Democrat leadership in the U.S. Senate is obstructing short term solutions to rising gas prices. (Poll Closed)

Mr. Inhofe: I hope someone can do something about the high prices of gas. It makes it hard to get medicine and food.

We need to pursue the following to address our current and long term oil / fuel issues: Open Anwar and other "off limits" areas to dril for oil Drill in the Gulf of Mexico Focus on alternative source of energy development, ie Nuclear Power Plants Focus development on fuel efficient automobiles Apply diplomatic pressure to OPEC and other oil producing countries to increase production Access US Natinal Reserves Hold accountable major oil companies for their record profit taking

We need to drill and drill now. I realize the need to protect our enviornment, but if we are going to allow China to drill just off of our coast, do anyone really think they will do the enviornment any good? We need to do what is right for this country and serve our own needs! Hopefully congress will get off their duff and do something about it.

I have not seen enough action from either party... under Democrat control or under Republican control. The only way congress and the senate are going to get anything done is forget about getting re-elected and do what ever is necessary to increase oil production and refinery capacity. Forget about blaming someone...do something for a change!!!

There is a lot of oil in the United States that is not being utilized (besides Alaska), I suppose because it is not as profitable for Oil companies to develop. If we don't drill down the coastline we're going to lose a lot of that oil potential to foreign nations. Also, alternative sources must be pushed and tax allowance given to those who utilize them The Democrats and a lot of Republicans have failed us. We have lost all confidence in Washington.

Drill off the coast of the US and drill in ANWR! Right now!!! And for the love of God BUILD MORE REFINERIES!!!!!

Well I think you Republicans have been acting like Democrats for several years. Someone needs to get up there and tell it like it is and quit acting like politicians. That's why George Bush has messed alot of things up. You all need to speak as if your were chewing someone out that screwed up on your ranch. quit being so damn "politically correct" Oh yeah, the airlines have been rescued and the farmers...WELL WHY DON'T YOU SUSPEND THE FEDERAL TAXES FOR THE REMAINDER OF THEYEAR. YOU ALL HAD STARTED ACTING LIKE DEMOCRATS SEVERAL YRS AGO. EVEN MY MOTHER LIZ KERSHAW IS DISGUSTED WITH THE LOT OF YOU. THIS IS RIDICULOUS !!! THERE'S ALOT THAT CAN BE DOONE THAT "YOU ALL" AREN'T DOING. DON'T BE ASKING REGULAR FOLKS FOR MONEY, CUZ WE'RE ALL SPENDING IT ON GASOLINE. AND.....I AM A ROYALTY OWNER, SO I UNDERSTAND A BIT MORE THAN THE AVERAGE JOE. LIGHT A FIRE UNDER SOMEONE'S BUTT AND DRILL NOW AND DRILL HERE. M. STEVENS, TULSA, OK

Drill here, drill now.

when we have this kind of tax, charge, etc., we hurt he working class who carry our load. this is more serious than the interest home loans because they had a choice. go get them!!!!!!!!!!!!

Drill here Drill now!!! I am 64 and I was going to work at least 2 more years before taking my SS. I really wanted to stay productive for a while. Well about two weeks ago I had to quit my job. When I looked at my paycheck and what I pay for gas I could make about $250 a month more drawing my SS and staying home. So I guess you could say the price of gas forced me to retire early.

Senator, The fact that the question is posed soley as an attack on Democratic leadership merely emphasizes that the partisan warfare continues unabated. There is plenty of blame to go around. When are both parties going to strive for some common ground instead of merely playing these "zero sum games" where each party believes that it can advance only at the direct expense of the other party?

It is absolutely maddening that France has been steadily building nuclear power plants, while it's been 30 years since we've built one. China drills off the coast of Florida while this nation's citizens are being held hostage by Nancy Pelosi and her ilk. We are in DESPERATE need of courageous, conservative leaders right NOW who will tell the environmentalists where to go and start drilling and building NOW! ENOUGH!!

I think it is absolutely crazy that the Chinese are drilling right off our shores and we can't... it is also crazy that for 30 years no administration has offered up anything to help with our dependency on foreign oil.. I, for one, cannot believe how our government has sold our people right down the river... it is disgusting to say the least.

As a republican you are still pointing fingers. It's everyone's fault, and even with a majority of Democrates, The republicans won't cross the line and vote for what's good for the country. Rescind the "Enron Bill" that allowed speculation for Wall Street in 2001, under the Republicans. Stop bickering and get to work.

Let's face it, there is no such thing as leadership in Washington. Big government by its nature is reeactionary, and nothing was going to happen until something like the high gas prices we are currently experiencing hit. This country was perfectly content to going on its merry way with bigger and thirstier vehicles and more and more oil consumption as long at the prices we were paying for oil and gas were artificially low. Canada and Europe have been paying these prices for years and you see the results in smaller more efficient vehicles, alternative energy sources, etc. We will get there too, but in the meantime, the adjustment will be much more painful because we waited as long as we have. I really wonder if Washington can do anything but get and stay out of the way and let the free market take care of the problem.

This is a simple economic issue of supply and demand. Congress needs to work towards increasing the supply of oil by removing the environmental limitations placed on drilling, refining, and transportation. Congress has no business probing Wall Street and the speculators, as this will not increase the supply of oil and will only be a costly and time consuming effort that will have no result in easing this situation at all. Where is our leadership in Congress?

Senator: Let's start naming names of environmental groups that use their money to payoff members of congress. Also name names of those in congress that take their payoff. We need a leader and you sir are the one person I trust completely.

increase domestic production anwr and offshore, get the oil from the shale in the dakotas, clean coal technolgy and how about doing something with the speculators. I thought at one time we prevented speculation in the oil market just because of the possibilty of artificially changing the market. Also how about when opec raises there prices we raise the price of wheat to them

Drill, drill, drill. Convert coal to gas. Natural gas vehicles. More refineries, now. Nuclear power plants. Drill some more, to hell with exotic cockroaches. Did I mention drill? Open the Rocky mountains for conversion to fuel now. Drill, drill, drill.

we have reserves...it's time to tap them we have the capability to expand exploration...let's do it we don't have to be at the mercy of the Middle East...it is foolish to put ourselves in that position we are a country of innovation....let's see it at work

Put the rabid environ-mental-ists out of business and then drill anywhere you can find oil. Every other country in the world is doing so. Build refineries ASAP. America is being ruined by special interest groups who do not represent the people.

Kill all the tree huggers and drill drill drill

I'm fed up with the lot of you. You do nothing to help "We the People". I will probably vote 3rd party this time, as I believe I will just be throwing my vote away on Repubs. OR Dems.

Do it all! I'm tired of hearing we can't do this here and we can't do that there. Just what the hell can we do and where can we do it? I've always said" Almost every problem you can name that this country has is either directly or indirectly caused by our Tax Code or the or the the lack of term limits on congress.

