And I've forgotten ... anyone know how much consumption tax California imposes? They add taxes to make you stop driving so much, but then they complain that gas prices are too high.

Remember the movie Sybil, about the little girl with multiple personalities? That's how you have to talk to liberal legislatures: "I want to talk to the faction in there who raised taxes ... hello? hello? Am I addressing the tax raisers?"

Well, there's Anwar like you said, but we'll have to prepare for the whining, crying, and theatrical protests from the usual unemployed, uswashed enviro-activists who will use the usual, tiresome, silly protest routines:  human chains, throwing themselves in front of equipment, blocking entrances/exits, smearing themselves with fake blood, burning effigies of GW Bush and Dick Cheney even though they were long out of office, etc.

Then we need to drill offshore....all of our offshore real estate where oil and natural gas is present....and get those resources before the other "developing nations" around the world suck them dry.

We need to uncap those wells in Texas and elsewhere that have been capped for about 20 years and use those resources.  I mean, they're ours and they're on our soil just waiting to be used.

We need to build NEW refineries for gasoline production and NEW nuclear power plants for the production of electricity.  Guess what? this would also create jobs and economic growth.

This is the really difficult area: we need to find conservative policians who will implement these things, and who have the moxie to tell the environmentalists, eco-socialists, and other anti-capitalists to go to hell.  We must elect people who have distain for the Kyoto treaty. 

We must make certain that environmental activists are never again allowed to set energy policies or to bully lawmakers with their anti-common sense agenda that contributed to our dependence on foreign oil.

That's a start.  Yes, we need "change".  This is "change".

I'm glad you mentioned the caribou. The green crowd claimed that they would not go near the pipeline. It turns out that the caribou are very opinionated about the subject. They like the pipeline! The air currents around the pipeline help keep the flies off them. Ever watch a caribou migration show? The flies in spring get to be about 100 per cubic foot.

m1xram

And the Congress people who propose this nonsense should be waterboarded until their attitude improves.

Ever notice how liberals want to tax or to ban anything they don't like?

Yea, thanks for reminding me.

They raised the gas tax to pay for "urgently needed highway and bridge maintenance" yet failed to mention that our legislature only approves a budget once every two years. That’s if we're lucky enough to actually get a budget agreement that soon, it usually takes several "special sessions" which increases our legislators’ per diem and travel payments but accomplishes little else. The way our state government works, any "improvements" won't be paid for until at least 2010. Just how "urgent" can these repairs be if it's going to take at least two years to raise the "necessary " funds?

The truth is, all the increased tax revenue will be used to fund everything BUT highway maintenance since the money will go directly into the general fund. I guess a gas tax increase sounds better than an income tax increase even though the effect will be the same. The worst part? Several “Republicans” think this tax increase was necessary! I guess they needed more pork before the next election.