kidding'. It is bad and here is the clincher, insurance in certain areas has gone up 95% with some hitting 100%. Needless to say there are some big law suits going on and the guy who brought the tobacco, David Sruggs is taking the companies on and by the way, he is Sen. Trent Lott's brother in law. Bad, bad, bad situation down here.

Contractors... Many have closed up and have gone home, some out of business, everything being held up for the constructjon because no one could come up with a mandated flood plain. They have, the INTERNATION flood plain. But....the boom is getting ready to start, Lowe's and Home Depot and even 84 Lumber are building new stores like mad. Already there has been 37,000 building permits applied for but nothing has been done because no one knew the height of the flood plain and this number is a drop in the bucket for what is to come.

The Casinos are coming back quickly with most opening by Sept, at least they are shooting for. You should see the plans for Condo's, unbelievable. One has 389 units, others in the 200 unit places and a whole bunch of 100 unit ones.

Traffic...Don't go anywhere between 7 A.M. to 9 A.M and 3 to 6 P.M. you get in grid lock here is our little part or the world.

Here is a good one for you, McDonald only recently started selling CHEESE BURGERS which we all know is a piece of cheese on the meat. They, along with others fast food joints are giving sign up bonuses, paying 8, 9 dollars an hour and they can't find folks to work. Yep, lots of Spanish speaking folks over the grill and I bet if you went into one and yelled IRS the place would have to close.
They tell one joke that one of the men went to the Alamo to fight 'way back when' said 'wonder why all those roofers are out there'. BUT, the work is getting done, too many citizens are living off the governments, that is the honest truth. Facts are facts, that is just he way it is.

FEMA slowly but surely is getting their act together, well, kinda. Sure are a lot of folks that have FEMA trailers and no one living in the, can't get them to pick them up when they are vacant. BIG abuse with the folks getting stuff that are not qualified and talk openly about it, bragging like getting a trophy deer. This is one area that really needs cleaning up, get things together.

And to all the young people from the fvarious churches across this wonderful land, engough 'THANK YOU' can be said, you have shown the world that the love of God and country is important to you and when you get back home you will have stories to tell, many of them.

Sorry I have gone on and on but am in just one of those moods this morning. I just wanted to give you a first hand look at what we face down here and Hurricane season is just around the corner, I hope we or anyone else will have to go thru what we just we had.

THANK YOU USA!!! THANK YOU YOUNG PEOPLE, THANK YOU MILITARY, THANK YOU LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS, FIREMEN, WE owe you more than you will ever know.
TOBY