Gas Prices Inspire War Of Words: Obama, Dems Take On GOP & Get the Facts: Our Dependence on Foreign Oil is Declining 1MAR12

I would like to hear how the Christian leadership of the republican / tea-bagger caucus in Congress can justify the lies and deception they are spreading about gas prices and oil production in the U.S. Christian politicians shouldn't have to lie about the issues and their policies if they are the truth. There is nothing Christian or religious in their manipulation of the facts to increase their political power and the the already obscene profits of the big oil companies that own them through their campaign contributions. Pres Obama and Democrats are challenging the entire Congress to end the federal subsidies and tax breaks for big oil. E mail your Senator here http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
and your Representative here https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml
and Pres Obama here http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact  and demand 
an end to the federal subsidies and tax breaks for big oil companies. This from HuffPost
WASHINGTON -- People who claim a lack of oil drilling is to blame for spiking gasoline prices are either dumb or dishonest, President Barack Obama argued Thursday as Democrats ramped up their defense against Republicans claiming just that.
"Anybody who tells you that we can just drill our way out of this problem does not know what they're talking about, or they're not telling you the truth -- one or the other," Obama said at an event held in New Hampshire to tout his energy policies.
He noted that, in fact, oil production in the United States has hit its highest level in eight years, that more rigs are operating in the U.S. than in the rest of the world combined, that more than 400 drilling permits have been granted since the massive BP oil spill, and that for the first time in 13 years, oil imports account for less than half of all U.S. oil consumption.
"And no matter what you hear from some folks in an election year, the key part of this strategy over the last three years has been to increase safe, responsible oil production here at home, while also pursuing clean energy for the future," Obama added.
Regardless, Republicans, who launched a coordinated assault on the administration over gas prices earlier this week, kept up the drumbeat on Thursday.
"American families and small businesses continue to struggle, and they're especially feeling the impact of rising gas prices, which have doubled under President Obama," House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) told reporters in his weekly briefing.
In the other chamber, Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) took to the floor to make the GOP case in the wake of Obama's speech. "It's clear that the president is defensive on this issue," said Barrasso, who also blamed Obama for a doubling of of gas prices.

Neither he nor Boehner noted that the current average of $3.73 per gallon is lower than the price at the start of the recession during the Bush administration.
"The president's polices are at best ineffective and at worst are contributing to the higher gas prices," Barrasso said, before hitting the week's mantra of demanding more drilling.
"The president actually has some options that make a lot of sense to a lot of Americans," said the senator, "and that option, of course, is to increase American energy production."
Obama also renewed his request to end $4 billion in tax subsidies that the oil companies still receive every year, even as they're reaping record profits. The GOP was quick to attack that as well.
"Democrats have already acknowledged that the idea the President discussed today won't lower gas prices," Boehner said later the same day in a statement. "In fact, the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service says it would increase them. Republicans are focused on an all-of-the-above energy policy, and I remain hopeful the President will follow through on his commitment to work with us to increase the supply of American-made energy."
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) tried a different angle in the Democratic pushback, suggesting that the top driver of gas prices right now is not supply but aggressive speculation in oil markets. She pointed to blocked efforts by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to stop such speculation, which the CFTC estimates adds more than 50 cents a gallon to the price of gas.
"What's happening about the price at the pump is very interesting," Pelosi said in her weekly press conference. "Supply is going up, demand is going down, and the price is going up," she said, referring to recent data to that effect.
"So how do you explain that?" Pelosi asked. "You explain it by recognizing that Republicans are protecting Wall Street speculators responsible for driving up the pain at the pump."
Michael McAuliff covers Congress and politics for The Huffington Post. Talk to him on Facebook.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Get the Facts: Our Dependence on Foreign Oil is Declining America's dependence on foreign oil has gone down every single year since President Obama took office. In 2010, we imported less than 50 percent of the oil our nation consumed—the first time that's happened in 13 years—and the trend continued in 2011. We're relying less on imported oil for a number of reasons, not least that production is up here in the United States. In fact, America is producing more oil today than at any time in the last eight years. Despite all this, Americans are still paying more at the pump when we fill up. That's because drilling for more oil here at home won't affect the price of gas on its own. So we have to do more than drill now to bring down prices for the future. Relying on the fossil fuels of the last century won't be enough, especially as demand keeps increasing. We need an all-out, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of American energy. This is the strategy President Obama has been pursuing since he took office, but there's still more to be done. Fact Check: All-of-the-Above Approach to American Energy Lately, there have been a lot of misleading claims about gas prices. As middle class families are struggling with high prices at the pump, a result of increased global oil prices, politicians have renewed their promises for $2 gas and their misleading claims about who is to blame. Read more. By the Numbers: $4 Billion Oil companies receive $4 billion every year in taxpayer-funded subsidies, despite continually bringing in record high profits. Meanwhile, gas prices are on the rise—just like they were this time last year—and the same people funding those subsidies are paying more at the pump for the gas they need to get to school and work. By the Numbers: 55 Thanks to fuel economy standards established by the Obama Administration, cars and trucks on the road in 2025 will average 55 miles per gallon of gas. These tougher fuel standards will reduce our oil consumption by more than 2 million barrels a day, but we have to do more. In Case You Missed It Weekly Address: An All-Of-The-Above Approach to American Energy President Obama talks about how important it is to embrace an all-of-the-above approach to addressing our nation's energy challenges. Get Updates Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for energy & climate email updates. To find out more about what the Administration is doing on energy, be sure to visit WhiteHouse.gov/Energy.