Why did Repubs block a Dems bill that would stop big oil subsidies and tax breaks?

I see you got typical right wing talking point answers.


1) Dems want to raise taxes -


The truth is this bill was not a tax. The federal tax rate on gas is 18.4 cents per gallon, the same as it has been since 1999 and the bill does nothing to raise that tax.





2) Dems won't let companies drill for oil in the US -


The truth is there are roughly 2,100 active oil rigs current in the US, up 38% from last year. And there are almost new 10,000 drilling permits just waiting.





3) Dems won't let the oil companies build new refineries -


The truth is in the last 30 years there has been only 1 new request for the building of a new refinery. In fact the oil companies have been closing almost 100 refineries thus purposely limiting production and artificially controlling the price.





4) More oil production in the US would mean lower gas prices -


The truth is the overall use of gas in the US in down about 3% from last year and in that same time frame gas prices have risen over 35%Why did Repubs block a Dems bill that would stop big oil subsidies and tax breaks?
because it was a tit-for-tat action.


Big oil extorts money out of the federal government all the time for threatening to drill off our coats. for not doing anything whatsoever, they end up being paid hundred of millions for not doing so.


This time it was congress who was making the threats.





stopping the subsidies and windfall profit tax isn't going to raise the price. the only thing it does is cause more oil to be bought over seas, which is pretty much being done as much as the oil producing countries will allow presently. So the only option the oil companies would have would be to reduce production and really lose profit.





Then you got the political maneuvering of the whole thing, that just killed positive things the republicans may have done environmentally.Why did Repubs block a Dems bill that would stop big oil subsidies and tax breaks?
think of it this way...





you put a windfall profits tax on Big Oil, say when oil costs more than 80 bucks a barrel, Big Oil has to pay a tax.





Big Oil says, ';Why should we produce more than 80 dollars worth of oil if we're not going to profit?';





So Big Oil only produces oil barrels up to 80 dollars-worth.





Less oil produced means less oil goes to the gas stations.





When there's not enough gas at the gas stations,


you have a gas shortage.





Then you have long lines and rationing (meaning you only get a few gallons of oil and you have to wait a long time).





Big problem turns into a horrendous problem.





You get it now?
They would rather drill in the ANWR to get at oil deposits which have been estimated to only last a few years if they were tapped. It doesn't make sense. Economic experts stated that the bill would not have appreciable raised the price of gas.





The bill also gave the oil companies the alternative to paying the windfall tax of investing in alternative energy. I wouldn't say it was a ';pork barrel'; bill. There were good things in it which would have helped promote research and development of alternative energy.





The whole problem as I see it is that people just don't seem to understand that the global petroleum deposits around the world have been tapped to the extent that there isn't much left. As far as doing the ANWR drilling, wouldn't the time and resources spent doing that be better spent developing alternative energy and laying some kind of infrastructure for that now, so that when our oil sources run dry at some point in the near future, we won't be left standing with our pants down?





The way I look at it we wasted 8 precious years under the Bush administration that could have been spent laying the groundwork for alternative energy that would now be at least helping with the eventual goal of weaning ourselves off of oil. But nothing much was done. Now everybody is freaked out and paying high fuel costs and realizing that we're screwed if we think we can depend of oil for the rest of our lives, because it's been proven we don't have enough left for even a decade from sources we're tapping now, even if we did make the mistake of tapping the ANWR.





Meanwhile Bush has to go to OPEC and get treated like a punk by these rich oil sheiks who basically tell him it's not their problem that we're driving around Hummers and SUVs when in other countries they've been driving cars for years that look like you would have to get into them with a can opener.





Americans are behind the curve with all the energy stuff. We're in last place compared to a lot of other countries in this area. We're beginning to panic, and rightly so. We need to get off oil and soon. We're on borrowed time at this point.
Because they are greedy, obstructionist, sore losers. Besides many of them have their own money invested in oil. I think Bush has given them some kind of a kickback, maybe in the way of gas vouchers. Or direct oil investment options. Remember Bush is a Texas oil man first and foremost. Why would an oil man want to stop oil subsidies and huge tax breaks? They are just paving the way to a retirement fund that will protect them against any depression, recession that they initially started. The rich, will get richer, the middle-class will be the new poor, and the poor will become non-existent. They only care for themselves at the cost of the rest of us. Bet on it.
It probably has to do something with ideology. The big oil companies are making record breaking profits at the expense of the American people. You tell them to do something, they say they can't. Perhaps that may be true, but it makes them seem like they do not care about who they serve. Even the big corporations back then knew, its not all about making lots of money. They gave back to the people, even though they didn't believe in taxes and welfare, they had their own charities. Also, consider the big oil lobbies to Republicans =O
I lean toward the left, but let me ask, what good would it do to tax the profits of these companies, unless you were going to specifically allocate the resulting tax money to changing over the US infrastructure to alternative energy, which does in fact already exist.





And it will take a lot more money than just the tax from these profits to transition the US infrastructure.