Mr. Inhofe, I am extremely upset with the stupidity of Congress using food (corn) to fuel cars when there is plenty of oil to be drilled for here. There are other alternative additives that can be used that will be better for the cars and the "enviroment." I sometimes think that the enviromentalists are actually running this country instead of the President, Congress and the House. Stop acting like the Democrates and start acting like Republicans. Wanda Haught

Drill now - it may take awhile to begin producing but the longer we wait, the longer we will be at the mercy of others. Also need to build refineries and nuclear power plants. It is time to lay out to the public just what has happened over the years to get us to this position. Had we drilled 10 years ago and built refineries and power plants, we would be much better off and safer. Republicans need to make enough noise about this to get the attention of the public.

I think we NEED to start drilling and refining our own oil! Even if that takes years to set up, just announcing that we intend to drill and not depend on foreign oil producers will send the prices falling! They just need to know we are serious about becoming independent from them! I want to see offshore drilling in California and Florida and drilling and refining in ANWR, Alaska, Montana, and North & South Dakota!

Does "Throw the bums out!" still have any meaning to Do Nothing politicians? The dumbocrats are so beholden to the environmentalist extremists, that they're apparently paralyzed with fear that if they do anything to increase ( the hoax that is, man made ) global warming, then they'll be voted out by their sheepish, Chicken Little constituents. We NEED more domestic drilling, we NEED more domestic refineries, we NEED to open up that tiny little parcel of land called ANWAR, but we also need more energy alternatives ( such as Nuclear reactors, etc. ). With any luck, the DO NOTHING Democrats will all get voted out of office by their own constituents who are tired of rising gas prices.

Dear Senator Inhofe, Thank you for your willingness to take on the hard issues. Please convey my regards to your fellow members of Congress and tell them to get off their fat, lazy rear-ends. For the most part, their behavior is despicable. If they were employed in the private sector and behaved the way they do in Congress, they would all be fired. Frankly, sir, I see little difference in the behavior of Republicans and Democrats these days. Both parties seem addicted to big government, pork and spending other people's hard-earned money. As for the energy issue, Congress has no excuse. You were all elected to be leaders, not spineless weasels. This country has resources, yet it refuses to use them. We have the technology and know-how to build nuclear power plants, yet government refuses to proceed. A new refinery? Not since 1976. I work for my family's farming company in California. Four generations. Government's stranglehold on energy is killing us. If Congress is seeking to destroy this country's economy, please let them know that they are doing an excellent job. By the way, who precisely is making windfall profits on the price of gasoline? Is it the oil companies with their 4% of the price? Oh, right - it's the bloody government taking 14% of the price (according to the Senate Finance Hearing on May 21). Nitwits.

Drill, drill and drill somemore !! The liberal democrats have been blocking the drilling for oil for years for environmental purposes !! It's time the American public responded by voting every liberal Democrat or Republican out of office who opposes drilling for oil in the U.S. It has become a national security issue also. For every dollar we pay the middle eastern monopoly, they turn around and convert our dollars into weapons and ordinance and kill U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. No doubt, many of our dollars are going into the hands of Al Queda and other terrorist groups too. We are literally commiting suicide by purchasing oil for those countries that are unfriendly to the U.S. or more succintly, those countries and terrorist groups that would like to destroy the U.S. It's time for Congress to get off it's butt and start doing the job they were elected to do rather than pose for photo ops, conduct wild goose investigations i.e. Henry Waxman of California and stomp for re-election. All we ever get are excuses, congressional breaks and vacations, pork and more BS out of Washington DC. Thank you.

Senator, Drill now, drill in the USA. Stop buying oil from unfriendly country's. We have plenty of resources in the USA. Build more refineries and nuclear power plants. Nuclear power plants are built all over the EU so why cant we do the same?

DRILL HERE, DRILL NOW. STOP STANDING IN THE WAY OF NEW REFINERIES AND NUCLEAR POWER. LET THE OIL COMPANIES BE OIL COMPANIES AND GET OUT OF THEIR WAY. FEDERALIZE GASOLINE FORMULATIONS TO SIMPLIFY THE REFINING PROCESS. REDUCE FUEL TAXES. DISBAND THE EPA!

This type of rhetorical question emphasizes all that's wrong in the Federal Government. It's a "Have you stopped beating your wife" question. I am a life-long Republican but am now thoroughly disappointed with my government as a whole. Stop trying to declare war on each other and do something. Survey, research, study, but, do something.

WE NEED TO IMPLEMENT A TWO PRONG APPROACH TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM, SHORT TERM AND LONG TERM. THE SHORT TERM IS TO DRILL OFF SHORE, IN THE GULF COAST AND DEVELOP THE SHALE FIELDS IN UTAH, WYOMING, COLORADO, DAKOTAS, AND ANYWHERE ELSE IT IS AVAILABLE. ACCORDING TO REP CANNON FROM UTAH, THIS SHALE APPROACH CAN BE UP AND RUNNING IN RELATIVELY SHORT ORDER. AT THE SAME TIME, WE MUST BUILD MORE REFINING CAPACITY, STARTING NOW. AS FOR LONG TERM, MORE NUCLEAR FACILITIES MUST BE BUILT, STARTING NOW, AND ALTERNATIVE ENERGY MUST BE DEVELOPED. THIS SHOULD BE DONE BY PRIVATE ENTERPRISE, NOT THE GOVT. ANYTIME THE GOVT IS INVOLVED IT TURNS INTO A VAST WASTE OF MONEY AND UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES SUCH AS WHAT THE BIO FUEL FIASCO HAS PUT ON FOOD PRICES. THAT IS A REAL DISASTER! IT IS TIME FOR THE REPUBLICANS TO STAND UP TO THE DEMOCRATS AND SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS AND GET SOMETHING DONE. THERE IS TOO MUCH FINGER POINTING AND NOT ENOUGH ACTION. THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE TIRED OF IT AND THE RISING PRICES ARE SEVERALLY DAMAGING US AND THE ECONOMY. I SINCERELY HOPE YOU CAN GET ALL HOUSE AND SENATE REPUBLICANS TO WORK WITH YOU AND ALSO SOME CLEAR THINKING MODERATE DEMOCRATS. EJNER JACOBSEN

With me it's a trust issue. I want and need the cost of fuel to go down and not just 2 or 3 cents but 2 or 3 dollars. I have heard it said , "Well, we pay $4.00 for a gallon of milk", how stupid, I don't drink 5 gallons of milk each day just to survive. The trust part is how do we know if some deal hasn't been made somewhere between the oil companies and some polititians. If they get the American people all worked up the government would be forced to let them drill in places we otherwise wouldn't let them. We have been mislead so many times before it's getting hard to see who the good guys are and who the bad guys are. One thing is for sure...if we don't get these prices down fast.. we are in big trouble. Dosn't anyone remember when Osama said "the way to get them is through there economy"? It's strange that the Saudies control the oil and therefore our economy and most of the hi-jackers were Saudies. Hmm, me thinks me smell a rat.

The proven and suspected unethical Republicans cause more harm (like the loss of control of Congress) than ANY of the actions of the Democrats. Republican leaders (oh, yeah, some of the leaders are among the MOST unethical!) should expose the charlatons and the criminals (cite here Rep. Rick Renzi, Ted Stephens, and others) to the voters and strip them of their Republican credentials. Voters are starving for people they can REALLY trust! Oh, and Drill Now, Drill Deep, and Drill Often (I can point out 48 prime acres!!)

