Gas Prices: an email from MoveOn.org PAC group

[hyphenate]

This came from an email from MoveOn today. If people can keep it kicked, it will certainly help get more signatures and help the HR bill.
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As of yesterday, gas prices are the highest in U.S. history—we just passed the 1981 record, even adjusted for inflation. Prices could reach $4.00 per gallon in parts of the country, just in time to crimp summer vacation plans. As consumers suffer, the oil industry continues to reap the windfall—breaking profit records on an almost quarterly basis. It's outrageous!

Enough is enough. Hearings start today on H.R. 1252, a House bill that would make gas price gouging a federal crime, punishable by 10 years in prison. Speaker Pelosi has said she'll move the bill to a vote this week—if there's the two-thirds majority required to fast track the bill through the process.

Oil company lobbyists are frantically trying to stop the bill. Your representative needs to hear from you today. Will you sign our petition asking Congress to pass the price-gouging bill—and then send it to your friends?

"Gasoline price gouging should be made a federal crime before the summer price increases hurt more American families."

Rep Bart Stupak (D-MI), sponsor of the House bill said this of his motivation to introduce the legislation:

"In April ... crude oil was $7 a barrel cheaper than last year (but) gas prices were almost 50 cents a gallon higher. Clearly there's more at play than simply the world crude oil market."

In April, more than two-thirds of Americans reported that their gas bills were causing financial crunches, with a full third saying it was having a "serious" impact on their families.

That same month, the top two US companies, Exxon-Mobil and Chevron-Texaco, announced a combined $14 billion in first quarter profits.

It seems like even the oil industry has gone too far this time, and it's time to balance the scales. The Senate passed a price-gouging measure out of committee last week, and the House bill now has over 100 co-sponsors from both sides of the aisle.

The oil industry is nervous. They've sent their lobbyists to the Hill in full force to stop—or at least weaken—these bills, and they're pulling out all the stops. The American Petroleum Institute, an industry front group of more than 400 oil and gas companies, even threatened that new laws could increase gas prices more.

Enough is enough. This summer, we can stop Big Oil from profiting at the expense of American families. Can you sign the petition to ask your representative to make gasoline a price gouging a federal crime now?

Thanks for all you do.

–Ilyse, Natalie, Eli, Tom, and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team
Tuesday, May 22nd, 2007

http://pol.moveon.org/stoppricegouging/

[hlthe2b]

1. Done... KICK... Let's see 75,000 or more DUers on this petition!

Hopefully, many many more.

[ancient_nomad]

2. KnR! n/t

[Fridays Child]

3. k/r

[ceile]

4. done.

[Native]

5. Done n/t

[bighart]

6. SHOULD WE NOT BE

encouraging the price even higher? I say let's add a $2.00 per gallon emissions tax to the price of gas to reduce it's usage.

[spoony]

13. Crushing people under your ideological foot

will not help anyone.

[bighart]

16. so save the environment

as long as YOU are not asked to help pay for it?

[spoony]

17. No, as long as people who can't afford it aren't asked

to starve for it. The economy sucks enough as it is without strangling the working class any further with such silly measures.

[Double T]

7. Done!

[Hersheygirl]

8. Kick

I have just called both my senators in PA and am encouraging others to do likewise. Senator Casey's office said the phone is ringing off the hook.


Edited for grammer.

[OregonBlue]

9. Done.

[Lugnut]

10. Done.

I'm sending this to every person in my address book. We might not agree on eerything but I think this issue will hit home with everybody.

[hyphenate]

11. kick

[RamboLiberal]

12. Done - thanks for posting

[spoony]

14. done and k and r

[hlthe2b]

15. kick to keep it high for others...