Posted on 08/09/2008 8:20:46 PM PDT by Syncro
A new national poll shows broad public support for government action in the face of $4-a-gallon gas and other energy concerns, giving Republicans a rare opening to go on the offensive against congressional Democrats and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).
Nearly two-thirds of Americans now put a priority on "finding new sources of energy" over improving conservation -- a significant shift since 2001 -- and majorities support all of the five potential federal initiatives tested in a new ABC News poll.
There is overwhelming backing for stricter fuel efficiency standards, as large majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents alike line up behind the idea. There is also widespread support across party lines for a more controversial proposal in the battle over energy policy: offshore oil drilling.
Overall, 63 percent want the federal government to lift its embargo on new drilling in U.S. coastal waters. Nearly eight in 10 Republicans and seven in 10 independents back the idea, as do just over half of Democrats in the poll conducted in partnership with Stanford University and Planet Green.
The findings come after weeks of pressure from Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, and GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill who have demanded straight up or down votes on more domestic drilling. Faced with opposition from Democratic leaders, House Republicans on Friday completed the first week of what they hope to be an almost month-long protest on the chamber floor.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
How exactly does taxing oil profits help the price of gasoline?
It drives the price higher. That should be too obvious to have to explain.
If I’m selling lemonade at my lemonade stand and some raises the price of ANYTHING, then I must raise the price of the lemonade to keep making the same money. Raise the price of sugar, paper cups, lemon mix, or taxes, and I have to raise my price to make the same amount of money.
If the federal government gets a bunch of money from a gas tax, how many think they’re going to give to give it back to me — dollar for dollar — based on how much gasoline I’ve bought? If so, then they’re fools.
Your points are well taken.
However let me add a couple of things.
First Hybrid cars do not use electricity, at least the majority of them don’t. Electric cars do but a power plant generating electricity is more efficient than a car burning gas. And not all electric plants burn coal, less than half of them do.
We need to get more nuclear plants.
I know all the things you mention are subsidized but I think we do need to move in the direction of alternate fuel and think there is a place for the government to get involved. Especially removing barriers such as drilling bans, allowing nuclear plants to be built and even some subsidies.
Thanks for the post.
Your points are well taken.
However let me add a couple of things.
First Hybrid cars do not use electricity, at least the majority of them don’t. Electric cars do but a power plant generating electricity is more efficient than a car burning gas. And not all electric plants burn coal, less than half of them do.
We need to get more nuclear plants.
I know all the things you mention are subsidized but I think we do need to move in the direction of alternate fuel and think there is a place for the government to get involved. Especially removing barriers such as drilling bans, allowing nuclear plants to be built and even some subsidies.
Thanks for the post.
That is correct, people are too stupid to understand that corporations base their performance on "after tax" ROI (Return on Investment). The only other variable is product pricing to achieve their financial model goals.
Snort. Nuff said.
"We are already giving the American people half of what they want: Oil companies pay billions more in taxes than what they make in profits. Democrats want to put NEW taxes onto the oil companies--this will increase prices on the consumer.
What we need to focus on NOW is the OTHER half of what the American people want: more drilling. Here the Democrat operatives and their allies in the environmentalist and animal rights movements are wrong. Americans want to drill for more oil, and we should."
THAT should be the Republicans' strategery!
Sad that a majority is too stupid to realize that increased taxes on oil profits = increased prices at the pump.”
Also that such taxes could delay the revenue stream needed to find and drill for new sources of oil. I don’t want to punish the company that knows how to put gasoline into my truck.
btt
“Windbag Taxes” is a better description of Obaba’s tax plan.
You’re right. Most of the oil stock is owned by middle class hundreds of thousands of middle class folks. Secondly, if we were to tap into our resources I believe we’d be a net exporter of oil. We’d cut into Iran’s. OPEC’s profits and the oil companies would have more taxable income. Not from increased taxes but from increased volume of sales.
I have a question about the Oil Shale in the US and the Oil Sands in Canada, what are the differences and if Canada has had success, why are the politicians telling US that it cannot be done??
I thought it was 3x rather than 5x....
The windfall profits tax as proposed is indeed odd and that it would get so much support is not good news.
You are exactly right. If we open up federal lands to drilling, and then sufficiently tax the money that can be made from oil, we can be sure it won’t be profitable to explore and drill for oil in the first place!
