Would like some answers to a list of energy questions

and the BIG question:

When will Congress abolish the outrageous fuel tax it collects on every gallon of gasoline? America makes the biggest profit for doing NOTHING!

Call Dole and Burr and ask these questions!!!

Our friend Hunter is soon going to need a hair transplant if the following is any indication, he'll be pulling his out by the roots.

"Why the gas tax could go up
Proposals for a gas tax holiday faltered over job losses - and now lawmakers need to come up with money to repair roads.

WASHINGTON (AP)-- The political vision of a summer gas tax holiday died a quick death in Congress, losing to a view that federal excise taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel will have to go up if they go anywhere.

Despite calls from the presidential campaign trail for a Memorial Day-to-Labor Day tax freeze, lawmakers quickly concluded - with a prod from the construction industry - that having $9 billion less to spend on highways could create a pre-election specter of thousands of lost jobs.

Now, lawmakers quietly are talking about raising fuel taxes by a dime from the current 18.4 cents a gallon on gasoline and 24.3 cents on diesel fuel."

http://money.cnn.com/2008/07/19/news/economy/...

Unfortunately complex problems are not solved by simple solutions. Removing the gas tax means the money for highways and infrastructure which are in dire need of repair will simply have to come from some other place. Where might that place be, foreign banks or governments willing to loan the wealthiest nation on the earth money to keep it's economy cooking?

You ask why all of these pieces of legislation are stalled, I'll tell you in a single word.

REPUBLICANS

After they lost control of Congress in 2006, Karl Rove sent them all memos that told them their only function until the 2008 elections was to block and stall EVERYTHING by what ever means necessary. This would even involve Mitch McConnel demanding a 462 page climate bill be read aloud. They are the problem then they have Bush, when he's not talking about Wall Street being drunk,chastise the Democrats for now doing anything. Good luck getting a straight answer from Dole and Burr.

"“Oil companies control 68 million acres that are permitted and ready for drilling but just sit vacant.” Why?"

They don't. You are being lied to and falling for it. The oil companies have leases on those lands. They don't "control" the land. And the leases are for a set period of time, after which, if they are not producing oil, are returned to the government and the oil companies do not get a dime of their lease money back.

When a politician, in this case almost exclusively democrats say they have X number of acres they are not drilling they are purposefully misleading you.

An acre of lease area is classified as "non-producing" if there isn't actual oil production at that moment occuring. After they get the lease, they still have several years of red tape to get permits to explore and test drill. While that is happening they are classified as "non-producing". While they are mapping, geologic testing, test drilling, or even installing operation rigs for actual production, they still get classified as "non-producing".

Also, for them to produce on all the 68 million acres the democrats are talking about, all 68 million acres must have oil and it needs to be recoverable at a economic cost. Obviously this is impossible. Some of those areas will not be drilled for the same reason they aren't drilling in your front yard. No oil.

"“Legislation is pending to impose criminal penalties for gas price gouging.” Legislation is stalled. Why?"

There are already anti-gouging laws in place at both state and federal levels. Another law is not needed. Also, never has a congressional investigation of oil and gas prices produced a discovery of "gouging". Not once.

"“Stop speculation that’s driving up oil prices. Experts say that ending unregulated speculation in oil markets could cut the price of oil by 50 percent.” Legislation is stalled. Why?"

Its bogus feel good, symbolism over substance legislation that will in reality do jack squat. I have said for months, and The Wall Street Journal had a piece about it on Monday, that all such legislation would do is move the small portion of the market that is in America, out of America and thus out of the regulatory reach of the US.

The legislation would accomplish squat. But hey, people would feel good and politicians would get votes because they "did something".

klemn wrote:

You ask why all of these pieces of legislation are stalled, I'll tell you in a single word.
REPUBLICANS
After they lost control of Congress in 2006, Karl Rove sent them all memos that told them their only function until the 2008 elections was to block and stall EVERYTHING by what ever means necessary. This would even involve Mitch McConnel demanding a 462 page climate bill be read aloud. They are the problem then they have Bush, when he's not talking about Wall Street being drunk,chastise the Democrats for now doing anything. Good luck getting a straight answer from Dole and Burr.

Sounds just like what the Dimocrats did for the 6 pervious years. BOTH parties are at fault.

"“Expand clean energy tax credits for businesses and families. The House passed a bill to do so with payment for credits to come by ending the $18 billion in subsidies to oil companies.” Why are we taxpayers adding the mega-billion subsidies to the mega-billion-dollar profits already enjoyed by the oil companies and why is the legislation stalled?"

