Everybody is complaining about oil and gas prices, but it’s business as usual in governmental offices all over the country. Picture in your mind's eye a politician’s profile. (I wish I could draw this cartoon for you.)
One side of his face is frowning—a sign of his concern for the people and the added costs of gasoline. He’s intent on going after big oil! Those companies are making too much money!!!! “Let’s legislate an excess profits tax to fix those high prices. Power to the people!”
But turn that two-faced liar around, and you see a smiley face! Higher gas prices mean Power to the Government! Taxes on gasoline is the federal and state cash cow, and those hungry politicians can’t wait to get hold of a teat! I wrote about that in Not With a Whimper on May 23rd. Go there for a cost breakdown for a gallon at $3.81.
But get this, the “sympathetic” legislatures in some states, Kentucky, Florida, and Massachusetts to name just three, are raising gasoline taxes. Only Georgia has halted a slated rise. With sympathy like that, who needs OPEC. Other states, California for instance, index the tax with the price of gasoline. The $4.00 a gallon Californians ante up brings in 5 Billion Dollars in tax revenue. If you think your Californian legislators are going to give that up, think again.
But everyone has the oil companies as the scapegoat even though U.S. oil companies have not been allowed to drill for oil anywhere in the United States and thereby increase the supply. Nor have they been allowed to build refineries. Meanwhile we buy from Russian owned Lukoil and Chavez owned Citgo, etc. etc. etc. as the king would say. We just send our dollars out of the country.
U.S. oil companies flushing us down the tubes? I think not. It’s our politicians.
One way to bring the price of gasoline down is to use less. The U.S. has already cut consumption by .3% while in the same period, China and India have upped theirs by over 4%. Power to the People means cutting back. A second way is demanding from our politicians that we allow our oil companies to tap into our resources and free us from foreign domination. Brazil just discovered major oil deposits off its coast. They're ecstatic!
China is drilling off Cuba—diagonally into our waters where we should be drilling. We’re just giving it away. Rather, our politicians are giving it away.
One side of his face is frowning—a sign of his concern for the people and the added costs of gasoline. He’s intent on going after big oil! Those companies are making too much money!!!! “Let’s legislate an excess profits tax to fix those high prices. Power to the people!”
But turn that two-faced liar around, and you see a smiley face! Higher gas prices mean Power to the Government! Taxes on gasoline is the federal and state cash cow, and those hungry politicians can’t wait to get hold of a teat! I wrote about that in Not With a Whimper on May 23rd. Go there for a cost breakdown for a gallon at $3.81.
But get this, the “sympathetic” legislatures in some states, Kentucky, Florida, and Massachusetts to name just three, are raising gasoline taxes. Only Georgia has halted a slated rise. With sympathy like that, who needs OPEC. Other states, California for instance, index the tax with the price of gasoline. The $4.00 a gallon Californians ante up brings in 5 Billion Dollars in tax revenue. If you think your Californian legislators are going to give that up, think again.
But everyone has the oil companies as the scapegoat even though U.S. oil companies have not been allowed to drill for oil anywhere in the United States and thereby increase the supply. Nor have they been allowed to build refineries. Meanwhile we buy from Russian owned Lukoil and Chavez owned Citgo, etc. etc. etc. as the king would say. We just send our dollars out of the country.
U.S. oil companies flushing us down the tubes? I think not. It’s our politicians.
One way to bring the price of gasoline down is to use less. The U.S. has already cut consumption by .3% while in the same period, China and India have upped theirs by over 4%. Power to the People means cutting back. A second way is demanding from our politicians that we allow our oil companies to tap into our resources and free us from foreign domination. Brazil just discovered major oil deposits off its coast. They're ecstatic!
China is drilling off Cuba—diagonally into our waters where we should be drilling. We’re just giving it away. Rather, our politicians are giving it away.
gas oil taxes politicians "political+blogs" "federal+government" "state+government" Kentucky Florida Massachusetts Georgia California "tax+indexing" legislators scapegoats "oil+companies" congress Russia China India Brazil Cuba Lukoil Citgo Venezuela Chavez
1 comment:
Increased drilling in the U.S. won't help our supply. There are no U.S. oil companies, only global companies that will sell U.S. resources to the highest bidder. Anything drilled here will go to China or India, not us. Oil companies already have drilling rights to millions of acres but aren't drilling while pressing for increased offshore rights. It's an ad campaign for oil and gas right out of the empty promise of clean coal.
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