WASHINGTON - Senate Republicans advocate sending $100 rebate checks to millions of taxpayers, and a Democrat is leading the campaign for a 60-day gasoline tax holiday.
Either way, it seems no one in Congress wants to be without a plan, however symbolic, to attack the election-year spike in gasoline prices.
A vote is possible as early as this week on the Senate GOP approach, which calls for $100 rebate checks for taxpayers to cushion the impact of higher gasoline prices. The measure seems unlikely to prevail, at least initially, since it includes a highly controversial proposal to open a portion of AlaskaÂ’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling.
Senate Republicans also favor extending a tax break that manufacturers receive for each hybrid vehicle they make, and want President Bush to suspend deliveries to the nationÂ’s strategic petroleum reserve for six months.
Democrats seemed caught off guard by the GOP maneuvering, but a spokesman said they would have a plan of their own.
Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., has proposed a 60-day suspension in the federal tax on gasoline and diesel, a holiday that he says would cut the cost of gasoline by more than 18 cents a gallon and reduce the price of diesel fuel by more than 24 cents a gallon.
All I can say is WTF? A $100 rebate check is going to cushion the high gas prices--oh and don't worry about that little provision for opening ANWR to the oil companies for drilling. A 60-day suspension of gas taxes to reduce the price of gasoline? This is the best that our congressional legislators can do?
Excuse me while I clean the splattered coffee of my keyboard and monitor.
This is total bullcrap. These are token actions, designed to keep the American public from getting really mad at the incompetence and hypocrisy of our congressional legislators. Keep the American public's anger subdued until the summer driving season ends, and gas prices will hopefully go down by 30 cents. Then the public will be happy, and the congressmen can continue whoring for the Big Oil companies.
If Congress was serious in looking at the issues of soaring energy costs, the first thing they could do is throw out these token legislative plans. They could start by looking into the oil industry and its obscene profits, and seriously determine if the industry has gouged the American consumer. They can look into ways to improve energy efficiency--raise the CAFE standards. They can look into ways at improving the nation's electrical grid. They can look into ways at providing alternative power-generating sources such as solar power for individual homes and businesses. They can look at the greater use of ethanol in motor vehicles. This is a long-term problem that grows more serious in each passing day. So forget the token solutions and get down to solving this nation's energy problems.
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