This article chronicles the stupidity of the federal government's scramble to try and control gasoline prices.

Senate Republicans advocate sending $100 rebate checks to millions of taxpayers, and a Democrat is leading the campaign for a 60-day gasoline tax holiday.

A hundred bucks? That's a huge help - NOT. Interesting that it's a Donk looking for a repeal of the gas tax, however temporary. I guess permanently repealing the gas tax is off the table, eh guys?

Of course, the rebate check legislation is tied to drilling in ANWR, which would definitely do more than the checks themselves or even repealing the tax, but a rebate check is a LIBERAL idea, since it's paramount to the government deciding how much money you should have instead of you making that decision yourself. Don't forget that the federal government could permanently shave 18 cents per gallon off the price at the pump just by permanently getting out of the business of taxing gasoline (note: the 18 cent federal tax on gas is aproximately double the average profit the gas companies get per gallon).

Senate Republicans also favor extending a tax break that manufacturers receive for each hybrid vehicle they make, and want President Bush to suspend deliveries to the nation's strategic petroleum reserve for six months.

Umm ... in case you've been hiding under a rock, the President already did that. Interesting that you'll give car manufacturers a tax break to make cars that people don't buy. What the hell is the matter with you people?

As evidence of the angst politicians are feeling over $3-a-gallon gasoline, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted unanimously Thursday to allow the Justice Department to prosecute member nations of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries for price-fixing in violation of antitrust laws.

OPEC is a foreign organization and is not subject to our laws per se. They've been responding in kind to the demand for oil here in the US, but our refineries can't handle the workload. Time to build some new ones, since there hasn't been a new refinery built in this country in over 25 years.

Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, the committee's chairman, said senators were concerned about the "record profits and significant executive compensation in the oil and gas industry."

"I want to make sure the oil companies aren't taking a speed pass by the tax man," Grassley said in a statement.

Mr. Grassley, maybe you could enlighten us as to what the taxman is dong in the poil companies' business, in clear violation of the US Constitution ... Mr. Grassley?

Meanwhile, Exxon Mobil Corp., the world's largest oil company, said Thursday that higher oil prices drove first-quarter profit up 7 percent from the prior year. Net income rose to $8.4 billion, or $1.37 per share, in the January-March period from $7.86 billion, or $1.22 per share, a year ago. Oil prices actually fell Thursday after U.S. government data showed motor fuel demand weakening, apparently in response to higher pump prices.

Which is exactly how it's supposed to work. Increased demand and/or decreased supply=higher prices. Decreased demand and/or increased supply=lower prices. Your government intervention cannot and will not successfully achieve either goal artificially.

Both Republicans and Democrats said they planned to support rescinding the $2 billion in tax breaks, which included subsidies for exploration in deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico and in geologically or politically difficult regions of the world, as well as royalty relief for certain oil and gas exploration. Executives of the major oil companies said at a recent hearing they do not need those tax breaks.

Which means a $2 million increase in gas prices. Yeah, guys. When are you going to get a clue?

The senators noted not only the industry profits, but "an extremely lucrative retirement plan by one oil and gas industry executive, benefits which may have been subsidized in part by the taxpayers."

Nah, it was paid for by the CONSUMERS of these people's products. If the government would leave these people (and the taxpayers) alone, there wouldn't really be much at issue. people who disagreed with the benefits would simply buy someone else's gas. Nothing to it.

Again - When the hell are you losers going to get a clue?

RWR

Update: Ann Coulter lays it on the line (Coulter's article copied to file for preservation purposes).