The oil companies do not get $18 billion. They get a portion of it as it is a manufacturing sector inducement that congress implemented after losing a WTO battle with other countries over a different set of tax credits provided to several businesses, but excluding many others in the same sector. Once again you are being lied to and believing every word of it.

"And last but not least, how much stock in oil companies is held by the oilman in the Oval Office, and Vice President Cheney, Secretary of State Rice and our members of Congress?"

Who cares. And regardless, persons in such positions are required to have all investments in blind trusts. So they have no control over what is in their portfolio anyway.

And the truth of the matter is that about half of Americans own stock in "big oil". Some of the heaviest institutional investors in "big oil" are public pension plans. Those are retirement plans for teachers, firefighters, cops, police, government employees, etc...

In fact, it is highly likely that you Ms. Hanson are an owner of "Big Oil".

klemm,

"This would even involve Mitch McConnel demanding a 462 page climate bill be read aloud."

My god. Has he no shame? Actually requiring legislation they are to vote on, that virtually no member of the senate had read, to be read aloud for them to hear what is in it, but also for the American people to hear what is in the legislation.

He is worse than Hitler!

We need to get the government out of the oil business. This is the main problem with finding oil. Other countries are drilling for oil just off our coast and russia is drilling near the arctic area. Guess we will have to depend on others for the oil we could produce in our own country. Why are we not turning coal into oil. That is a source we could use for over a hundred years.The technology is already there for that process. If we combine all of these resources with wind power,solar power and nuclear power we can be rid of the arab oil cartel once and forever.

Why do we not experiment with a free market in oil production?

timpeck wrote:

Why do we not experiment with a free market in oil production?

Depends what you mean by "free market in oil production."

Do you mean removing safety regulations in it's harvesting? Do you mean removing environmental regulations about it's refining? Do you mean removing the govt subsidy in its transportation?(eg : Roads and rail for tankers.)

Frank Rizzo wrote:

klemm,
"This would even involve Mitch McConnel demanding a 462 page climate bill be read aloud."
My god. Has he no shame? Actually requiring legislation they are to vote on, that virtually no member of the senate had read, to be read aloud for them to hear what is in it, but also for the American people to hear what is in the legislation.
He is worse than Hitler!

Reading the 462 page bill in the actual Senate chamber is just a stall tactic. This should be done back in their offices and not on the floor of the Senate. I quess all Republicans are like Bush and can't read over 3 or 4 pages so they have to have their hands held and be spoon fed. I'm so thankful that we have your infinite wisdom to keep us all straight. Frank Rizzo, just plain wrong, again.

Frank, you old flip flopper you. Just exactly where are you from anyway? I see that you are now, again, from Raleigh. No wonder you like McCain so much because he flip flops as much as you do.

Thomas38 wrote:

WASHINGTON (AP)-- The political vision of a summer gas tax holiday died a quick death in Congress, losing to a view that federal excise taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel will have to go up if they go anywhere.

Now, lawmakers quietly are talking about raising fuel taxes by a dime from the current 18.4 cents a gallon on gasoline and 24.3 cents on diesel fuel."

Unfortunately complex problems are not solved by simple solutions. Removing the gas tax means the money for highways and infrastructure which are in dire need of repair will simply have to come from some other place. Where might that place be, foreign banks or governments willing to loan the wealthiest nation on the earth money to keep it's economy cooking?

People and businesses are hurting from the high, unbudgeted cost of full and the gov. is going to raise the tax? "The peasants have no bread. Then let them eat cake".

That "some other place" could well be the $800 million in pork or, actually cutting back on wasteful government spending. I know! Cut backs mean no votes and it's election year.

whoops...fuel

timpeck wrote:

Why do we not experiment with a free market in oil production?

The free market experiment is a complete failure. A joke perpetrated upon the American people. These gullible folks are happy as clams to be jerked around by the rich.

Remember the free market will solve all problems is their mantra. What it did was solve the problems of the top 5% of the American people

klemn wrote:

Frank, you old flip flopper you. Just exactly where are you from anyway? I see that you are now, again, from Raleigh. No wonder you like McCain so much because he flip flops as much as you do.

I am no fan of John McCain.<P>
Unfortunately, this year are choices are between a democrat, which McCain really is, and a hard leftist, Obama.

willard wrote:

<quoted text>
The free market experiment is a complete failure. A joke perpetrated upon the American people. These gullible folks are happy as clams to be jerked around by the rich.
Remember the free market will solve all problems is their mantra. What it did was solve the problems of the top 5% of the American people

Yeah, the free market is such a failure that the rest of the world would love to move here so they can participate in that failure. It is NOT perfect, but it sure beats any other system.