Gas Prices Are High Because the Liberals Want It that Way

The left is aided and abetted by
cartoons reflecting this kind
 of thought.

Gary Wickert    "A president who truly wants lower gas prices can increase the supply of oil by opening up more areas offshore and in ANWR for domestic drilling and easing regulations. We have plenty of domestic resources to drill, and plenty of companies willing to drill for it if the left and their misguided environmental, big-government and anti-capitalist policies would just get out of the way. Increased domestic production would stimulate U.S. job growth and provide a tremendous boost to our economy. It would lower gas prices, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and shield us from the effects of instability in the Middle East and price fixing by OPEC.

"But these things aren’t going to happen if the president wants just the opposite. The result of our president’s policies has been decreasing oil production, increasing gas prices, and a mass exodus of oil companies sending operations and rigs overseas to “greener” pastures."
Gary Wickert is a board-certified trial lawyer, living in Cedarburg, Wisconsin with his wife and two sons. He has a political column in Reality News and has been an op-ed contributor for Ozaukee County's News Graphic as well as a feature writer for several Wisconsin magazines. He is also the author of several legal treatises on a variety of subjects and currently serves as supervisor in the town of Cedarburg. In 1980, Gary finished second to Mr. T in NBC's nationally-televised "America's Toughest Bouncer" hosted by Bryant Gumbel.

Are Oil Companies Greedy?  Or are consumers and politicians greedy to expect oil companies to take huge risks drilling for oil in hostile environments without compensation?

"The oil companies took far more risk than you and I took in buying MSFT and other stocks in the 1990's. Intel used Billions of its capital to build IC manufacturing plants in the US and countries friendly to the US. Exxon and other oil companies had to drill many dry holes in places where hurricanes destroy drilling platforms and oil rigs. They also have to go to places like the Middle East where terrorists want to blow them up. Don't you think they deserve a fair return on their investment? The reason the oil they discovered is so valuable now is because of the risks of getting more of it from the Middle East are high. Roughly one third of the price of oil is due to fear over Iran getting nuclear energy plus speculators and supply/demand issues related to not having enough refinery capacity."

U.S. Government Shuts Out Increased Alaskan Oil Production  "At the same time that Shell was denied a drilling permit by the U.S. Government, Russia is making deals with oil companies to drill for oil off its coast in the Arctic Ocean." Canada Free Press

Neal Boortz: The Bottom Line About Oil Company Tax Breaks  "By and large, these are the exact same tax breaks under the same laws that every other corporation or business in America gets.  Politicians realize there is no political gain to be realized by threatening the tax breaks of Big Shoes or Big Lumber.  So Big Oil is the target."   That's it; this is the entire article. What more need be said?  

Well, maybe this: 'Taking Money Back'  "OK … (this gets so old) … nobody is giving any money back to the oil companies. These tax “breaks,” if you will, only allow the oil companies to keep money that they have earned. This is a favorite tactic of the progs – this “give back” wording. This language supports the prog philosophy that all wealth essentially belongs to the government … money that is allowed to remain with the person or the business that actually earned it is referred to as a “tax expenditure” and liberals rant and rave about how the government really needs to get that money back. Get that money back, of course, so that it can fund more liberal dependency-generating programs."   Neal Boortz

Just wanted to be sure you saw these last words.