The American Spectator

Reader Mail

Overcome by Fumes

4.27.06 @ 12:01AM

VAPORS OF RESOLVE
Re: Andrew Cline's Pumped Out:

The Republicans could point out that the environmental movement has managed to keep any new oil and gas refineries from being built in this country for three decades, as well as any new atomic reactors. The GOP could also point out that the enlightened ones have prevented any new drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, as well as a small stretch of desolate land in Alaska.

Of course, they won't. After all the New York Times might accuse them of "McCarthyism" and Katie Couric might pout on television. And so, the Stupid Party clings to power for the usual reason: Oh, please let us enjoy the fruits of office. We won't cause any trouble. Please, please.
-- John Lockwood
Washington, D.C.

The only way to tell a Republican from a Democrat is the R or D after their name.

Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J
Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska
-- Elaine Kyle

The President and Republicans in Congress should suspend all federal gas taxes until at least Labor Day, but preferably for six months. To "pay" for this tax cut they should transfer funds from the bloated budget of the Department of Energy that does absolutely nothing to produce gas or energy. Couple this with releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, demanding Congress allow drilling in ANWR, relax regulations for the building of more refineries and building nuclear breeder reactors Republicans have a winning "bread and butter" issue in this November's elections.

My wife and I have been writing and faxing letters to Karl Rove, Josh Bolten, and Republicans in Congress calling for such a moratorium since last week. Instead of just complaining we're being proactive something all conservatives need to do to stymie the Democrat Copperheads in November.

If you are one of the so-called conservatives whimsically hearkening back to the "good old days" of Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton or believe things will get better with a Democrat Congress you need a dose of reality. Here are the facts about Democrats and gas prices -- Jimmy Carter, benefactor of Islamic terrorism, manufactured an energy crisis that led to increased gas prices and shortages, in 1993 Bill Clinton was the last President to raise Federal gas taxes, John Kerry called for a 50-cent increase in the gas tax, Democrat media hack Thomas Friedman wants oil to sell for $100 a barrel and CNN's lefty Miles O'Brien is encouraging an increase in the federal gas tax while bashing the President and Republicans for rising gas prices. Always remember Democrat = a tax increase.
-- Michael Tomlinson
Crownsville, Maryland

For me, arguing about the role of the gas tax in high gas prices is the wrong approach. OK, 15 percent of gas tax goes into mass transit. What is so wrong about getting people off the road so that people who want to drive have the highways more to themselves? And fully 85 percent of the gas tax is going into roads. Highway pork? That is the whole point of the gas tax and the highway trust fund -- to build more roads to relieve congestion, develop new areas, and so on.

The real issues are how a refinery can't ever get built anymore and the crazy-quilt system of special gasolines and now the new ethanol boondoggle. I never understood this oxygenated fuels business when the savings in pollution are tiny compared to what is achieved by the pollution controls of new vehicles. A modern car makes less smog than a lawnmower -- do you suppose motorists have to put up with oxy fuels because of all of those lawnmowers out there? And do you suppose the blockage of drilling in Alaska might affect futures prices for oil?
-- Paul Milenkovic
Madison, Wisconsin

Where to begin? If one segues Mr. Cline's sure victory advice to the President and the Republicans with Robert Novak's piece and the letters in response thereto from my fellow readers, there just might be a chance to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in November.

Cline is absolutely right. The energy issue is a no-brainer that any small town political hack like me could ram home to victory. Bush could knock the Dems on their butts if he flew up to the Artic Wilderness frozen tundra, (in a spring time snow storm just to rile Al Gore) and announced a federal energy emergency complete with unfettered drilling in ANWR. He could let American's see what the environmentalists, the Dems and the MSM don't want us to see; that ANWR is indeed a frozen, uninhabitable wasteland shrouded in almost perpetual darkness. This reality, in stark contrast to the bucolic fields of summer wildflowers and gamboling reindeer that the MSM loves to misrepresent as ANWAR. Couple this with an immediate suspension of the federal gas tax, until Congress passes a no nonsense comprehensive energy bill, and watch those poll numbers skyrocket as the Dems howl in protest. Of course, this would require the spineless Congressional Republicans to stand firm for once. They might even have to control spending until the gas tax is reimposed. Now wouldn't that be an additional bonus! And for those Republicans who remain unconvinced, send them all copies of Novak's article complete with TAS reader's responses. For the truly hard headed, we might even want to throw in a bonus; a map of downtown D.C. to show them how to get to their next jobs on K Street. Maybe, just maybe, the clueless will become sages.
-- A. DiPentima

Mr. Cline has obviously lost his mind. Suspend a tax on gasoline for six months? Give the beat-up, taxed out, screwed over taxpayer a break? No way, ain't never gonna happen. Not this century, not ever.

Any other suggestions?
-- Mike Webster
Dallas, Texas

Editor's note: Let's remember Mr. Cline's closing words regarding any GOP-led cut of the federal gas taxes: "Of course, Republicans would have to get serious about cutting spending and earmarks before they could do this, so it's never going to happen."

Letter to the Editor

topics:
Taxes, Trade, Bill Clinton, Television, Business, Earmarks, Religion, Islam, Environment, Books, Constitution, Law, Military, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Immigration, Energy, Alaska, Oil