<p>Then just as now, all attempts at progress have been blocked by one or the other partisans.</p>
<p>don’t even bother, scottz – facts don’t matter in this discussion.</p>
<p>10 years ago the Dems could have opened up this map:</p>
<p>[Where</a> is offshore drilling allowed? - CNN.com](<a href=“http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/06/18/map.offshore.drilling/index.html]Where”>Where is offshore drilling allowed? - CNN.com)</p>
<p>but nooo, they wanted the price to go up. Al Gore is happy the price is up!
They want the US to forever to dependent upon the Middle East.</p>
<p>AMom - why would you say something silly like that? Jimmy Carter recognized in the 70’s that we had to do something about foreign oil. He was made fun of because of it. The Democrats have pushed for mandatory increases in fuel efficiency but are called Communists and Socialists when the effort is made. Ten years ago, the Republicans didn’t want to open up the shores for drilling either - gas wasn’t pricey enough to justify it then. Who fought it just as hard as anyone - Jeb Bush in Florida - he didn’t want off shore drilling to hurt tourism in his state. Why do you think his brother supported the moratorium?</p>
<p>Absurd, AMom2. For one, one of the biggest anti drilling voices was your beloved President Bush’s own brother, the governor of Florida.</p>
<p>For two, oil companies – run generally by conservative Republican-backing people with heavy ties to the Bush administration – have been sitting on millions of acres which they could drill right now. They haven’t because it’s expensive and it takes time and no one really knows just how much oil they will get from it. Congress had to threaten them with a use-it-or-lose-it legislation to get them to seriously consider it. </p>
<p>For three, much of oil drilled off-shore goes into an international pool shared by many nations… the immediate effect on US oil reserves & prices would be nil. </p>
<p>By the way, I don’t believe you’re a mom. I think you’re a teenager having fun playing a ■■■■■.</p>
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<p>Then why are over 68 million acres of land already leased by oil and gas companies just sitting unused? This land has the potential to nearly double the yearly US domestic output and increase gas supply by 75%. </p>
<p>And you’re wanting to lease even more federal lands to the oil companies so they can sit on them until they feel the time is right to drill. Why would an oil company like Exxon find it necessary to drill for more oil when the current conditions are making them loads of money? After all, they just recently posted a nearly $12-billion quarterly profit (a new record). And let’s not forget about the multi-million bonuses their executives got last year when their company started reporting over $100-million per day profit numbers.</p>
<p>I’m all for capitalism, but there is no significant benefit to be made by lifting the current land bans so that the oil companies can get them and sit on them until they deem necessary.</p>
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<p>Maybe not a teenager, but for sure a ■■■■■. And a hyperactive one at that (all those exclamation marks!!!)</p>
<p>Energy Bill authorized drilling in ANWR, but a filibuster by Senate Democrats kept the measure from coming to a vote. In 1995, Republicans prepared to take up the battle again and included a provision for ANWR in the federal budget. President Bill Clinton vetoed the entire budget and expressed his intention to veto any other bill that would open ANWR to drilling. In 1996 the Republican-majority House and Senate voted to allow drilling in ANWR, but this legislation was vetoed by President Clinton.</p>
<p>[Arctic</a> Refuge drilling controversy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_Refuge_drilling_controversy]Arctic”>Arctic Refuge drilling controversy - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>But the topic of coastal drilling has been an extremely sensitive one in the Bush family; Mr. Bush’s father, the first President Bush, signed an executive order in 1990 banning coastal oil exploration, and Mr. Bush’s brother Jeb was an outspoken opponent of offshore drilling when he was governor of Florida.</p>
<p>– Washington Post, June 18 '08</p>
<p>As I already said, then just as now, all attempts at progress have been blocked by one or the other partisans. BTW Bush has lifted the ban.</p>
<p>Obama now supports offshore drilling!</p>
<p>[Obama</a> shifts, says he may back offshore drilling - Yahoo! News](<a href=“http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080801/ap_on_el_pr/obama]Obama”>http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080801/ap_on_el_pr/obama)</p>
<p>Here is a little history lesson on why Bush supported the ban that his father put in place and expanded it in 2002. It was one of the few things that Bush did tha I supported - even if he did it for all the wrong reasons. </p>
<p>[The</a> Spokesman-Review.com - Bush prevents oil, gas drilling off Florida coast](<a href=“http://www.spokesmanreview.com/news-story.asp?date=053002&ID=s1156519]The”>http://www.spokesmanreview.com/news-story.asp?date=053002&ID=s1156519)</p>
<p>Newsflash! Now McCain supports more taxes!</p>
<p>[McCain</a> flip-flops on no-new-tax pledge // Current](<a href=“http://current.com/items/89148520_mccain_flip_flops_on_no_new_tax_pledge]McCain”>http://current.com/items/89148520_mccain_flip_flops_on_no_new_tax_pledge)</p>
<p>the republicans aren’t trying. they’re sitting around for the sake of sitting around without the democrats and whining that they’re alone and their ideas aren’t getting heard and that everyone’s being so very mean and not very nice to them</p>
<p>LOL…</p>
<p>The Republicans left at 5pm just in time for dinner.</p>
<p>I guess the 5-hour tantrum just wasn’t working. </p>
<p>Congress will return at 2pm on September 8.</p>