To those of you posting about the lack of Congress "working together," PLEASE get a grip. Since 2006, when the Democrats took control of Congress, things have gone downhill at a pace faster than an Olympic bobsled race. Why? Just look to the Democrats playing their endless series of games, led by puppeteer masters Reid and Pelosi (not allowing bills they don't like to come to floor for a vote as one example of many.) And the Blue Dog Democrats (the ones who were voted in based on moderate campaign platforms) go right along with Pelosi and Reid, despite voters telling them otherwise because their loyalty lies with their party and NOT their voters. Mr. Imhofe, like others who have posted, Republicans have done their share of spending taxpayer dollars like drunken sailors; but mostly, their problem is NOT SPEAKING UP against the absurd silliness of LIBERAL Democrats and Republicans (RINOs) alike, telling voters exactly what is going on in Congress. And then we have McCain! Telling voters he agrees with global warming, carbon taxes, opposes ANWR and offshore drilling, etc. Like HE is helping a lot here! As Cal Thomas has said, Republicans need to get back to conservative principles and candidates, fighting doubly hard to counter the mainstream liberal media in the process. Then Americans would see there TRULY IS a difference between liberal and conservative ideology/practices.

Mr. Inhofe Not only is congress WRONG about gas and drilling, they are also wrong about trying to pass amnesty. Illegal aliens are breaking our laws EVERY DAY THAT THEY ARE HERE but the laws that are on the books ARE NOT BEING ENFORCED. Why do I, a citizen of the United States, have to follow the laws if they don't? If I get picked up for not wearing a seatbelt, the law is enforced and I pay a fine. If I get picked up for speeding, the law is enforced and I pay a fine. If I drive without a license, the law is enforced and I pay a fine. NOW if I smoke a legal product (tobacco) in public, the law will be enforced and I will pay a fine. It is discrimination against United States Citizens when we have to obey the laws and illegal aliens do not. ITS WRONG AND ILLEGALS NEED TO BE SENT BACK. SOMETIMES I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHICH COUNTRY I AM FROM. I DON'T FEEL SECURE ANY LONGER. I DON'T FEEL THAT MY ELECTED OFFICIALS ARE LOOKING OUT FOR ME. THEY ARE LOOKING OUT FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS WHO ARE BREAKING OUR LAWS EVERY SINGLE DAY.

Farm for food, Drill for oil.

To those upset about China drilling for oil offshore from USA, Cuba is allowing them to do it because they have the mineral rights to half the Florida straits.

After years of blocking domestic drilling, increasing refineries, and use of nuclear power, now their bullheaded, stupid, self-serving "politics" is insane. It borders on treason. If the democrats can not, or will not, invoke an intelligent alternative, they must get out of the way of those who can and will. I am ashamed of their past inaction and their present paralysis.

What ever ethanol is used in Colorado gas, my mpg is cut to 17. I got hold of some real gas in WY and got 26mpg. This whole alternative fuel thing smacks of another politically correct rip-off of the consumer. Drill our own oil. Alaska, Montana and all off shore sources should become more than just an inaccurate twist of the facts by the EPA.

Senator Inhofe, How in the world can you blame gas prices on Democrats, or for that matter, reasonable Republicans? President Bush and his oil buddies have controlled this situation for years. You, sir, are misleading the public. SHAME ON YOU!!! Quit and go home. You are not my Senator. You are a disgrace.

For the Democrats to be doing this to their own country is abominable. They are ruining the best country there ever was and ever will be. They are either crazy or on the take and I'm starting to think the later. The Arabs will make $650 Billion Dollars this year and there has to be a certain portion going to the Democrats otherwise why would they do such a thing, they have stoped nuclear, they have stopped coal gasification and coal slurry, just last week the Democrats in a 15/14 vote stopped oil shale development in Colorado. We can't drill off of our coasts but the Chinese have started and they will sell our own oil back to us in a oil swap with the Saudi's. We can't drill in Anwar because its so beautiful when no Senator or Representitive has ever been there. Even the caribou stay away because of the mosquito's and cold. I wish they take their bribes and move to Saudia Arabia, the Democrats and their buddies the 'Greens' are killing us. How about an investigation in the finances of the ones who have voted agaist our energy needs, check their PAC's and see who have stuffed them full of oil money, check their grandchildrens trust funds there is a money trail to our enemies in the Near East and I bet the damn Arabs fund the Greeens also through cuts and trusts. There is just to much money around to much trust in the venality of politicians. The Democrats stink.

That being said...DRILL NOW! Use every resource we have here at home and once we are secure then work on the environment. What will it matter about the environment if we are taken over by a super power who used there own oil to build a super army?

We need a new government. Not Republican and not Democrat. Our current government structure dates from 1860 when Lincoln and his bunch altered the dream of the founders of our country. Elections are not going to help as the same people and ideas are the structure of both parties. A third party can not be formed due the rules enforced by the other two. My idea and one that is shared by many others is that succession needs to be back on the table as a consideration.

I, too, agree...drill here, drill now! Whatever can be done in the shortest order is what needs to be done; be that drilling in all the places mentioned prior to my message + the "oil vacuum".....that sounds fantastic! I just read about it and it's really an inovation that is perfect for our current situation.

All voters are tired of politicians who are owned by lobbyists. Moving elk from private land should not be the business of us taxpayers, but it was part of a bill introduced by an Oklahoman as pork in another bill. Congress retirement should be in step with average Americans, not a wage for life program. Get us energy independent, and without the millstone of illegal aliens with more rights than citizens. Spend money on educating our youth instead of jailing them due to irresponsible parenting. Fix our problems at home not the places that use our money to hate us. The UN is a sham of government spending. We give billions to our enemies, and shirk the promises to the people of Katrina. Clean the corruption from our government officials. We know corruption is in full swing, citizens just are not close enough to the action to document the violations. we just see the results. If China can backfill enough area to build the most modern airport on our planet, Shurely we can backfill a peninsula to provide high ground, above the floodplain around New Orleans. History can still be commemorated on higher ground, and it would stop bleeding taxpayers by impeding progress. Make the welfare system pay back the funds that were stollen from the social security account. Voters have forgottn the monies for welfare were barrowed from SS and later appropriated, and divided, as if there was another account. We remember the series of events and I for one will vote for a cadidate the stands to correct these congressional shortcommings.

Hello-o-o-o-o-o!!! Does not take a 'rocket scientist' to understand that it is way past time to produce (as in 'drill') our own resources in ANWR, Gulf of Mexico, Pacific Coast, Atlantic Coast, etc., which can, indeed, be done in an 'environmentally safe' manner!! Also, construction of additional nuclear-powered plants to produce energy is way overdue! Another 'also,' we can, indeed, burn coal for energy uses -- yes! -- in a clean and 'environmentally safe' manner! Where are the new refineries needed in this country??? You people out there -- better become more knowledgeable about what can be done and done well!! And stop believing the 'drivel' from partisan and ignorant members of Congress -- many of whom begin work on their re-election the very first day after 'scoring' another term by catering to 'special interests' -- business as usual! Wake up, America!!

there are 550 representives in washington that are out of touch with the adverage working man paying more gas is one expense but it will trickle down to us by highter property, and municipal taxes We are talking about gasoline prices now. Heating oil is now 4.96 a galon it is time we dirlled and used our own oil and build necular plants your just as much to blame Jim as your not running to the tv and blaming the dems as when they laid it on you in 2006 get real its time to drill

Congress as a whole needs to permit drilling both in Alaska and offshore. In addition it needs to crack down on oil speculators who are the ones responsible for driving up our current gas prices. Any "Excess Profits Tax" attempt will only result in increased prices being passed on to the consumer. As a nation we can no longer be held hostage by the enviromentalists or OPEC and must take steps to become energy independent.

