Democrats vote NO to lower gas prices

I'd like to hear the Democrats and Liberals explain this one away.

Today a House subcommittee voted against a Republican-led measure that would have led to drilling 50 to 100 miles offshore. This could have led to lower gas prices and is in conjunction with the U.S. Geological Survey's Oil and Gas Assessment that there are hundreds of billions of barrels of oil under our own land and shores.

Now why would the Democrats vote AGAINST such a measure? Could it be that THEY are the ones who are profiting by the high gas prices and lowering prices would mean less profit for them?

I say follow the votes, not the propaganda. Democrats may say they care about pain at the pump, but their votes say otherwise.

www.foxnews.com...

Originally posted by sos37
I'd like to hear the Democrats and Liberals explain this one away. Now why would the Democrats vote AGAINST such a measure? Could it be that THEY are the ones who are profiting by the high gas prices and lowering prices would mean less profit for them?

www.foxnews.com...

I'm gonna go waaay out on a limb and say that the header "Democrats vote NO to lower gas prices" is a pretty well simplistic and partisan interpretation of a much larger debate. One of those "Are you still beating your wife?" kinda discussions. Mind you, the fact that Fox news is cited does give me hope of a balanced report.

Bobble-heads strike again...

reply to post by sos37


These partisian post are getting obsurd. So are you implying the republicans or any other politician is concerned with lowering gas prices. Introducing a bill that would allow more drilling, so the reason gas prices are so high is because the world is short on oil? If this is the case why are we not funding alternative energy. However while we are all debating these senseless debates oil companies are reporting record profits. Why the obsurdity of such a bill and the debates that revolve around I will never understand...

THEY ALL HAVE THE SAME AGENDA.

The debate should be any government v. we the people.

Dont waste your breath in trying to pin this horrendous oil problem on the party being elected soon.

BUSH started this crap with his war
The Democrats will probably continue to stick it to us.

If the Democrats were worth diddly, they would have impeached Satan (s) out of the White House long ago. They didnt, they wont.

Here's the actual headline of the article.

House Subcommittee Rejects Plan to Open U.S. Waters to More Oil Exploration

Rep. John Peterson, R-Pa., spearheaded the effort. His proposal would open up U.S. waters between 50 and 200 miles off shore for drilling. The first 50 miles off shore would be left alone.

But the plan failed Wednesday on a 9-6, party-line vote in a House appropriations subcommittee, which was considering the proposal as part of an Interior Department spending package.

With record oil prices and gas prices projected to hover around the $4 mark for the rest of the summer, Republicans have ratcheted up their efforts to open up oil exploration along U.S. coastline. But the long-sought change has so far been unsuccessful.

Most offshore oil production and exploration has been banned since a federal law passed in 1981.

/46z63f

Regardless of what news service reports the facts, they remain the same. Democrats won't allow the US to exploit our own resources to reduce the "addiction" to foriegn oil.

My opinion is that we will exploit these resources eventually. It's just a matter of when. As long as the oil is in the ground, it's like money in the bank, but the longer we wait, the harder it is to justify the wait.

Partisan politics indeed.

The drilling is in our best interests, but it won't immediately drop prices either. I would wager a bet that the bill had nothing to do with oil prices, but rather a way for the oil companies to get their hands on cheaper oil. We don't burn crude oil in our cars, so while it might appear on the surface that cheaper oil would equal cheaper gas, it isn't a given by any means.

The defeat was probably partisan. The Democrats don't want the Republicans to take any credit for actually doing anything. Meanwhile, the people are hurting and nothing is being done about the speculators or the falling dollar, both major causes of the higher prices. Nothing is being done about the tax breaks that send domestic oil overseas and force it into the speculation market, another major cause.

You guys keep fighting the D vs. R battle. Sooner or later the economy will simply fold and burn like a lit piece of tissue paper, leaving both sides wondering what happened. I'm coming off the grid, so I'll just sit back and watch the show. Maybe when the curtain closes, people will start to pay attention to what's happening instead of what's being said. If they can still afford to pay attention at all.

TheRedneck

Originally posted by dgtempe
THEY ALL HAVE THE SAME AGENDA.

