Republican solution to gas prices? Bribery.
The Republicans who believe bribery is a normal and integral part of government has come forward with their solution to high gas prices. The "party of ideas" they so like to claim is taking a page out of the Jack Abramoff book of payoffs and has proposed a $100 bribe to taxpayers to help offset the high energy prices. It will only offset maybe one or two tanks of gas and no doubt it's taxable just like the $300 tax rebate payoff bribe paid to taxpayers a few years ago. (In fact it wasn't a tax rebate but a pre-payment of your refund and it was done to divert attention to the huge tax cuts for the top 1% of taxpayers who get 43% of the Bush tax cuts.) When faced with a problem the Republicans have two answers - throw money we don't have at the problem and use the money as bribes.
To be fair they have also added drilling in ANWR to get what at most might add one million extra barrels of oil a day. America uses over 20 million barrels a day so within a few years ANWR oil, even if they are right on output, would only represent maybe 3% or less of our oil needs. And if all those happy scenarios the Republicans sold about Iraq had come true we would already have an extra million barrels a day flowing out of the middle east. But either way trying to find an extra million or two barrels a day isn't going to solve the problem long-term. China and India are competing for oil supplies and no doubt other developing countries will continue to develop and have their own oil needs. Instead of giving a $100 to each taxpayer why not take that money and announce funding of alternative energy research grants? Why not use the bribes Republicans want to slip Americans to send kids to college and graduate schools to become scientists and engineers in a Energy Corps. modelled after the Peace Corps.? Why not? Because the Republicans who claim "America is addicted to oil" as W said at this year's State of the Union are really addicted to oil companies. ExxonMobil made $93,000,000 in net profit on every day over the last three months. You might get $100. Wonder how much Republican campaigns get from big oil? Just enough to keep you and America addicted to oil.
To be fair they have also added drilling in ANWR to get what at most might add one million extra barrels of oil a day. America uses over 20 million barrels a day so within a few years ANWR oil, even if they are right on output, would only represent maybe 3% or less of our oil needs. And if all those happy scenarios the Republicans sold about Iraq had come true we would already have an extra million barrels a day flowing out of the middle east. But either way trying to find an extra million or two barrels a day isn't going to solve the problem long-term. China and India are competing for oil supplies and no doubt other developing countries will continue to develop and have their own oil needs. Instead of giving a $100 to each taxpayer why not take that money and announce funding of alternative energy research grants? Why not use the bribes Republicans want to slip Americans to send kids to college and graduate schools to become scientists and engineers in a Energy Corps. modelled after the Peace Corps.? Why not? Because the Republicans who claim "America is addicted to oil" as W said at this year's State of the Union are really addicted to oil companies. ExxonMobil made $93,000,000 in net profit on every day over the last three months. You might get $100. Wonder how much Republican campaigns get from big oil? Just enough to keep you and America addicted to oil.
posted by Crankyboy at 11:35 AM
1 Comments:
They should give us $100 to make up for devaluing our currency so shamelessly. As for oil, let the prices soar until everyone starts using their brains about transportation.
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