Dems: GOP turning 'blind eye' to oil cos.

AP ^ | 4/29/2006 | AP

[sirchtruth]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats on Saturday accused the Republican-led Congress of providing tax cuts to oil companies at a time when the industry enjoys record profits and many motorists struggle to deal with rising gasoline prices.

In his party's weekly radio address, Rep. Bart Stupak of Michigan said "gas prices keep skyrocketing, and in Washington, Republicans continue to turn a blind eye to the oil industry's activities."

[sirchtruth]

Democrats want to taxes the tarnation out of everything. They are such dumdasses for not realizing it the taxes that drive the costs up!

[Reactionary]

More socialism! That will fix the "problem!"

Democrats are such Marxist swine.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Frickin' Republicans need to grow a spin on this issue and attack the Dems with facts. Of course, that would cause a negative reaction, such as an unflattering NY Times editorial or not being invited to a D.C. cocktail party.

[sirchtruth]

Sorry, I was so frustrated at the stupid democrats blaming Repubs and Bush for everything, I didn't even proof read before I posted!

[goldstategop]

If the oil industry didn't exist, no one would be able to buy gas to fill up their cars. Economically illiterate demagogues. The Democrats today are anti-development, period.

(Denny Crane: "Every one should carry a gun strapped to their waist. We need more - not less guns.")

[gafusa]

Plus the Democrats and oversees monopolists and socialist are entirely to blame. Gas prices would be well below 3 dollars if not for the extra taxes on gas. The Democrats, with their brand of logic, use high gas prices a reason to raise gas prices. Al the Democrats care about is power and robbing th populace blind.

[lilylangtree]

The $100 rebate has got to be one of the most ridiculous ideas on the table. If the govt forced the oil companies to lower their prices by at least a $1.00 makes more sense.

[P-40]

If someone is blaming their problems on someone else, you can bet that person is a Democrat.

[SunnyD1182]

The Democrats are such unbelievable hypocrites.

The GOP needs to grow some balls, and make it quite clear to the people that the Democrats are responsible for this problem, by having stonewalled refinery building and domestic oil expansion for decades.

Why are we not hearing this from the idiots that infest the current Republican Party?

They're asking to get their asses handed to them in November. I don't even know why I waste my time with this party anymore- if it won't grow a pair, it's not going to be able to implement any reasonable policy.

[VictoryGal]

> The $100 rebate has got to be one of the most ridiculous ideas on the table.

Truer words were never spoken.

[M-cubed]

FWIW.....a quote from http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/060428/earns_oil.html?.v=6

For their part, the oil companies have been emphasizing that they make far less money on each dollar of sales than many other industries that aren't being excoriated for their capitalism.

Taken together, Exxon, Chevron and ConocoPhillips made a profit of $8.19 on every $100 in sales. In contrast, Internet bellwethers Google Inc., Yahoo Inc. and eBay Inc. collectively turned a $19.20 profit on every $100 of their combined revenue.

Still, as important as the Internet has become, energy remains more vital.

[butternut_squash_bisque]

The oil companies' 8.3% profit isn't driving-up the cost of gas. It's the damned gov't - fed and state - taxes which are doing the increases.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1597292/posts

[Sooth2222]

If the govt forced the oil companies to lower their prices by at least a $1.00 makes more sense.

That's what Jimmy Carter did, and guess what happened.

If I'm Royal Dutch Shell or British Petroleum I'm not going to sell you a gallon of gasoline for $2 if I can sell it in Beijing for $3. Since we don't produce all the oil we use here, and we don't refine all the oil we use here, the price of oil and gasoline is now largely out of our control. If you try to tell the Dutch Royal family to sell gasoline here at a lower price than the world market price they will laugh at you. At least our caribou and the manatees are happy. Enjoy!

(I agree that the $100 rebate is a pretty dumb idea. A much better idea would be to do nothing at all but politicians can't restrain themselves in an election year.)

[Explorer24]

Dems turn a blind eye to the media's profit margins, which are highter, and their exec pay, which is equal. No one can bite the hand that feeds them I guess.

[Trunk 71-74]

Democrats -- a cult in search of a clue!

[Dutch Boy]

As I've said in the past, any politician that isn't actively working to increase drilling and open new refineries is doing nothing but flapping their gums. Investigations do nothing but burn tax dollars. Debate does nothing except stall. We need drills in the ground, pumping stations and refineries. Our high gas and oil costs will drop like a stone.

[tobyhill]

The $100 gas tax rebate is a part of a bigger plan that includes opening ANWR and Frist has already said that to get the $100 would have to include ANWR. The cost of the tax rebates is $10 billion but the prize of ANWR is 12 billion barrels of oil, massive amounts of NG, royalties to the gov, lease agreements payable to the gov and taxes from the oil companies to the gov. To open ANWR I'll be checking the mail and if anyone feels bad about getting the $100 I gladly accept donations or better yet give it to a charitable cause. Remember who the Republicans are talking to. Put a little money in front of a Rats face and they're usually willing to accept just about anything.

[EagleUSA]

They are such dumdasses for not realizing it the taxes that drive the costs up!
-----
The libs could care less about the impact of what their power-grabbing lifestyle does to America. They only care about short-term power and control. That is achieved by VOTES and TAXATION. And it is just getting worse, as one would expect with these runaway socialists.

[CBart95]

Let 'em scream.

The American voter is no fool. The Dems have disgraced themselves so consistently and so often, only a fool would vote these miscreants into any office anywhere.

This is a great lesson in "letting go and letting God."

[Prodn2000]

That's the problem in an industry with "reserves."
XOM made 15.41 on every barrel of oil it touched last year(per there annual report). If they are the ones that determine the the price(exploration/drilling/shipping/refining)at which they take refined gasoline into their inventories then the 8.9% figure does not hold water. I do believe that they even obtained crude oil for free off of federal lands, and didn't even have to pay oil/mineral rights royalties.