The debate should be any government v. we the people.

Dont waste your breath in trying to pin this horrendous oil problem on the party being elected soon.

BINGO!!!

I thought that being elected was an honor bestowed on those who the citizens voted in office.

I was naive,

ever seen a two headed coin?

No matter your political leanings, take a step back, then look back into recent history (max 50yrs), look at the platforms presented, look at who was in control, CONGRESS,

That's right, your elected Representatives and Senators....

From my minimal research..

Our elected in the CAPITOL have been playing a shell game with our Great Grand parents, Grand parents, Parents, and now us....

My only question is...

How can we stop this endless cycle?

Anyone?

Originally posted by harvib
so the reason gas prices are so high is because the world is short on oil?

Yes Virginia, there is an oil shortage. It’s not that there is not enough oil but that it’s not being collected and refined quickly enough to keep up with the growth of demand. Drilling and refining more in the U.S. would reduce that problem. Strangely, Democrats ( on the whole) seem to think that drilling is not the answer. That’s sort of like saying: “I don’t have enough apples to eat - but planting more apple trees can’t possibly be the answer!”

Alternative energy is the long-term solution. But by that I mean long-term. There is not enough capability, at the current time, to just switch off the oil and go to alternative sources. Someday there will be. For now, we have to use what works - oil. And right now we are not producing enough of it.

Using your own analogy. Saying that alternative energy is long term is like saying "we don't have enough apples, but growing oranges is only a long term solution." If the apple orchards aren't producing we should turn to a source that does. The demand is only for oil because other options haven't been utilized. We have the technology for alternative energy, it is not long term, it has already been developed and is being used.

Interesting.

Still nobody can explain the reasoning behind NOT drilling for oil offshore.

I think it's pretty obvious. Continue to pretend like it's a partsian issue and that there is low supply and thereby justify soaring gas prices... While we all sit and debate which politicians to blame the oil companies continue to bring make record profits off our distractions and ignorance.

Originally posted by harvib
I think it's pretty obvious. Continue to pretend like it's a partsian issue and that there is low supply and thereby justify soaring gas prices...

So if it's not low supply what is it?

If it's not a partisan issue, what is it?

I still haven't heard an explanation that makes sense regarding why we shouldn't drill offshore.

Originally posted by harvib
Using your own analogy. Saying that alternative energy is long term is like saying "we don't have enough apples, but growing oranges is only a long term solution."

NO. You’re mixing my analogy and oranges…apples, whatever. If I’m eating apples and dependent upon them, I can’t just hope that oranges will be a good alternative. Especially if growing them is not feasible. Like say I live in Maine, for example. I’m tied into apples and apples I gotta have.
Granted, it would be nice if someday I could branch out into oranges, but I can’t be sure of that.
Alternative energy is like that. It probably will come around some day, but it doesn’t suffice now. It would be great if some genius invented a flux-capacitor tomorrow and we could all start running our cars on coffee grounds and banana peels - and someday it might happen - but we need to worry about now.

The other thing to consider is that oil is not just gas in the car. It’s byproducts produce a vast amount of the things we use and need every day. From the computer you’re using to post here to the phone you talk to your friend with. The CD you listen to and the hypodermic syringe the doctor gives you an injection with. Look around at everything in your life that has an attachment to oil and think about what would happen if it were removed. You wouldn’t recognize your new lifestyle at all.

Oil is oil. It is the lifeblood of the world economy. If we don’t have enough we are in danger of going into shock. Literally.

reply to post by sos37


Gas prices will lower when speculators stop speculating as to how high the price of oil will go. I see it as a test of the will of the American people, lets see how much people will pay for gas before they start to revolt...that sort of thing. The rich fat bastards making millions of dollars in profits are loving this while it last. Gas prices will eventually go down, as stupid as people are, they can only pay so much for gas before the situation turns violent. Gas prices should be reduced by at least .50 cents per gallon by the time election time comes. Then again, I could be wrong, I'd hate to speculate. The American government and our politicians are useless and are nothing but a bunch of hypocrites. There are only a handful of politicians that actually care about the plight of the common man.