Pelosi says we can't drill our way out, so there's no use in tapping ANWAR. But there is no single solution, and saying we can't solve the problem by doing some specific thing is just sophistry. We need to address it on many fronts simultaneously. We need to drill in ANWAR (there's no impact) and offshore (ditto - how much oil has been spilled in the last couple of decades? None during Katrina.). We need new nuclear generating plants using modern, safe technology. We need to eliminate the tax credits for corn-based ethanol, and remove the tariff on ethanol from Brazil. We need to put a tariff cap on imported oil. If offshore oil drops below $60 per barrel, put a tariff on the difference and apply the proceeds to energy R&D and infrastructure development. It should be easy to do this right now, the price being what it is. This is necessary to prevent a re-run of the 70's debacle, where development was killed when oil tanked, and a generation of managers learned that synfuels development was a career-killing move. We need a Manhattan project for nuclear fusion. ITER is international and too slow. Set up a crash program, we can do it! Don't tax the oil companies profits. First, they will just pass it though, and second, they need the profits to invest in new development. Feel free, however, to jawbone the hell out of them for using their cashflow to buy back their shares. Great for insiders, but they could cut their prices by 5% if they weren't doing that. Set up another Manhattan project to develop energy storage using nanotechnology. Carbon microtubes look very promising. And a project to develop better and safer chemical batteries. Release the oil shale development. It's a shame Congress is blocking this. I could go on and on. What's the matter with you guys? Kurt B. Kaiser Hampton, NH

I am disgusted with both parties. This election coming up is a joke. How can anyone vote for either one of them? We need to drill and we need to find alternatives to buying oil from the Arabs. Maybe if we start charging them $130.00 a bushel for corn they will lower our price of oil. Something has to be done. Bush has turned against us and now these two. If either one of them become President we might as well bend over and start kissing.

We need to remove unreasonable environmental restrictions and requirements and increase all forms of domestic production.

Let's not blame the whole problem on the Democrats. Republicans had control of Congress for a long time. Still have the fuel problem. And no extra drilling in parts of the gulf nor opening up Alaska. Short term it willl be hard to do much about the fuel crisis. But, we have lots of options for the future. Nuclear, wind, hydrogen, lots of coal (and rules on how to burn it cleanly), no more ethanol please! Ethanol is just an expensive idea that tax payers are getting ripped on. I could go on and on. So, let's just say that most of us just feel that Congress (Both parties) have and still are letting us down on important issues!

Thirty five years ago, I returned home from Germany and there was an oil embargo on and gas was rationed. Thirty five years later we are in basically the same fix. Congress and our leaders (supposed to be mangers) have done nothing and that is the reason we are in the fix we are in. Special interest groups have influenced congress to keep us ( the United States) from drilling in Alaska, drilling off shore except for Louisiana and Texas, building addtional refineries, and building our neuclear power plants. That is the reason we are in the fix we are today. I have emailed my Congressman and Senators and basically told them the same. They all think that there is an alternate solution to drilling and building neuclear power plants, but they will not tell me what their short term and long term solutions are. The reason ---- They do not have any.

Drill! If China can drill in the bay, why can't we? We are trailing France by about 30 years. They have been usinf nuclear power for that long, without incident.

The Democrats won't do anything, except call the oil executives in for more "hearings" and threaten to nationalize the oil industry. The Democrats only have to sit back and watch gas prices rise to $5/gallon by November, and then they can scream that its Bush's fault and get re-elected. As others in this thread have said: Drill here. Drill now. I'd like to see some new nuke reactors come online as well. And perhaps some windmills offshore from Senator Kennedy's compound. But that won't happen. Reid, Pelosi and the committee chairs will ensure nothing reaches the floor of either chamber for an open vote. And while few care to remember that Jefford gave 2 years of Senate control to the Dems, the fact remains that the GOP had control of the House for 6 years and control of the Senate for 4. In that time, the size of government grew and the energy policy went nowhere. Just imagine if action had been taken in 2002 when the GOP regained (slim) control of the Senate: we'd be 4 years into a 6-7 year plan of making a significant dent into our foreign oil cartel dependence. It is no wonder the electorate is so jaded with Washington.

Question, How does a self proclaimed fiscal conservative justify blaming the Federal Government for high gas prices? Are we Oklahomans really so blindly supportive of Republican candidates at the National level that we stop understanding what true conservatism is? I believe in a free market. I thought Senator Inhofe did too. When are we going to stop playing the blame game and realize that until we have a viable alternative solution to the fossil fuel crisis blaming the party in power is ridiculous. Do you really want to subsidize gas prices like they do in Venezuela Senator? Do you want to weaken our country's security by delving into our strategic oil reserves? That's not what I want, it's not what congress wants (Republicans and Democrats), and it's not what the American people want Mr. Senator. Until you can find an alternative, I suggest you stick to your true conservative roots and stop betraying fiscal responsibility for the sake of divisive politics.

DRILL, DRILL, DRILL! OFF SHORE FLORDIA, ATLANTIC, GULF, AND ANWAR. The Senate and Congress is not listening to the majority of the people.

All the Democrats can do is offer us the pabulem of lofty platitudes and reasons for inaction. Pelosi is nothing but a bag of wind, and has emerged as a Congressional power-hungry dictator who acts to serve her own self-interests. The solution is to open new drilling within the US borders, and yet these idoits refuse the obvious to the detriment of the American economy.

I feel we should start to drill in Alaska and I get very upset when gas prices go up every day. We don't need to take corn and make it into oil, because that just makes the price of food go up. We have enough people starving in the world Things have gotten out of control and we need some one to speak out. Thank you Jim Inhofe for taking an interest in what the American people want. We need better cars, that won't cost an arm and a leg.

OPEC sells oil for $136.00 a barrel. OPEC nations buy U.S. grain at $7.00 a bushel. Solution: Sell grain for $136.00 a bushel. Can't buy it? Tough! Eat your oil! Ought to go well with a nice thick grilled filet of Camel.

The President should declare a national emergency and by executive order place a price control on all oil extracted from U.S. territories at $35.00 per barrel. Any oil company that produced less oil as a result would be investigated and if justified, fined one billion dollars for each offense. The U.S oil companies are not part of OPEC, so why should we have to pay the same amounts that the NY Merc exchange speculators and illegal price manipulators require.

