Posted by
Roxanna M. on Thursday, May 22, 2008 12:49:32 PM
No, that's not a leaky faucet. That's the sweat off the brows of congressional dimocrats as the full consequences of their refusal to allow America to harvest its own resources get clearer and more dire every day.
At hearings yesterday, Dick Durbin (D-IL) (Was ever a politician so perfectly named?) said, "Does it trouble any of you when you see what you're doing to us?"
Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) chimed in by saying that these oil executives lack an "ethical compass about the price of gasoline."
Patrick Leahy (D-VT) said, "And I suppose we can tell our constituents when they're finding out they can't afford to go to work because of the price of gas, 'Don't worry, you're in a current up-cycle.'"
At each and every opportunity, these self-righteous pontificators have blocked America from becoming energy independent. This is an undeniable fact. It was far more important for them to kow-tow to a small, but vocal, minority than it was to look out for the best interests of the country. And now, the full consequences of decades of stupidity are smacking them - and us - right between the eyes. Well, actually, right in the wallet.
The time for fingerpointing is over. Grilling oil company execs serves no purpose whatsoever, except to prove to the people that the mental midgets in DC still think we're the ones who are stupid and that they can continue to fool us with these dog-and-pony shows.
It's now time for these paragons of political ineptitude to actually do something for the American people. Unfortunately, what can they do? Windfall profits tax? Oil companies make $0.08 to $0.10 a gallon, while the federal government makes $.18. Who's making a windfall profit here? Suing OPEC? They can't possibly be serious. Suing the producer of a product because you don't like the price it's charging? Why don't I just sue the supermarket because it won't sell me milk for $1.00 a gallon and steak for $.50 a pound? No more shipments to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve? Get real! Which one of these things is going to make a difference at the pump right now?
We can hope there's some truth to the rumor that these prices are being fueled by speculation, and we can hope that the bubble bursts soon because there is absolutely nothing else that can be done in the short term to stave off the economic tsunami headed our way. Congress has seen to it that our own resources are years away from coming on line. OPEC could start charging us $1,000 a barrel, and there's not thing one we could do about it.
I have a cousin who says that anarchy will begin at $10.00 a gallon. He could very well be right. In the meantime, CYA is the order of the day for the DC Dolts.
Drip, drip, drip . . .