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Daily Events...
They care that you
care (about the price of gasoline)
by Audrey Hudson
Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill are scrambling this week to
show their constituents back home that they care, that you care, about
the price of gasoline.
The consensus isn’t even close.
House Republicans are making a big splash passing two bills today to
reverse President’s Obama’s crackdown on oil drilling in the Gulf of
Mexico after the Deepwater Horizon disaster last year.
In a nutshell, more leases would be let, more permits permitted, and
more oil would be drilled to bring down the $4 a gallon price of gas,
Republicans are arguing.
Few Democrats are agreeing with that economic theory, and are instead
pursing their own brand of gasoline price justice by proposing billions
of dollars in tax increases for domestic oil producers.
Meanwhile, the Obama administration is floating an unofficial, draft
only, if-you-really-hate-it-we-didn’t-really-mean-it proposal that
would tax all drivers based on how many miles they drive.
Republicans aren’t likely to support the Democrat’s tax measures, even
though the Senate promises to use the billions of dollars it would reap
to pay down the deficit.
And the Senate isn’t exactly scrambling to follow the House action and
get all of the oilrigs drilling again in the Gulf before Americans load
up their cars this summer and take the kids on vacation.
So while they care, that you care, about the price of gasoline, it
doesn’t appear that this week they care enough to actually get
something done about it.
— Audrey Hudson
Read it at Daily Events
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