Aside from accessing OUR OWN resources immediate action MUST be taken to close CFTC loopholes/deregulation!!It's treasonous for traders/speculators to be "ALLOWED" to profit at the expense of all Americans & our nat'l security.All Cong. Reps. publicly display their "colors" thru' their actions/inaction which are being so closely scrutinized by constituents.Almost without exception all elected public servants have worked diligently (behind sovereign immunity)to form an elitest faction directly undermining our Constitutional rights,economy,security,& will of the Am. citizens.We want a self-sufficient,fiscally resp.,&sovereign nation.If we ran our personal affairs as congress operates,we'd be jailed,on the streets,or dead!!Politicians profiting from insider investments(incl.foreign aid/meds.,"trading",etc.)& PORK should be investigated & prosecuted to the fullest extent the law allows...as would its' citizens.You are out of control & it's time to CLEAN HOUSE AMERICA!!The only "Tea Party" I'd like to see is with cups & saucers...how far are you trying to push?You spoonfeed the public w/media controlled propaganda while the dirtiest of deeds manifest in the dark of night or slipped into critical bills,etc.Then like a child you expect the public to believe you haven't been diving into the cookie jar as you stand covered in crumbs leaving WE The People to deal with the scourge...you've got a lot of nerve.Just see what & where it gets you.How do you live w/yourselves or even look at yourselves in the mirror??Every dog has its day-even you!!Consider doing the right thing for a change and defend American interests!Stop selling your souls & our country down the river like a cheap whore.Call out the traitors publicly!You're insured thru' We The People.We need Am.heroes in DC just as we're fortunate enough to have in "theater".And each soldier has a/an extended family...Let's see who's got what it takes in DC!!Tea,anyone??

Aside from accessing OUR OWN resources immediate action MUST be taken to close CFTC loopholes/deregulation!!It's treasonous for traders/speculators to be "ALLOWED" to profit at the expense of all Americans & our nat'l security.All Cong. Reps. publicly display their "colors" thru' their actions/inaction which are being so closely scrutinized by constituents.Almost without exception all elected public servants have worked diligently (behind sovereign immunity)to form an elitest faction directly undermining our Constitutional rights,economy,security,& will of the Am. citizens.We want a self-sufficient,fiscally resp.,&sovereign nation.If we ran our personal affairs as congress operates,we'd be jailed,on the streets,or dead!!Politicians profiting from insider investments(incl.foreign aid/meds.,"trading",etc.)& PORK should be investigated & prosecuted to the fullest extent the law allows...as would its' citizens.You are out of control & it's time to CLEAN HOUSE AMERICA!!The only "Tea Party" I'd like to see is with cups & saucers...how far are you trying to push?You spoonfeed the public w/media controlled propaganda while the dirtiest of deeds manifest in the dark of night or slipped into critical bills,etc.Then like a child you expect the public to believe you haven't been diving into the cookie jar as you stand covered in crumbs leaving WE The People to deal with the scourge...you've got a lot of nerve.Just see what & where it gets you.How do you live w/yourselves or even look at yourselves in the mirror??Every dog has its day-even you!!Consider doing the right thing for a change and defend American interests!Stop selling your souls & our country down the river like a cheap whore.Call out the traitors publicly!You're insured thru' We The People.We need Am.heroes in DC just as we're fortunate enough to have in "theater".And each soldier has a/an extended family...Let's see who's got what it takes in DC!!Tea,anyone??

I've voted in every presidential election since 1962. Neither the Republican candidate nor the Democratic one are paying attention to our problem. If resources are short, people suffer, but both are too concerned with environmental issues to do anything real for us -- and if we get another four years of Democrats in control of our Senate and congressional seats, the species that will be threatened will be the ordinary hardworking citizens of the entire nation! Please ask Senator McCain to stop focusing on global warming and to start listening to his Republican constituents, or I won't be voting this election -- unless there's a line for "None of the Above." This is NOT about the environment: this is about an economic crisis that we can fix! I'm on Social Security and had a 3% raise this year. That doesn't nearly cover the food, gasoline and utility rates that have risen incredibly within mere months.

I whole-heartedly agree that we should drill our own oil and build our own refineries. But, unlike the Alaskan pipeline, we MUST INSIST that all the oil we extract, we keep and refine for ourselves! If the supply exceeds OUR demand, then we can put the remainder on the open market. Drill Now!! Save Now!!!

CONGRESS, MOSTLY, LIBERALS AND THE LEFT (BOTH DEMS & REPUBS) HAVE REFUSED TO DRILL JUST ABOUT EVERYWHERE TO "PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT" SAVE WILD ANIMALS. THIS STARTED AROUND THE TIME PRES. CLINTON VETOED THE ANWR, ALASKA). AMERICANS SHOULD BE DRILLING OFF THE FL COAST WHERE CUBA HAS HIRED CHINA TO DRILL 60 MI. ALL OF THE SURVEYS I'VE SEE, THE MAJORITY OF AMERICANS WANT US TO DRILL. IN THE INTERIM, WHILE DRILLING IS UNDERWAY, WE SHOULD BE PURSUING ALL OTHER ELECTRICAL GENERATION AND VEHICLE FUEL, INCLUDING NATURAL GAS (AVAILABLE NOW), SHALE OIL, ND, SOLAR, CLEAN COAL, NUCLEAR, ETC. NUCLEAR, SELFISH PEOPLE SAY - NOT IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD. COAL & SHALE OIL - VAST IMPROVEMENTS TO CLEAN IT BY REMOVING SULFUR AND TURNING IT INTO A LIQUID, MOST ENVIRONMENTALISTS ARE OPPOSED TO IT. SOLAR- GREAT STRIDES HAVE BEEN MADE TO STORE THE ELECTRIC ENERGY PRODUCED, HOWEVER, ALL AREAS OF THE COUNTRY DO NOT RECEIVE ENOUGH SUNLIGHT CONSISTENTLY FOR THIS TO BE A SOLUTION FOR THE ENTIRE COUNTRY. WIND - THE SAME ISSUES AS SOLAR BATTERY - EVERYONE IS AWARE THAT BATTERIES HAVE A LIFE SPAN. THEY HAVE TO BE REPLACED PERIODICALLY. DO WE KNOW HOW LONG THEY LAST OR WHAT IT COSTS TO RECHARGE THEM. MORE IMPORTANTLY, ARE BATTERIES RECYCLABLE, BIODEGRADABLE, WHAT TO DO WITH LANDFILLS OF THEM? NATURAL GAS - ALREADY USED AS VEHICLE FUEL, ESPECIALLY IN COMMERCIAL FLEETS (SEE BOONE PICKENS CLEAN ENERGY CO. REPRESENTATIONS). NAT GAS IS ALSO USED TO POWER 30% TO 40% OF OUR ELECTRICAL PLANTS TO GENERATE ELECTRICITY. THERE ARE PROVEN RESERVES OF NAT GAS - THAT HAS TO BE DRILLED FOR HERE IN THE US. THERE ARE OTHER BIO FUEL SOURCES THAT NEED TO BE PERFECTED THAT DO NOT EFFECT FOOD SOURCES. WE ALL NEED TO COMMUNICATE THIS TO OUR REPRESENTATIVES IN CONGRESS. IF THEIR NOT A PART OF THE SOLUTION THEY ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM. MUCH OF THE CURRENT PRICE INCREASES IS FROM SUPPLY AND DEMAND WITH SOME SPECULATION. SOME BELIEVE UP TO 20%. KEEP IN MIND THAT SOME OF THE "SPECULATORS" ARE OUR HOME GROWN PENSION & MUTUAL FUND MANAGERS WHO INVEST TRILLION$ OF OUR OWN MONEY. IN ADDITION, BILLIONS OF PEOPLE IN CHINA, INDIA AND SOUTH AMERICA ARE GETTING OUT OF POVERTY, BECOMING A PART OF A NEW "MIDDLE CLASS", EATING MORE THAN ONCE PER DAY, BUYING A CAR, HAVING ELECTRICITY BROUGHT TO THEM. THESE ADVANCES HAVE BROUGHT NEW CONSTRUCTION AND INFRASTRUCTURE, NEW CITIES JUST LIKE A WHOLE NEW INDUSTRIAL AGE THAT WE HAD IN THE EARLY 1900'S. ISN'T THIS A GOOD THING? OBVIOUSLY THERE ARE COSTS INVOLVED. WE ALSO HAVE GENERATED IMMENSE STRIDES IN OUR TECHNOLOGY, I HAVE HOPE IN TECHNOLOGY TO GO FURTHER AND FIND ADDITIONAL SOLUTIONS TO OUR ENERGY NEEDS. HOWEVER, ONLY THE FOLKS, US VOTERS, CAN ELECT CONGRESSIONAL AND PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES TO FOCUS IN ON THE ABOVE ISSUES. THEN WE WILL GET WHAT WE DESERVE.

