1. Well, by that logic, let’s not collect any taxes because they gonna be spent by no good gov, Heeehaw!

2. We won’t? Such short memory we have… remember 2006?

3. In that case, let’s eliminate all “burden” and regulations including drilling restrictions. Ooops, we have a leak, i thought the gov was supposed to prevent this!!!

4. red herring? Oh yea, the media made this story so fantastic, it’s really not that bad. I mean, we all some oil in our food right? Hmmm… got to love that oil taste.

Try reading other comments and argue against them before spewing silly rhetoric.

I must have p’d’ off the “no questions asked followers” The responses after mine are made by one person??? The comments show why we are in the trouble that we are in, as a society…..

Lets all go back to eight grade and have a logical debate. Example: Like no way I’m right and like for sure your wrong, cuz I heard it from experts on Cable TV so you got nothing to say. Critical thinking skills, I think not.

1. The new tax will be anticipated by the Feds and they will spend it immediately. It will then become a baseline for future budgets and no good will come of it except we will be spending too much for fuel and be locked into producing the extra revenue from now on.

2. We will not drive much less even at $5 / gallon. Commuting distances and the sheer size of the US make ours a very different picture than in Europe.

3. CAFE standards at 55 MPG will just be another burden on the economy unless consumers begin to demand (and buy) vehicles with higher mileage. Efficient vehicles are available today with gas prices plenty high enough to leverage a change in consumer habits and it isn’t happening. This bill reads like a giant attempt at social engineering and not as good energy policy.

4. Stopping offshore development due to environmental risk is a red herring being thrown around by environmentalists who want to make use of a tragedy. The best reason not to drill for our last remaining reserves is because they are our last remaining reserves. It makes no sense to burn up a such a vital resource on consumer whims.

Ok, we can put a noose around our own neck and stop all drilling off shore. There are many 1000′s of wells in the Gulf that are in international waters, not controled by us, and never will be controled by us. Other conutries are delighted to see us stop drilling. Leaves more for them, and there is nothing we can do about it. Hell yea! Lets just give all that oil to our good friends in China. Might as well. We gave them our entire manufacturing capacity.

Rather you believe in Democrat or Republican ideologies this oil spill will do nothing to get politicians, talking points, and no questions asked followers to think about why this happened and why money will make sure it happens again. The point is that when environmental or safety risks are ignored for short-term profits, who pays for these costs when something goes wrong in this modeling? Anyone with a brain knows that BP will never pay the full costs from this spill and government will pick up the rest of the costs. The current system rewards bad behavior by reducing liability and/or not needing to fully add safety or environmental costs into products. Consumers must know there is a price to this also, cheap oil would not be so cheap but the normal political stupidity and the big bad government rhetoric would be minimized.

Senator Bernie Sanders is trying to do something that has some rationality behind it. But despite this, his legislation will be a joke to most other Senators and think tank groups will find ways to make this political suicide if anyone votes for this and of course more money from the petroleum industry into campaigns will squash this legislation or will make sure it is pointless by severely watering it down.

What is so special about new offshore drilling? I swear when you hear people talk, they act like it is more important than renewable energy. But domestic drilling production is somewhere between 14-19 percent, and dwindling. Most of the new drilling is only going to add 2-5 percent for 10-15 years. Why is the constant bombardment of offshore oil propaganda so important? It is not. Yet we will see the same type of accident happen again and our addiction to oil will only be fully realized when peak oil occurs. Man on the moon, building a national interstate system, Hover dam, ect… all things that had American ingenuity, vision, and political leadership but I guess those days are behind us….

How can you argue with “In Europe, for example, cars already get the equivalent of 42 mpg and by 2020 cars in Europe will be required to get at least 65 mpg,” ?