That project should have been started 20 years ago. But of course, Americans have been so busy electing politicians that cater to these corporate greed-mongers, so now Americans get what they wanted, namely to be ripped off big time.





You know, the bottom line question is this: is there enough to go around, or isn't there. If there is, and I personally believe there is, then it's up to the American people to elect representatives that are going to work to make that happen.





Letting yourselves be sidetracked by all the emotional and moral issues every major election, you're asking for things to just get tougher and tougher for average people who, in fact, make up the majority.





So far, the top 10% of the population have been very succesful in boonswaggling the vast majority.





Good luck, everyone.
Why stop with the oil companies. Why not the Argiculture big business. Nabisco, Coke- a-Cola, Pepsi, Sears. Just ';Windfall Tax'; every business. There is a side effect to this though. They could tax a lot of people out of their jobs. Why is it that the Democrats love employee's but hate employers. Don't they get it that without one you don't have the other. The Dems never met a tax they didn't love.
because most republicans support lobbyists and they make a lot of money on these companies. Republicans are mostly for the rich or the elite, more for those who owns large corporations. They are not int the interest of working class. that is the reason I, as a college student support Obama.





Also,


the first issue is the economy, the unemployment rate is now 5.5 percent. Price of gas and food had gone up and people who do not make a lot money are suffering.


* in one city alone there is more than 600 houses in foreclosure because the government doesn't support the people. Many lobbist in Washington are part of the problem. The lobbist in the the Republican party are in the interest of the elite, people who owns oil companies, pharmaceutical comp. The lobbist do not want to pay a lot tax, so the middle class is suffering because they have to pay more tax than the rich.





3, college is expensive and the loans companies are making money on the students.


4. Healthcare and insurance is a problem, many people can't afford insurance, especially low income familes.





5, the war, it takes 10 billion per month to stay in Iraq.


The politics in Washing ton needs to be fixed and the middle class families needs to get a break from paying Higher taxes than the rich. Senator Obama says that these are the problems that the county face. I believe that with the help of senator Clinton and other democrats, the problems such foreclosure, health insurcance, saftety and the costly war will be resolve. but they have to clean up the mess first. I believe the democrats will bring changes because they are in the interest of the people, not in the insterest of the lobbist or the elite or the oil industries. They can bring changes in many people's life who are now suffering.


as POW he voted against a bill that will give soldiers more benefits in term of finishing their college for free.


Lastly, the republicans also vote against a bill that will reduce the price of gas on the hard working Americans because they make profits on the oil industry. They work for lobbyist mostly.





If you want change I think Obama and Clinton wants to help middle class and hard working Americans.
Because it won't do anything to lower gas prices.





We need more supply, so the last thing we need to do is to penalize companies for exploration and obtaining new sources.





The Dems messed up in the 90s, when they stopped a measure that would have allowed exlporation in ANWR.





The Dems (and a handful of Reps) decided that Bambi was more important than fuel.





[It should be noted that Bambi does not even LIVE in ANWR.]





Love Jack
Because it was poorly defined, loaded with pork, and likely unconstitutional.





So what exactly are ';windfall profits';. Should it apply to summer blockbuster movies also?





That said, I'm waiting to see if the Republicans have some kind of alternative to bring to the table. And I generally don't like fillabusters.
Republicans hate America and love OPEC, they want to lock in they never see the White House ever and gouge the American public for profit until Bush is gone. The NEOCONS are going for broke....Exxon Mobil made 1/2 of a trillion in windfall profits this last year, that's ridiculous.
because it was a windfall profits tax that would have pushed the price of gas even higher. Why do Dems think you can tax everything to death and still have a functioning economy?
Who do you think the oil companies will pass the cost of the ';windfall profit tax'; on to? If you guess the consumer than you would be right. It will only increase the price you pay at the pump.
HERE IS AN IDEA. DEMOCRATS STOP BLOCKING OIL DRILLING IN THIS COUNTRY AND THE REPUBLICANS STOP BLOCKING THE END OF OIL SUBSIDIES AND TAX BREAKS.
Because the demos can not see that if they do that the oil companies will just raise prices and pass the loss on to the consumer....for you slow dems..it means HIGHER prices at the pump
Why are dems blocking drilling for our own oil??? We could potentially have more oil than Saudi Arabia. The middle east is probably laughing at how the U.S. is controlled by tree huggers.
Someone else asked this earlier, must have been deleted.





The bill was a set up. If the Republicans are smart they will come up with a counter bill that is realistic....... not socialist.
Why do Democrats keep refusing to let us drill for oil in America when we so clearly need to?
WHY DID DEMS STOP A BILL THAT WOULD LET US DRILL OUR CONTINENTAL SHELF FOR BILLIONS OF GALLONS OF OIL?
dems want to raise taxes in a recession=suicide
Because it was a wind fall profits tax. something that would not help the American people.
Why did the Dems block drilling in the USA for oil?