We the American people have been rail roaded by the President,Vice President, Congress & the senate for years, they are to busy making laws to protect illegals which cost the tax payers billions of dollars, they have let our country go to hell for the benefit of foregin countries & the all mighty dollar they can put in their own pocket. There comes a time when the frog or what ever can not come before human life, we must drill for are own oil, we must stop depending on foreign countries.we must become the country we once were where we we could wipe our butts with our own toilet paper, our government has us dependent on foreign countries for every thing. Our government doesn't give a fig about the American people, our rights have been taken a little at a time while we fight in Iraq to give them demoratic nation while we are being forced into socialism, I am fed up with my government they treat us like second hand citizens.

The Democrats PROMISED in 2004 to do many things and have not done a one of them.. and they have had 2 years to get SOMETHING done!

if you are trying so hard why are the prices still giong up???? how are poor pepole going get by we can harly make it how every thing is going up except fpr wages

The Democrats lack leadership. Harry Reid does not show any leadership. We should vote out all who have served more than 2 terms.

I think we NEED to start drilling and refining our own oil! Even if that takes years to set up, just announcing that we intend to drill and not depend on foreign oil producers will send the prices falling! They just need to know we are serious about becoming independent from them! I want to see offshore drilling in California and Florida and drilling and refining in ANWR, Alaska, Montana, and North & South Dakota! The AMERICAN Citizens should be worth more than frogs....I am so tired of this Government caring more about illegals and cattering to them....If their jobs/welfare/subsidized housing/Food Stamps dried up and they went home...we would have 40 million less people using OUR gas....They better start listening to "We the People" or maybe we should have a tea party ....Do do think we would get their attention then?

I am thoroughly disgusted with Demon-crats as well as Republicans! There is no clear choice in the upcoming election. America is in deep weeds if the best of our lot is what we have running for the office of President of this great country. To vote for either is more than my conscience can bear up under and I have voted Republican for 40 years. We need to take back our government, take back our Supreme Court and take back the Senate and House putting honest, sincere AMERICANS who have the best interest of this country in mind and not their own pockets and their power. If we fail to do this, then there will be no turning back after this next election for we will be living under Socialism. Wake up, America! Be informed, get off the couch and learn what your elected leaders are up to in Washington and go to the polls and vote the rascals out. It's time for new leadership that can take us back to the America that once was proclaimed the greatest nation on Planet Earth. May God have mercy on us if we don't!

H. Koski, Technically Inhofe has served more than two terms. '94-96', '96-'02, '02-'08. So yeah, let's vote him out! For all those that support the gas tax holiday, see how much you would save and how much it would cost the nation and our state: http://www.jabberwonk.com/flinker.cfm?cliid=13lkzo

The real required action is: Drill for Oil Now offshore, Anwar, and the Gulf. In parallel build more Nuclear plants. Wind is clean, but it can not be stored for windless days. Natural gas should be utilized to support oil drilling supply. The bottom line is that America can solve these proplems and will. As they say in the Army EITHER LEAD, OR MOVE OVER AND FOLLOW. For starters cancel the use of corn for ethenol.

Come on! Its not the democrats that are preventing the lowering of high gas prices! Republicans are the ones doing it! They're the ones who have investments and buisness agreements with the gas companies and records show that Democrats have been fighting to lower gas prices all along while Republicans just sit on their asses and rake in their easy money. Democrats have been fighting to end the war, bring our troops home, women's rights, lower gas prices, gay rights, and basically everything that allows the average everyday citizens of the United States to be treated with the respect and equality that they deserve. They've also been the ones fighting to lower the minimum wage cause there's no way a single parent or a single student could live on their own at minimum wage. Democrats are also fighting for better health care and for prescription prices to be lower. Another area that Republicans have investment ties in. What I'd like to see is all the stuff Democrats have been fighting for come true and for School tuition, books, and housing fees at universities to be lowered drastically. Its getting harder and harder for the average person to afford college and its criminal. Its criminal how the gas companies, universities, health care, and prescription companies jack up their prices and treat their customers unfairly. Its time for a change. OBAMA ALL THE WAY!!!!

America is on an addictive drug. That's right. Its gasoline. We have nearly reached our drilling capacity and yet everyone on this page is saying, drill elsewhere! Drill elsewhere! Its like a smoking victem who is crippled by emphysema in his death bed motioning for another cigarette. The solution isn't finding our own oil. Its creating a more environmentally-safe renewable source of energy that's cheaper than oil that the entire country can live on. Its all a matter of focusing our efforts in that direction instead of toward the gas "cigarette". We only have one earth, we can take care of her or we all die within the next 100 years.

Your battle is way beyond uphill as long as the presidential candidates and the sitting president continue to worship at the alter of Global Warming, aka Climate Change. This hoax if allowed to go on with both parties in agreement will result in a public cynacism and disbelief in your efforts. The everybody-does-it syndrome. Right now these gas prices are believed to be the fault of Cheney and Bush and their Big Oil buddies. This is nonsense but is believed by an incredible number of people. How on earth can the Republicans expect to bring any kind of sanity to the present situation by continuing to play the game using the Democrats playbook and agenda? PC is Thought Control LEE

Senator Inhofe, So what are the do-nothing Republicans going to do about "drilling here and Drilling Now'? The Republicans are good at giving lip service to keep themselves in office, but when the democrats hollar "frog", the Republicans whine "how far".

Mr. Inhofe - I appreciate that you are at least trying to do something to help the "little guy." What will it take for the others in Congress to wake up and realize they're infighting and party politics is helping no one. Maybe the only thing to do is replace them all! I have horrible visions of soup lines sans the Great Depression. Something has to be done! The trickle down effect of high gas prices will be catastrophic. Businesses are having to compensate for increased expenses by raising the price of all goods and services or laying off workers. Gas prices are curbing travel, both business and personal. Places that rely on tourists for a major source of income are in trouble. The crime rate will go up because people can't afford to buy food, medicine, and gas at the same time. Police departments will be patrolling less because of gas prices, leaving communities largely unprotected. It doesn't look good. Thank you, Mr. Inhofe, for trying.

