I Received This As An E-Mail From A Repug Friend And Would Like To Refute......

[global1]

Anybody that can help me - please post responses.

"Who's really to blame for high gas prices?

Let's vote the incumbents out. All of them!

Very telltale..........questions??

Gas at $4.00 a gallon and climbing. Who’s to blame?

Thanks to the environmentalist lobby and its influence on Democratic legislators in Congress, the U.S. has, for decades, been prohibited from drilling for oil in places that we know contain billions of barrels of proven reserves.

All of the “NO” zones are places where the U.S., thanks to the Democratic Party, is prohibited from drilling for oil.

But wait … it gets better.

***China, Cuba, Canada and others continue to drill off our shores where US companies are not allowed to drill because of Democratic policies!

Yes, that’s right … China and Cuba are actively exploring oil fields 50 miles from Key West, Florida while U.S. companies are barred from working in this area because of U.S. policy . So, instead of allowing the most environmentally responsible companies to operate there and increase our domestic supply, China, who has a dismal environmental record, is preparing to suck our close, lucrative oil reserves dry.

Unbelievable.

Investor's Business Daily recently explained how irresponsible the Democrats have been on the energy crisis. They lay into what they consider to be the worst Congress ever for …..
Failing to allow drilling in ANWR. We have, as President Bush noted, estimated capacity of a million barrels of oil a day from this source alone -- enough for 27 million gallons of gas and diesel. But Congress won't touch it, fearful of the clout of the environmental lobby. As a result, you pa y through the nose at the pump so your representative can raise campaign cash.

Refusing to build new refineries. The U.S. hasn't built one since 1976, yet the EPA requires at least 15 unique 'boutique' fuel blends that can be sold in different areas around the nation. This means that U.S. refinery capacity is stretched so tight that even the slightest problem at a refinery causes enormous supply problems and price spikes. Congress has done nothing about this.

Turning its back on nuclear power. It's safe and, with advances in nuclear reprocessing technology, waste problems have been minimized. Still, we have just 104 nuclear plants -- the same as a decade ago -- producing just 19% of our total energy. (Many European nations produce 40% or more of their power with nuclear.) Granted, nuclear power plants ar e expensive -- about $3 billion each. But they produce energy at $1.72/kilowatt-hour vs. $2.37 for coal and $6.35 for natural gas.

Raising taxes on energy producers. This is where a basic understanding of economics would help: Higher taxes and needless regulation lead to less production of a commodity. So by proposing 'windfall' and other taxes on energy companies plus tough new rules, Congress only makes our energy situation worse.

These are just a few of Congress' sins of omission -- all while India, China, Eastern Europe and the Middle East are adding more than a million barrels of new demand each and every year. New Energy Department forecasts see world oil demand growing 40% b y 2030, including a 28% increase in the U.S.

Americans who are worried about the direction of their country, including runaway energy and food prices, should keep in mind the upcoming election isn't just about choosing a new president. We'll also pick a new Congress.

If you agree with the need to let the American people know who’s REALLY responsible for the sky-high gasoline prices we’re seeing today, please forward this e-mail to everyone you know.

If we elect a liberal Democrat as president in the Fall and keep the same Democrat-controlled Congress, nothing will change …. except gasoline prices, which will keep going up."


I know I said Repug friend - but we've been very distant since 2000 when he voted for * and also called me from a Inauguration Party. He still keeps sending me e-mails like this and I keep trying to refute.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

1. Don't waste your time

There's no speaking reality to these jerks.

Block him. If you've been "very distant" for eight years, you must understand that he's just trying to get your goat. Don't go for it.

Or, in the alternative, you could try my favorite ploy: send it back to him with a note say, "Some asshole is sending out this bullshit and signing your name to it. I hope you catch the idiotic son-of-a-bitch."

[Liberal Veteran]

2. Put simply, it's not supply that is driving the price, it's speculation markets.

[ROakes1019]

6. agree

I agree absolutely and anybody who watched the congressional hearings knows so.

[magellan]

3. You've already learned the lesson

"He still keeps sending me e-mails like this and I keep trying to refute."

He isn't interested in FACTS so quit wasting your time.

[Beaverhausen]

4. read this thread to refute the ANWR issue

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3412673

not enough oil there to do us any good and it would take 10 years to get it.

[zeemike]

5. How can you refute it?

It is so full of all kinds of misinformation that it would take several pages to refute it point by point. And that is why they construct these pieces like that to frustrate the opposition by dumping so much shit you can't clean it all up.
All you can do is let them know it is all a bunch of crap and let it go.

[Sonicmedusa]

7. Someone needs compose something to refute this.

These "Thank a Dem" (for high gas/oil prices) posts are all over the internets. I mean, the Web is brimming with them. WE know they are bullshit, but the average working Joe may not, and it is imperative that we keep the blame focused right where it belongs: the Greedy Oil Party. I keep searching for something that will address this bullshit point-by-point so if any knows of any, please let me know.

[ThoughtCriminal]

8. Here is the shortest rebuttle I can thing of

There are a large number of factual errors that would take a few hours to refute adequately. But here is the the one that will burn the most:

The Republicans controlled Congress from 1995-2007 and all 3 branches of the Federal Government from 2001-2007.