Hillary's plan involves a multi-pronged attack, which seems quite logical, actually. But it seems to be a plan that would best work as a long term or permanent policy, not something that just works for the summer. There are a number of variables which effect the price of oil in the US. Her plan addresses a good number of them.
Certainly, it offends me that oil companies (which have shamelessly posted obscene profits over the past number of years), would have the audacity to claim that further taxing them would impinge on their exploration abilities. It would only result in them making slightly less of a killing.
I wonder how effective any efforts to "pressure Opec" might possibly be. How do we get them to honor our anti-trust laws? They've got us over a barrel, and they know it as well as we do. We can't exactly take our ball and go home, if they refuse to comply. Plus, I'm pretty sure
our oil companies see no profit in greater supply. It would drive down prices, ergo their bottom line.
More than temporarily suspending Federal gas and diesel fuel taxes, changing the laws on gas futures speculation would really go a long way toward stabilizing the price of oil. I'm all for that, but wonder if it can be done---meaning, would congress actually support such legislation?
Truckers in particular, need a break from these skyrocketing prices. If they can't operate, we are screwed. What percentage of our goods (you know, little things like food) get trucked overland? High oil prices are driving the steep increase in the costs of almost everything else. Whatever help we offer truckers needs to be long term, not just for the summer.
I can understand why Obama opposes such a band-aid approach as a 3 month suspension in Federal gas taxes. But what does he propose we do instead?
What does McCain propose we do in the way of long term solutions?