"To increase oil company costs by taxing them more money will do two things: (A) drive oil company costs higher and for that reason drive gasoline prices higher; (B) create greater conflict between our 'have's versus our have-nots,' precisely what our elected socialists work daily to achieve."

Taxes imposed on oil companies leading to even higher costs is only a part of the equation. Gasoline prices are going higher right now WITHOUT any new taxes. I suppose that's the divine hand, invisible though it is, of the "marketplace".

There are no shortages of gasoline. No rationing. OPEC repeatedly states that there's plenty of supply. The supply/demand "principles" aren't working…..just as they aren't working in health care and didn't work during the Dot.com grand theft.

Ph.D would have us believe that "socialist" Democrats are pushing class warfare….when, in actuality, the warfare has been raging from BIG MONEY's side for 30 years. That's why working families have lost $1000 per year on average recently while the top 1% have grown exponentially richer.

Energy, health care, education are a few of the sectors of our economy needing controls. For the sake, not of the rich, but of the PEOPLE.

Price freezes are needed. Fuel cell and electric vehicles, wind and solar, higher CAFE standards, and conservation projects and programs need to be implemented.

It will take a Democratic administration to accomplish those things…..the GOP is simply too beholden to BIG ENERGY and BIG MONEY.

You don't think Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati Could have better mass transit (Especially Columbus)? Mass transit does not come overnight. Go back 40 years in Washington DC, and one thing you'll notice (outside of it being an awful place) is that there is no metro, it is a road town. Today, almost 800,000 people a day take metro. Washington DC is a smaller city than the 3 big Ohio cities I mentioned above.

Mass Transit doesn't need to be just Subway. Maybe build train tracks that Run from Cleveland to Cincinnati via Akron, Canton, Columbus, Dayton that runs a couple of times daily. Maybe some Bus Rapid Transit would be appropriate. All that I am saying is that this country treats roads and transit as two seperate things.

Why should 100,000 people taking a train every day be any different the 100,000 people taking a road (assuming they cost the same)? At the moment, roads are built via none of the efficiency standards that are required for transit. The Federal Government alone spends almost $300 Billion over a 5 year transportation bill. It doesn't hurt till we have $3.50/gallon gas. All of a sudden that 20-30 mile commute every day is adding up real fast.

I am not saying Mass Transit is the answer to all of our problems. But dismissing a coherent policy because it may not be appropriate for certain areas doesn't seem to be a wise decision if you are at all interested in at least one of these areas below:

1. lower our dependence foreign oil
2. Improve the environment
3. Spend Less time in Traffic
4. reduce Suburban sprawl

I can come up with more if you'd like. The US has no coherent policy that ties all types of transit (roads, rails, planes) together, and we need one.

Ohio Exile makes a solid point as well – people just arent going to use PT if they dont already.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/10/business/10transit.html?hp

(1) Profits are a cost of doing business. Each and EVERY business unable to cover its costs goes out of business, in every economic system (communist, elected socialist, capitalist). To increase oil company costs by taxing them more money will do two things: (A) drive oil company costs higher and for that reason drive gasoline prices higher; (B) create greater conflict between our 'have's versus our have-nots,' precisely what our elected socialists work daily to achieve. Hillary, Barack, Ted, Nancy and so on love internal conflict of this nature as socialists consider it the only way they for them to gain and maintain public office;

(2) The Former USSR, to include its largest state, Russia, had and continues to have huge quantities of oil for domestic use, and for export. The USSR failed economically anyway, primarily because of its failure to understand how an economy works, failure to understand the cost issue, failure to adequately cover its costs. The USSR failed because it could not – even with heavy application of rifle butt and bayonet – force socialist controls of business to work;

(3) When demand for oil exceeds supply of oil, oil prices rise – ALWAYS. Professional politicians in the USA know this relationship quite well, but many politicians (Democrats and RINOs) prefer to see the USA fail completely than see it continue to succeed without them getting to run it.: and, finally,

(4) You and I have entrusted the affairs of state to the wrong people! This Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America will not solve all of our problems, but will go a long way towards doing so: "Except for the President of the United States of America, the term in elected public office shall not exceed a combined total of ten years for any person." (T. Coyne, (6/19/98).

Respectfully,
Tom Coyne
http://www.coyne-assoc.com

But the dollar is falling, and why? Because the demand for dollars is falling and again there is everywhere that fear of a dollar collapse.

You always talk about oil subsidies, so let's see some links for subsidies other than those dealing with Bio-fuel. I am not saying you are wrong, but show some proof.

Rev,

The White House has been close to the House of Saud since Truman's visit with King Saud in the late 40's. Clinton never showed them the door when he was in office, nor would Hillary or Obama.

You liberal maggots are sickening.

and your bud farleigh….

"all of these liberal metal mdigets have zero clue how things work–"

If ANWR were drained dry the world's oil supply would be affected by a whopping .3% increase. That's going to really make those commodities traders go apesh*t, I reckon.

The oil prices are being rigged by billions and billions of weak dollars looking for a better return. The oil futures gambling house game is hot. The market isn't working, just like it didn't work in the Dot.com perversion.

Read what the Saudis, you know, the White House BFF's, have to say about supply. There's plenty of supply. Psychological games of manipulation on the futures markets are enriching a handful of people…just like in the Dot.com fiasco.

ANWR and more refineries are both topics for debate, but neither are playing a role in the current runup. This is greed, Wall Street style….greed is good, remember?

Also I agree with Chuck….Big Oil is a just a bunch of welfare whores. And now these whores think they can suck on the government's teat AND raise their prices at the same time. Time to teach a lesson. Obama wants to tax all oil sold over $80 a barrel. That's a good start.

If you want to blame someone….look no further than a blind, deaf,and dumb Bush administration eager to start a war overtop a sea of oil thus catalyzing the futures traders to start running oil prices up because of "uncertainties" in the middle east, etc. That's how this all began. Morons.

$4-5 a gallon gasoline will depress this country in 18-24 months.