Politics Strikes Back

I like politics. There's something about it that gets me going. Kinda like Celtic music, I can't help myself.

So the other day I'm flipping through the channels and I happen across C-SPAN (it was either CSPAN II or maybe CSPAN LXXIV (local township council meetings)). One of the Iowa representatives (a Republican) was standing and speaking about the gas prices. What caught my eye was his chart.

I try not to blame everything on Washington, and when I do, I honestly try to look for the cause (although Robert over at Skewed will tell you I blame only Democrats). This chart showed that on the day George W. Bush took office in January of 2001, regular unleaded nationwide was at $1.49/gallon. Then, when the Democratic controlled congress was installed in January of 2007, unleaded was $2.88/gallon. Since then, under a Democrat controlled congress, gas prices have risen to historic levels, currently rocking around $4.10/gallon.

The next representative to stand spoke on energy usage. Both representatives wet to great lengths to proclaim the failures of Congress, and yes they actually blamed their own party as well, for letting things reach the point they are at.

The Democrats claimed that they would go after "big oil" for their obscene profits. That's right, an 8% profit is obscene, according to the federal government. That means big oil makes 8 cents for every dollar sold. What most people don't know is that the federal government makes about 45 cents per dollar sold when it comes to gasoline. But "big oil" is the enemy, remember?

Also, these two representatives lambasted the Congress for complaining about oil prices, but then stifling every attempt to drill in this country, or off our own coast. Sadly, foreign nations are striking deals with Cuba to drill practically within sight of the United States, and yet we can't do the same thing. But it isn't all the government's fault. Every time an oil company proposes drilling somewhere, the Sierra Club, or Greenpeace, or someone else comes out and sues the company, keeping them from drilling.

So what are we to do? Apparently the democratic side of the aisle won't let any more drilling occur. And the republican side of the aisle doesn't have the backbone to try anything. What are we to do?