The myth of Chinese drilling off Cuba has been roundly rebuked, but its no surprise to find Mr. Inhofe's supporters posting it here. Sir, weren't you the committe chair for all those years? Why, prey tell, did you not solve the problem then when you controlled all the branches of government?

Sir, you are complete and utter douchebag. Best wishes for the Nov election.

Drill here Drill now save money. And keep up the good work debunking the man made global warming scam which increases energy cost

Trying to blame one party or the other for a very complicated issue is oversimplifying it and using logical fallacy to try and scare people into hating/villifying a group of people based on stereotype rather than facts. No one party is responsible. It's the lobbying, lack of serious reform, and a whole other host of reasons that have nothing to do with one party or the other. What an asinine question for a poll. Rarely is life an either/or question. I would hope better from you Mr. Inhofe. As a voting citizen of Oklahoma, once again I am a bit ashamed at the lack of real leadership my federal team provides in exploring real solutions to problems rather than partisan politics that only divide our country and lead nowhere.

There are many recomendations in these comments that are right on. My suggestions are as follows. 1. Drill for our own oil 2. Pressure Mexico to sell its oil to us at a fair price by shutting down the border if they refuse. 3. Re-think the bio-fuel, the land and water it takes to grow the grain is getting more scarce than oil. 4. Put on fast track the building of Nuclear Reactors 5. Develope nation wide rail service with new high speed trains powered by electricity (electromagnetism) 6. Build new refineries now so when we do wake up we will have the means to refine enough oil to make a difference. These recomendations are in the future for us anyway so we might as well get started. No matter how much oil we find and drill for it is becoming oblolete. Another primary source of energy will be absolutely imperitive in the near future.

It's a vast liberal conspiracy. I saw a liberal sneak to a gas station in the middle of the night a while ago, and raise the price of gas. We need to vote them all out or shoot them all with the guns they are trying to take away from us.

Those stupid liberals and their made up theories. Global warming, evolution, a round earth. What will they think up next? Maybe that we are made up of tiny little building blocks like legos, except the legos are called atoms. What a stupid name. Those damn liberals keep thinking up silly things so that we don't fight against the real problems in this world ... Big foot.

"SHE WHO RUNS WITH SQUIRRELS" IS...well, NUTS! And "Charlie" is even moreso. Keep up the good work JI.

When those idiots in washington compare the oil industry to a drug cartell and us to addicts on national TV. There is something very wrong in washington these days.

Senator: The reason that gas prices are so high, in my opinion, is because of all the special-interest groups that continuously bombard our Senators and Representatives, both nationally and state level. Our elected officials seem to feel more of an obligation to those groups than they do to those constituents who elected them. How can a leader proclaim to have the citizens' best interest in mind, all-the-while he has an open palm stretched toward the lobbyists? Who's looking out for us? Lobbying and special-interest pressure should be criminalized, not only for those who lobby, but also for the leaders who participate in such persuasion. These despicable officials prize their well-being over their elected duties to the common people. Elected officials are supposed to be representatives of the people. However, it appears to the eye that we 'lowly citizens' don't have enough sense to run our lives. Why is it that they think that they know what's best for me -- better than I do? Why is it that our elected officials can vote themselves raises and give themselves life-long exorbitant retirements and health benefits on the backs of the taxpayers? What makes them special? We do have laws in this country that make it illegal to treat one citizen differently from another. Is an elected official really different from anyone else? ONLY in the fact that he or she is obligated to the many people who put their trust in him or her. It's impossible to serve two masters at the same time. Elected officials need to decide whether they want to serve the people, or whether they want to be self-serving. We can do without the latter! It's not only gas prices that threaten our society, but also our way of "doing business as usual." We've all heard that "How can you expect something to change if it's done continually the same way?" It can't! We need STRONG reform in our government; Lose the lobbyists. Limit the terms. Let the people decide what leaders get the perks (and what the perks are). Put God back into the classrooms. Yea, that's a biggie! I suppose that it all boils down to the elected officials taking care of representing the people. If a question arises over any particular matter, put it to the vote of those who will be affected by it. Tell the whole truth about the matter, not just what you think people want to hear. People who really want to be self-governing will understand that everything will not be rosy for everyone all the time. Officials need to continuously do as you are now doing; ask what the people think. We want our leaders to be thinkers and problem solvers, not free-loaders and scammers. Seek out those in-the-know who can best help making a decision or solving a problem. The pricing of gas is just a current problem we face. The real leaders will step up to the greater problems we face in the future, without any special interest persuasion other than to those who elected them. Yes, this sounds noble; however, the people want their government back! Now! While we can still do something about it! Resist the one-world global attitude that pervades our society. We ARE NOT willing to hand over our freedoms to ANY government or group. We are individuals and we want our voices heard! We are the ones paying the bill! Yes, it is admirable that we should protect our environment, but at what cost? Where lies the equilibrium point of cost vs return? Who knows...? No individual has the single right answer. We must all be willing to play give-and-take. It's all right to cross party lines when necessary. We understand! We want our leaders to "Just. do. the. right. thing...." -- Respectfully, ....

DRILL HERE!!! DRILL NOW!!! PAY LESS!!! WHEN WILL THE DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS GET IT????? VOTING FOR OBAMA?? BE PREPARED TO PAY MORE FOR EVERYTHING, INCLUDING BASICS AND GASOLINE.

The liberals are waiting to see if their candidate for President gets elected before they start working to reduce the price of fuel. Then they can claim their candidate is the the "solution" to the problem and blame President Bush and the Republicans for a failed energy policy. The blame can actually be shared by all politicians who have not acted to create a stable and proactive energy policy. The news media can also share part of the blame for this crisis due to its irrational hype which is way out of proportion the actual problem. The news hype is a primary contributor to the increased cost of fuel in the commodities market. True or not, the news "fuels" the market and the market controls the price of fuel. The Oil Companies are just sitting back enjoying the ride. Get some unbiased "Good News" on the wires and you will see the commodity brokers begin taking their profits and the price of oil will come tumbling down. Becoming "Energy Independent" is the only way to truely be free of the irrational inflationary powers of oil and the Middle East's stangle-hold on our economy.

Mr. Inhofe, Thank you for standing up for conservative views. It is rediculous that the Chinese can drill 60 miles off the coast of Florida and our own government will not allow us to. THe democrats have tried this windfall prifits tax before in the Carter era and it just makes matters worse, Why anyone believes we will get releif at the pump by increasing taxes is just proof that the dmacrats are doing a good job of feeding the Americans a bunch of Bull! We need to go get our own oil! Thanks for standing firm. Jana Raleigh, NC

With all that's going on (oil, the stupid election, etc.), I wish I could just jump on the Mayflower, sail to the New World, and get away from it all!

I'm awaiting the next depression. Gas prices are climbing, so people are cutting back their spending. Minimum wage is getting ready to go up again, which is great for the employees... who don't get laid off. My father's business already closed because of those two factor, and it used to be an incredibly profitable business. I am in college. i have three jobs, and I still can barely pay my bills because all my money goes into paying for gas to get to work! Come on government. What are you doing?

