DNC Misdirected Blame on GOP for Pump Prices
WASHINGTON (AP) - Democrats chided congressional Republicans on Saturday for failing to do enough to stem high energy costs that have resulted in huge oil industry profits.
Last week, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., also said Congress should look into whether to enact a federal energy price-gouging law. Democrats and a few Republicans have also said Congress should enact a windfall-profits tax on oil companies, but that idea has been sharply criticized by the Bush administration and GOP congressional leaders.
The House by a narrow vote recently approved legislation its GOP supporters say would provide incentives to build or expand refineries. They also have proposed opening coastal waters that now are off limits to drilling to energy development, especially natural gas.
"What was the Republican answer to the hurricanes? More subsidies to the oil industry," Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., said in his party's weekly radio address.
First off, DNC operators know that incentives to build and expand refineries would lower current pump prices. Second, I would hardly call those “Subsidies to the Oil Industry”.
But Third… I think there is something to be said about Gas stations struggling to make profits during this pump price crisis, while Oil Industries are making record profits. Any Republican with some honesty, not beholden to oil moguls would support looking into this just a bit.
Yes we work in a free market, but at some point, everyone needs to share the burden. After all, that is what made this country great, no “Robber Barons”.
Last week, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., also said Congress should look into whether to enact a federal energy price-gouging law. Democrats and a few Republicans have also said Congress should enact a windfall-profits tax on oil companies, but that idea has been sharply criticized by the Bush administration and GOP congressional leaders.
The House by a narrow vote recently approved legislation its GOP supporters say would provide incentives to build or expand refineries. They also have proposed opening coastal waters that now are off limits to drilling to energy development, especially natural gas.
"What was the Republican answer to the hurricanes? More subsidies to the oil industry," Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., said in his party's weekly radio address.
First off, DNC operators know that incentives to build and expand refineries would lower current pump prices. Second, I would hardly call those “Subsidies to the Oil Industry”.
But Third… I think there is something to be said about Gas stations struggling to make profits during this pump price crisis, while Oil Industries are making record profits. Any Republican with some honesty, not beholden to oil moguls would support looking into this just a bit.
Yes we work in a free market, but at some point, everyone needs to share the burden. After all, that is what made this country great, no “Robber Barons”.
