Pirate's Cove

Obviously, this is some sort of massive handout to Big Oil or something, rather than a measure to drill for our own oil off our own shores, ensuring our supply is readily available and prices go down

As gas prices nationally approach $4 a gallon, the House passed Thursday a measure that would require the Interior Department to conduct four offshore oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Virginia.

The bill, H.R. 1230, passed on a 266-to-149 vote, with 33 Democrats joining all but two Republicans present in voting yes.

Republicans have cast the measure as a step toward easing the country’s rising gas prices by speeding up oil and gas exploration in the gulf. The administration, Republicans have argued, has not acted quickly enough to approve lease sales after last year’s Deepwater Horizon disaster, which killed 11 people and leaked an estimated 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf.

Democrats, including the White House, complained whined about the legislation, saying it won’t lower the price of gasoline. Instead, offered up legislation that would remove the “subsidies” from the top 5 oil companies, which would somehow, in their fevered minds, bring down gas prices. That was defeated.

Democrats blasted the bill Thursday and sought to tie Republicans to the oil industry ahead of the 2012 elections and amid growing public concern about gas prices.

“This is about big oil handouts, pure and simple,” Rep. Rush Holt (D-N.J.) said.

You mean like how Democrat President Barack Obama is giving billions to a Brazilian government owned company to perform deep water drilling, Mr. Holt? And took lots of money from BP and Exxon, among others?

On one side, we have a Party that is concerned about the rising gas prices, which will further stifle the economy, raise prices of foods and other goods, and cause people to once again go with staycations this summer. On the other side, we have a Party that is full of demagogues who could care less about the pain American’s feel. Unfortunately, the demagogues are winning the debate

With the overall economy continuing to falter, Americans are blaming an array of culprits for the increases at the pump, according to new data from a Washington Post-Pew Research Center poll.

Nearly one in three point the finger at a combination of greed, speculation and oil companies. About one in five say prices are up because of wars and the spreading unrest in the Middle East and North Africa. Around one in eight say it’s something political or policy-related that has gas prices spiking higher; a similar proportion says it’s an economic factor, like the time of year.

It is truly sad that so many people have fallen for the “greed, speculation, and oil companies” talking point, rather than going out and doing research on their own. The final two reasons given are the primary drivers of the prices. Less available oil and more usage drives prices up. Law of supply and demand. Simple. If Democrats had brains, instead of feelings, they would say “fine. We’ll allow drilling on US shores and property. But, we need to funnel money into alternatives to move away from fossil fuels. Here’s our plan how.” Instead, they plainly care more for their partisan doctrine than the plight of the American people.

Crossed at Right Wing News and Stop The ACLU.