Posted on 05/11/2011 4:21:00 PM PDT by Kaslin
Who's to blame for near-record gasoline prices? According to a new IBD/TIPP poll, it's oil companies and speculators.
That could be good news for President Obama and his Democratic colleagues who've been attacking both and bad news for Republicans hoping to expand domestic oil exploration and drilling. Whether the public is casting blame in the right direction is another question.
The IBD/TIPP poll found that 53% listed either oil companies (32%) or speculators (21%) as being most responsible for high prices. In contrast, just 19% blamed "no-drill policies" and only 9% listed the weak dollar.
The survey also found that most believe gas prices will continue to rise, with two-thirds saying they expect prices to top $4.50 a gallon within three months.
(Since the May 1-6 poll, gas prices have ticked down after flirting with $4 a gallon. Crude and gasoline futures have fallen sharply, suggesting further relief at the pump in the coming weeks.)
While Republicans blame high prices on long-standing restric tions on domestic oil production, Obama has highlighted speculators. In April, he said that "there's enough oil out there for world demand" but that speculators "bet that oil is going to go up real high. And that spikes up prices."
At the same time, Democrats and some Republicans have cast aspersions on oil companies, complaining about high profits and taxpayer subsidies. Democrats are pushing to boost taxes on Big Oil by more than $20 billion over the next decade.
"The U.S. government has given these companies billions of dollars in corporate welfare every year," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.
(Excerpt) Read more at investors.com ...
The MSM just doing the job the Marxists want them to do.
Basically, when it comes right down to it, bad anti business government policies and regulations are to blame for high gas and oil prices.
Hyperbolic speech from socialist political parties won’t hide the fact that it’s rising world consumption of oil with production not rising so much.
Over three years of that speech now, but oil is still rising. It will continue to rise. And the dollar will continue to fall as the natural result of the globalist policy of “free trade” (trade policy where one trading partner keeps high import tariffs and a currency pegged low, while the other is not allowed to do the same).
Both political parties and their favored business constituents are corrupt to the bone, related to all kinds of government employees and sponsoring lies in the media.
“Public Misplaces Blame for High Oil Prices”
And that’s just why the Democrat scu*bags might get a second term.
IMHO
“The oil companies and speculators have cut their own throats. I believe they have inflated prices to cover their profits and will end up having Government more in control of them. They have alienated all Americans and screwed themselves.”
You may feel more at home in the DU. Your ignorance shines brightly in your post.
It doesn’t help matters any when the Repub Speaker of the House is one of the people dumping on oil companies.
Excessive regulations and taxes/”royalties” have also stifled production in the USA.
“Democrats are pushing to boost taxes on Big Oil by more than $20 billion over the next decade.”
And just who do you think will be the ones covering those high taxes. They’ll just be passed on to the consumer. Aside from the speculators and big oil be partly to blame. Its BO’s EPA and the dept of the interior that are blocking the development of our resources and the building of new refineries.
I’m trying to respond, but words fail me.
All politicians should be strapped into chairs and forced to listen to the complete works of Thomas Sowell and Walter Williams twelve hours a day until they assimilate some basic knowledge. This is assuming they’re just ignorant, of course, and not actively evil or honestly too hawg-stupid to understand.
tagline bump.
OPEC is made up of countries that produce oil. It's not an American company. It's not an oil company either. And they don't speculate ~ they just do their thing.
Baraq, Steve Chu, and Lisa Jackson are all on the record favoring Euro level fuel prices. If Republicans can’t use this ammo they’ve been handed, they deserve to lose.
It because of BUSH and all his big oil buddies hording the profits. Cheney owns the oil business and is the puppet master behind the curtain ... Halliburton!
I'm calling the school board ~ they've gotta' reinstate GEOGRAPHY!!!!
They can scream at the moon at they want that isn’t going to bring Oil Prices down.
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