High Gas Prices!

Back in May Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman rejected a call by Congress to release oil from the government's emergency stockpile. The congress gave the reason for this request as "oil is needed to bring down the current high fuel prices." Mr. Bodman rejected the request because "emergency stockpile oil is needed to respond to future supply emergencies, and not to influence prices." Now, as usual, the democrat controlled congress contradicts itself. In May Pres. Bush ask the Saudis to increase their oil production by 9.7 million barrels a day. The congress replied to that by saying that wouldn't help bring down the cost of oil. So they asked for 400 million barrels to be released into the economy, and said that it would reduce prices for Americans.

Let me just give you an idea of how long 400 million barrels would last. There are 43.5 gallons in a barrel of crude oil. Now then, 19.5 gallons of that end up as gasoline, 9 gallons of fuel oil, 4 gallons of jet fuel, and 11 gallons go to other products. So only 19.5 gallons out of a barrel end up as gas for your vehicle. Now if we do the math that 400 million barrels x 19.5 gallons = 7.8 billion gallons. However, we the "capitalistic pigs" of the Unites States use 386 million gallons of gas a day. So the amount of fuel that the democrat congress wants released would last us roughly 19.5 days.

My point is simply that neither releasing oil from the emergency stockpile, nor getting the Saudis to increase capacity is the answer. I think Pres. Bush has come to see this as well, by lifting the ban on drilling earlier this week. Our best way of getting back to "affordable" fuel cost is to drill in and around the good ol U.S.A. That means 100% energy independence from foreign oil. By lifting the ban, and by more Americans demanding we drill for our own oil, the ball has been placed in the democrat congress's court. What they need to do is release the ridiculous requirements that the EPA has on the oil companies. Secondly, they need to abolish the restrictions on oil exploration lands. Last, but not least, they need to reduce the federal gas tax (or do away with it, but lets not hold our breath.) These things will go alot further to helping relieve the strain on hard working Americans. If they want so badly to help the Americans, that are being "turned upside down, and having money shaken from their pockets", then why not commit to real methods of help. Yet another prime example of why we need smaller government instead of the Goliath it has grown into.