We are paying over $4/gal for FARM diesel. Input costs (fertilizer, seed, herbicide and fuel for tractors and irrigation) have tripled this year and we have already spent almost as much as we did all last year putting in peanuts and cotton. Taxing oil companies is not the answer. DRILL HERE, DRILL NOW! Clean coal and natural gas, nuclear. America has the will and the know how to address this problem if the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT will GET OUT OF THE WAY!

If Hitler was a democrat, democrats would be for him. If FDR was a republican, democrats would be against him.

Obviously we need short term help - let us not forget that even more than that, we need long term solutions. We could start by removing the subsidies we are giving to corporations that are making record breaking profits without the tax breaks.

You are a disgrace to your party. The problems that the country faces, in fact the world faces, cries for leadership, not this kind of naked opportunism. Why haven't you told the people who comment here that China is not drilling off our coast? Why have you not told the people who comment here that drilling in the US can not address the "problem" of high oil prices. No, the problem is that we refuse to address the consumption side in any meaningful way. Every single developed country on the planet invests more in rail than we do. Every single developed country taxes the hell out of gas - because it represents the only way to capture the cost to the general public of using it, not because of some moral issue. The problem is that the cost to the people of the United States of buying oil, refining it into gas and putting into vehicles that get lower mileage than cars did 30 years ago is not reflected in any way by the pump price. Moreover, there is still no real alternative to driving these cars for many millions of people who have moved to suburbs in hopes of finding better lives and good schools. Why don't you try and actually solve problems rather than continuously focus on getting re-elected while spouting off talking points? Have you no conscience at all?

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Even under best-case scenarios, it would take 10 years to start production in ANWR and the average net drop in worldwide oil price would be about 86 cents per barrel of crude — 0.6 percent. Moreover, because of its location, it would be un-economical to sell it on the US market. It will end up going to China instead. The real causes of the rise in oil prices are threefold: 1) the value of the dollar has lost nearly 30% of its value since the invasion of Iraq, going from .89 euro in June of 2003 to .64 euro in June of 2008. 2) the insecurity of supply caused by the invasion of Iraq, and the increased threat of terrorism caused by the international negative reaction to the invasion of Iraq, which raised the cost of insuring oil tankers immensely, and 3) the drum-beating by Republicans in Congress and the White House for military attacks on Iran, which would close the Strait of Hormuz, possibly for years -- this, more than speculation, is what has really driven up the price on the futures market. Cooling down the Republican administration's war fever toward Iran and ending the wasteful and useless occupation of Iraq would do more to lower oil and gas prices prices -- and do it more quickly -- than any practically attainable increase in oil supplies from drilling in ANWR and in the Gulf region would do. The price of crude has risen from about $25 in June 2003 to $135 in June of 2008.

Your poll is totally invalid, as you don't actually count ALL the disagree votes. That's the way guys like you count votes in Florida and it's what's killing democracy in the United States

Our congress needs to permit more refineries to be built. It doesn't matter if we have more oil if there is not sufficient capability to process it.

The problem is not new. Everyone continues to play the blame game. When in reality, both Republicans and Democrats have blocked oil production for years! The oil drilling industry has changed but people's opinions have not kept up. Most people still think of spillages and pollurion when it comes to oil production and granted, that risk is always there just like risks are always present when we drive our cars. But we accept the risk if we want to get anywhere. The same is true with oil production. We have the oil reserves in great abundance right under our feet. But we are going to have to accept the risk and manage the threat of pollution while at the same time keep moving forward. This country has become a bunch of mamby pamby's who can't make a decision anymore. Our country is becoming stagnant and losing ground fast to third world countries who are taking American Jobs away. Lets get off our asses and do something instead of just pointing fingers at the other guy and playing the blame game. If we had to fight the second world war now, we would all be learning to speak German by now. Lets stop acting like a bunch of losers and move forward! Even if we started drilling work today it would be years before the results would begin to show. So lets get started! Drill here, Drill now!

The democrats are indeed the main reason for the shortages. The do not believe the industry leaders and constantly threaten heavy handed regulations or taxes. They bear most of the blame. They should start reacting appropriately to predictable shortages and take corrective action: i.e., support the Bush administration efforts to make us independent of despots. Democrats have a rare ability to criticize and to offer absolutely no solutions.

If you want to know the web site exists that shows some of these technologies it is at: http://xenophilius.wordpress.com/2008/03/08/top-100-new-clean-energy-technologies/ Don't rely on Washington D.C. Solution 1 - Unite your local community, city and state officials and fund your own local factories that build air cars. Open your computer browser and type: air car you will see Guy Negre's (former Formula 1 Engineer) compressed air engine propel a vehicle 70 mph down the highway and travel from California to New York on 8 gallons of gas. Solution 3 - Fund and build electric cars that run on the ultra capacitor. Open your computer browser and type: ultra capacitor. There you will see the EESTOR ultra capacitor that can be put in any size vehicle and be recharged in 5 minutes. Its range on a 5 minute charge is potentially 500 miles. Very promising technology. Lock-Heed Martin (a major Department of Defense Contractor) is backing this technology and rumor has it that former General Colin Powell is one of the chairman of this highly advanced program. Solution 4 - Fund your own hydrogen cars. I forget what web site I visited but the vehicle ran completely off of hydrogen and went 480 miles before having to be recharged. Solution 5 - Invest your community, city and state dollars in LS9 technology. A microbe engineered bug that eats garbage and produces oil. Solution 7 - Invest in Linear Combustion Electromagnetic Engines and install this technology in a vehicle. Solution 8 - Green Power Inc's NanoDiesel: Catalytic Pressureless Depolymerization (Oiling). Green Power Inc has developed a method of inexpensively converting biomass and household waste into high grade diesel fuel, a process they call "NanoDiesel" that could go a long way toward solving the world's energy and waste problems at the same time, without upsetting the CO2 balance. The raw costs of procuding such diesel is about $0.60/gallon. Solution 9 - Have your community, city and state officials in Biomass-based "Coal" Makes Coal Plants Renewable and Clean NewEarth Renewable Energy, Inc. produces a "coal" equivalent from 100% biomass sources. The pellets do not smoke, are odorless, and produce virtually no pollution; yet they have the same BTU content as coal, and are available at a lower price, when all the costs of coal are factored in. The company says it was specifically designed for coal-burning power plants to immediately reduce their CO2 and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. It is a renewable alternative fuel to coal, and is CO2 and Greenhouse Gas neutral. ECO Clean Coal can be either co-fired with coal or totally replace coal at any coal-fired power plant worldwide, without any retrofitting, loss of productivity, or service to customer. It is a pound per pound replacement for coal. It is the most compatible biomass fuel to burn with coal. Solution 10 - Invest in and build Apetra vehicles found at http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/09/28/aptera-is-now-accepting-orders-for-their-three-wheeled-car-with/ They 3-wheeled vehicles can go 330 mpg. Solution 11 - In the mean time we still should drill for all oil, but let's keep all options open for discussion. Continue pressuring Washington leaders so that we no longer rely on OPEC oil. The transfer of $700 billion dollars to another government that HATES us is truly STUPID.