Here’s the position of the oil companies right now, in paycheck terms. Suppose your paycheck stub showed you made $1,100 the last two weeks, but you notice that the government took $3,300. Would any citizen stand for that? But that’s what the statistics already posted above show. How hard would you work to create more money?
That post is among the strangest examples of ‘Fetal-position Freeper Thinking’ I have ever read.
We don;t have advanced technologies today because they haven’t been advanced, developed, and deployed yet. In some cases they never will be. In other cases they will be developed in time.
There was no nuclear power in 1900. The Freeper of the day wonders ‘why?’ and concludes that since it isn’t on-linje yet, it will never be developed and implemented. He or she would be completely wrong.
Sorry but its posts like yours that make us all look very bad. It’s not conservatism, it’s ‘something else,’ and that ‘something else’ isn’t very insightful.
I agree with you that new technologies shouldn’t be heavily subsidized. If they are indeed viable, they will develop on their own. If they are not viable, they don’t need taxpayer money to prop them up.
We are headed for gasoline rationing if these polls are in any way a true measure just how dumb people really are.
Raising taxes is simply un-American.
Gasoline has more BTUs. Maybe it was also cheaper back then?
US stocks surge on ‘watershed’ dollar jump
The Financial Times Ltd | August 8 2008 | Peter Garnham & John Authers
Posted on 08/08/2008 6:07:47 PM PDT by ricks_place
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2058871/posts
First Georgian Russian War images becoming available
(we must support and aid Georgia)
VArious Russian and Georgian news outlets | 8 Augt 2008 | Jeff Head
Posted on 08/08/2008 10:43:34 AM PDT by Jeff Head
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2058674/posts
Georgia says Russian tanks mean ‘war’ in South Ossetia
Times Online | August 8, 2008 | Philippe Naughton
Posted on 08/08/2008 3:37:46 PM PDT by neverdem
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2058793/posts
U.S. tells Russia to pull forces out of Georgia
Reuters | August 8, 2008
Posted on 08/08/2008 10:07:02 PM PDT by Flavius
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2058921/posts
Russia says has control of South Ossetia capital
Reuters (excerpt) | August 9, 2008
Posted on 08/09/2008 1:30:46 AM PDT by HAL9000
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2058947/posts
Turkey agrees to supply Georgia electricity
Reuters | 8/8/08 | Orhan Coskun
Posted on 08/09/2008 5:50:08 AM PDT by a_Turk
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2058994/posts
Georgia In State Of War With Russia
SKYNEWS | 08-09-08 | Sky NEws
Posted on 08/09/2008 6:55:15 AM PDT by tcrlaf
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2059027/posts
Raping Georgia: Russia Invades An American Ally
New York Post | 8/9/2008 | Ralph Peters
Posted on 08/09/2008 8:17:55 AM PDT by dr_who
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2059061/posts
Georgia: Russia enters into ‘war’ in South Ossetia
Telegraph (UK) | 1:29AM BST 09 Aug 2008 | Adrian Blomfield in Gori
Posted on 08/09/2008 5:29:39 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2059223/posts
‘Invasion of Georgia’ a ‘3 a.m. moment’
Yahoo/Politico | 8/9/08 | Ben Smith
Posted on 08/09/2008 5:51:41 PM PDT by dervish
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2059233/posts
Russia Rejects Cease-Fire With Georgia
CBS
Posted on 08/09/2008 5:53:37 PM PDT by Sub-Driver
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2059235/posts
Russia’s Ceasefire Terms
Civil.GE | 10 Aug.’08 / 05:56 | Civil Georgia, Tbilisi
Posted on 08/09/2008 8:07:19 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2059278/posts
RAW: Russian Airstrike Against Civilian Area (Plus Aftermath). (Video only)
live leak | today | unk.
Posted on 08/09/2008 10:30:40 PM PDT by robomatik
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2059316/posts
Georgia ‘pulls out of S Ossetia’
BBC | , Sunday, 10 August 2008 06:17 UK 05:17 GMT | BBC Staff
Posted on 08/09/2008 11:00:57 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2059326/posts
Georgia and Russia Nearing All-Out War
NY Times | August 10, 2008 | Anne Barnard
Posted on 08/09/2008 11:10:06 PM PDT by neverdem
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2059330/posts
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