Posted on 04/23/2006 6:29:49 PM PDT by Paleo Conservative
US President George W. Bush has warned rising oil prices will mean a "tough summer" for US consumers as the high cost of gasoline (petrol) showed signs of becoming a big political issue.
But even as more Americans expressed discontent over the price of filling up their gas tanks, Bush suggested there was little his government could do in the short term about the problem.
"We're going to have a tough summer because people are beginning to drive now during tight supply," Bush said as he toured a California facility developing hydrogen-powered vehicles.
"The American people have got to understand what happens elsewhere in the world affects the price of gasoline you pay here."
Bush spoke after a week of unremitting rises in prices in global crude oil markets and at gasoline (petrol) pumps across the country. Crude topped a record 75 dollars per barrel in New York trading Friday, five dollars up from a week earlier.
At the same time, US retail pump prices were topping an average three dollars a gallon (3.8 liters) in many places in the country, up 60 cents -- 33 percent -- from a year ago.
The sharp rises on the eve of the US summer, during which millions of people fly or drive on holiday, showed signs of becoming a major political issue for the struggling Bush administration ahead of November mid-term elections.
But even as the president stressed Saturday that the government was making efforts to protect consumers from price-gouging, he said there was little he could do in the short term to alleviate the impact of higher oil prices.
"We've got a real problem when it comes to oil. We're addicted, and it's harmful for the economy, and it's harmful for our national security," he said.
"I understand the folks here, as well as other places in the country, are paying high gas prices.
"The American people have got to understand what happens elsewhere in the world affects the price of gasoline you pay here," he said, referring to skyrocketing oil demand in the booming economies of India and China.
Bush also blamed the higher prices on a shortage of refinery capacity in the United States, and also on an ongoing shift in fuel additives and mixes that has caused supply hiccups in certain areas.
"When that price of gasoline goes up, it hurts working people. It hurts our small businesses. And it's a serious problem we've got to do something about. The federal government has a responsibility, by the way, to make sure ... there is no price gouging," he added.
The political importance of gasoline prices before the summer break was clear as both opposition Democrat and Republican lawmakers spent the week taking the administration to task over the issue and asking if oil companies were exploiting the situation.
Senator Bill Nelson called Friday for "more dramatic steps" to lessen US dependence on foreign oil.
Dennis Hastert, the Republican head of the House of Representatives, and Senate Republican majority chief Bill Frist said they planned to write Bush a letter calling for an investigation into possibly price manipulation by oil companies.
While the oil companies deny any manipulation, public confidence was eroded at the recent report that exiting Exxon Mobil executive Lee Raymond was getting a 400 million dollar retirement package.
I feel so ashamed of going against my anti big government, non secretive government principles. I will never again, after seeing the unprecidented control of government the Republicrats have enjoyed for the last four years, support a party blindly again! They have betrayed their conservative roots.
There ARE things that he could do:
1. Get rid of blends of gas.
2. Change laws permitting California to dictate pollution standards for the rest of the country
3. Put REAL money into alternative fuels, energy, technologies that exist RIGHT NOW, or make business conditions conducive to it (example: I'd even go for a guaranteed floor on the price of oil via a tax so it would pay to look for 50-60 dollar per barrel oil, etc).
If he thinks it's going to be a tough summer, just wait until November.
Correct, sweet or light oil peaked in early 2004 and has been in decline every since. There is still plenty of heavy oil and this is the abundant supply they speak of. Many refiners can't handle heavy oil and there is no guarantee that An war will be sweet oil.
I have been dumbfounded over Bush's 2nd term. It seems that he is in need of a spark. Something is wrong. If he truly believed we need to drill in ANWR, it seems he could have twisted more arms in Congress. I hope the powers that be in the Republican leadership will understand clearly that the Republicans will "rightfully" deserve to lose both houses on Congress because they are failing to save this Republic. The RINOS in the party are the cancer that will put the final nail in the coffin. The elites in Washington truly are beyond arrogant. It has been difficult to acknowledge but a part of me wants the Republicans to be serious flushed in 06 so that maybe, just maybe some damn idiot in the party will realize that "more government truly isn't a good thing" and that we need a physical, impregnable wall built along our borders -- in other words, we need a leader with balls. I sometimes wonder just what pressure Laura exerts on issues such as the environment and education. I can understand that people believe that "government is there to help" but the reality is that on social issues government NEVER succeeds when it undertakes these socialist programs. An ideal president would be from the Warrior class, a William Wallace. We need a President would will finally help the American taxpayer get rid of the 70% of government that is pure Socialism. Right now I have ZERO interest in voting in 06; screw the Republican leadership in Congress - a bunch of pathetic fools. Sorry for the babbling rant.... lol.
