Back Talk

As a shift-the-blame deflection tactic, they convened another congressional hearing on the gas prices. They call in the customary whipping-boy panel of oil company executives and ask the same routine 10 minute long questions, get the same 30 second answers, and make the same posturing sincere sounding declarations before the TV cameras as they did the last time that pump prices peaked. Someone said that sincerity is the best tool the politician can have in his toolbox; once he has mastered that, he has it made. The oil guys tirelessly respond with the revelation that when oil prices exceed $100, gas prices rise. One of the whipping-boys commented that the oil companies pay more in taxes than they receive in profit. Responding to a posturing politician’s criticism that oil companies should be developing alternative energy sources, he was told that they do spend billions, not millions, on alternative energy source research. The oil guys also reminded the DemPols on the panel of a fact they hate hearing - that the real problem is we import most of our oil from countries like Saudi Arabia because the Environmental lobby owns our politicians and prevents any exploration off our coasts, our southwest, and the Alaskan wilderness, and have blocked nuclear energy and building new refineries. An L.A. Democrat on the panel angrily emoted on how small businesses in her district were going broke because of the price of fuel; two minutes later, she told the panel she would fight any attempt to allow oil exploration, re-opening dormant oil fields, or new refinery development.