Originally posted by jamie83

Originally posted by harvib
I think it's pretty obvious. Continue to pretend like it's a partsian issue and that there is low supply and thereby justify soaring gas prices...

So if it's not low supply what is it?

If it's not a partisan issue, what is it?

I still haven't heard an explanation that makes sense regarding why we shouldn't drill offshore.

You know what gets me is the Dems trying to pass the windfall profits tax on oil companies. They must have known when they drafted that piece of legislation that ut was a win for them either way:

1. the Republicans and the more conservative Dems would never go for it and the bill would never pass. But in the eyes of the public they would LOOK like they were doing something.

2. the bill would pass, the oil companies would raise the price of gas to recoup their losses and the Dems could again blame big oil for being greedy and in the eyes of the public they still looked like they were doing something.

Very sneaky. Then along comes this subcommittee vote today and they quietly shut it down by voting against drilling offshore ad offer no reasons why. It's a piece of news you most likely won't see on CNN or MSNBC.

Originally posted by jitombe
The rich fat bastards making millions of dollars in profits are loving this while it last… Gas prices should be reduced by at least .50 cents per gallon by the time election time comes.

Oil companies make about $.08 (eight cents) per gallon in profit. The Federal Government takes $.184 (eighteen point four) cents per gallon. Who’s making a bigger profit off the sale of gas? Why doesn’t the government cut back a little. It might not be $.50 (fifty cents) per gallon, but it’s a start.

(Why don’t I have the little cent “thingy” on my keyboard anymore? When did that go out?)

it is so simple most people don't see it.

Corporatist Pigs: Dem. or Rep. are the same thing.

NAFTA, CAFTA, GAFTA, Free Trade Agreements, The World Bank......
YOUR JOBS LEAVING OUR COUNTRY.

OPEC = Kings and Dictators...
Oil Companies = Multi-National Organized CRIME...
Commodity Brokers = Speculating Leeches...
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS FREE TRADE.

WE are the Goverment, NOT the Corporations, Take OUR Country Back!

Follow the MONEY, do you think these CEO's feel $4.00 gas

How many bailouts for the failures of crooked Corporations, can you count them?

Stop listening to sound bites, THINK!

Revolving Corporate-Goverment Door = White Collar Criminals!

The Answer: Publicaly Funded Elections. No money for politicians from any source other than a pay check. No bribes, Dinners, Vacations, Free trips on jets, and of course NO HOOKERS!

Originally posted by sos37


1. the Republicans and the more conservative Dems would never go for it and the bill would never pass. But in the eyes of the public they would LOOK like they were doing something.

Good point, but allow me to be more specific. It's not the general public that the Dems are trying to appeal to. It's the portion of their base that automatically thinks that the oil companies are the bad guys that should be punished.

Pretty much everybody with any common sense knows that taxing the oil companies with a windfall profit tax would cause the prices to go up and take away capital investment that would have been used to increase production. There has never been an argument put forth that the windfall profit tax would do anything to decrease gas prices.

Originally posted by jitombe
reply to post by sos37

 

Gas prices will lower when speculators stop speculating as to how high the price of oil will go. I see it as a test of the will of the American people, lets see how much people will pay for gas before they start to revolt...that sort of thing.

That's what I'm afraid of. As much as I love this country, I have to admit that I'm stunned by how many full-sized trucks and SUVs I still see on the roads nowadays with only single occupants and no business signs. I'm assuming they are personal vehicles. My personal opinion is that Americans will continue to pay for gas, kicking and screaming all the way, up until it gets to about $7 a gallon before they scream "enough is enough!" and actually make changes to their driving habits and car choices on a large scale.

Originally posted by sos37
My personal opinion is that Americans will continue to pay for gas, kicking and screaming all the way, up until it gets to about $7 a gallon before they scream "enough is enough!" and actually make changes to their driving habits and car choices on a large scale.

Ummm. Why should some Congressman be allowed to determine what kind of car I drive?If I want to buy a big car and pay some oil company to keep it running then that’s my choice as a free citizen. Why should some schmuck in Washington prevent them from drilling and thus artificially raise the prices sky-high so that I can no longer afford to drive the car of my choice?