Voters warn of "tough November" for GOP
hasta la vista, RINOs!
BINGO!
These senators from Florida are living proof that some Floridians would vote for a pig's bladder on a stick and send it to the US Senate.
Its time to send Bill Nelson up in another spacecraft; just dont let him land back here in Florida.
Damn right there's little he can do that will improve pricing in the short term. The real question is: what the hell has he and the republican controlled congress been doing the past 5 years? The GOP has controlled capitol hill for the past 10 years and the WH for the past 5 years. Yet there hasn't been a single damned new refinery built in the US for the past 35 years nor has there been any petroleum extraction in ANWR or the Gulf. All they've done is bow to the demands of the phoney environmentalists. There is no republican leadership. In spite of having control of government, Bush has attempted to "govern by consensus" instead of asserting leadership. He has attempted to woo the enemys of america...the libs...thru "kinder, gentler" pandering rather than crush them with the political power at his disposal. Consequently, in the area of energy indepndence as with border security, NOTHING has been achieved. The libs just laugh their ass off and bounce the RINO's around like gum balls and the nations interest and security are undergoing irreparable damage.
There's been lots of petroleum extraction in the Gulf of Mexico, just not the Florida coast the eastern seaboard, west coast, or ANWAR.
The era is of Cheap Oil is over. The fat lady has sung. Stick a folk in it, it's done.
Please see my previous post-#70.
Our consumer-based economy is driven by and dependent on readily-available, reliable energy-- choke that off, and we'll all be back to using one rotary dial phone in the dining room, watching one TV, and driving one car per family-- probably a Hudson Hornet or a Rambler...
We need to
1) end the nonsensical ban on offshore drilling off California and Florida--read & weep:
Castro Plans to Drill 45 Miles from US Shores, But We Can't
2) build a lot of next-generation nuclear power plants, not just for electricity, but for any process requiring heat, power, or steam.
And if we replaced our existing nuclear plants with this one there would be significant benefits.
3) end Jimmy Carter's idiotic ban on recycling nuclear waste, and reprocess the stuff rather than fighting over where to bury it. Europe has done this for decades.-- what to do with spent nuclear fuel? Answer here: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1468321/posts?page=50#50 hattip: Mike (former Navy Nuclear Engineer)
4) use the 300-500 years worth of coal we have on our own land, using the new clean-coal technology.
-Clean Coal Centre--
5) and finally, there's nothing wrong with conservation, we should all practice it- but you can't conserve your way out of a shortage. Nor is there anything wrong with "alternative" energy sources- except they don't supply the vast ( not to mention readily-available ) amounts of power we need at a price competitive to more conventional sources.
We do need to get serious about this before we get strangled by a bunch of petty thieves and dictators who don't like us much.
My tongue-in-cheek collection of energy-related links:
Sticker Shock-$3 a gallon gas? Click the picture:
And kindly note, and note well-- the first reply to this post ( when gas was $1.45 a gallon ) was derisive... so, who's laughing now? Drudge has reported $4.04 a gallon gas in CA...can you say "$6.00 a gallon," class?
Great post! You should write them more often. :-)
Appreciate the encouragement- I'll sound off more often.
Unless I'm mistaken, mostly by mexico.
Damn good post. I and many others agree 1000 percent.
While we all love your incredible ability to amass and post the link lists, that you do ( boy oh boy, do you REALLY help to connect the dots, with your links ! ), your ability to post a cogent, well thought out, well reasoned reply, is also greatly appreciated! :-)
( ~blush, blush!~ )
Well, thank you... the only problem I have, is when I think too hard, smoke starts coming from my ears as the gears strip. I'm more of an aggregator of links.
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