What a shame, I had budget for my utility costs to "necessarily sky-rocket."

.....and I guarantee you there are just as many QUIET Democrats with just as much stock in the industry. They are all rich too and I'm quite sure they have their money invested in the industry that will yield the best return. If they don't; they are fools.

Well said. It is short-sighted thinking which works for today but fails for the future.

"It's just a shame that the Republicans puts themselves first and country second."

That's the same thing republicans say about the democrats, isn't it?There are reasonable republicans and unreasonable democrats. There are reasonable democrats and unreasonable republicans. There are crazy republicans and there are crazy democrats too. Demonizing the opposition on either side is a fatal impediment to eventually finding common ground. The president was elected on that very premise, and that was one of the main reasons why I voted for him.

Yakov Smirnoff was right..."What a country!"...:)

All I see here is Harry Reid playing politics leading up to the elections. Abandon work, propose no legislation and blame it on Republicans..

And don't think the President, who SHOULD be pushing energy legislation, will do any different. It's campaign mode from here on out through November.

With a little luck, we can watch the Democrats go into obstruction mode in late January, 2011.

And the real silver lining is that the Republicans have won (which is really what's important) on this issue without even having a vote. Campaign talking point: "Harry Reid gave up on important energy legislation to save his Senate seat."

dangerfield:

Boy you are correct in your comments above.

But let me just add that it seems, I said seems, that at this partiicular time in our govenment's history there are a few more unreasonable republicans. I don't care if based on solid study to get a handle on the details and sincere principles if a Dem or a Republican supports or does not support a particular Bill or legislative proposal no matter which side initiates the same. But I will be disappointed and call out, if found to be a pattern, that any of these same Dems and/or Republicans simply vote YES or NO just to go along with party lines, or because they do not want to be called on the carpet and ridiculed by Rush Limbaugh or Keith Olbermann.

CA,

I agree. I believe I have seen you post before that it was in the republicans interest to be "unreasonable" right now, as politically it is to their temporary advantage. If they win anything in November, the republicans will be frying on the same skillet as the democrats and it will be interesting to see what the playbook will be then.

Even scarier than your scenario is that some may vote in a particular way to be GUESTS on one of those entertainment programs.

dangerfield and Ca,

Both of you have pointed out the crux of the problem, and that is the seemingly mindless behavior exhibited by most (not all) of our elected officials. If there's ever a need for the rational members of congress and the senate to step forward, now's the time. We elected them to represent us, not the national party to which they belong, and as an elected official of (for the sake of argument) California, Senators Boxer and Feinstein need to vote on behalf of the citizens of California, not on behalf of the party. Before I get pilloried, I'm using Boxer and Feinstein as an example, not as an object to be ridiculed. I've said this many times, and I'll say it again, "Bi-partisan legislation doesn't consist of 62 affirmative votes, 59 of which are from one party, and three from the other. It's legislation that is equally admired by both parties for roughly 50% of the aye votes, and disliked by both parties that vote nay, again in a roughly 50/50 split along party lines." That leaves us with a centerist piece of legislation, that most will accept, and very few will actually abhor.

Right now, if it looks like it's a Democratic piece of legislation, virtually every Republican will vote against it, regardless of the merit of the legislation. In four month, it may very well be that the shoe is on the other foot. If that's the case, then the lesson for the Republicans to have learned in the last two years, is that when you're back in power, extend an honest hand to the minority party, and solicit their input on legislation so that it becomes bi-partisan, rather than turn your back on them and say "we won".

Sorry to interupt, your conversation interested me.

Thanks for the info. You're right about geography rather than party. To some extent I understand it means jobs for their states but it does not take into account that, like US steel manufacturers, sooner or later those oil and coal jobs will be gone--the fields will dry up, the coal mines empty. It is why thinking toward that day now and not when it happens is so very important.

Republicans got more total cash, but the top recipients in the house and senate are democrats...

#1 in congress...

Boren, Dan (D-OK)$152,450

#1 in the senate

Lincoln, Blanche (D-AR)$329,650

Both are from "Oil" states

http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/summary.php?ind=E01&cycle=2010&recipdetail=S&mem=Y

That doesn't surprise me at all. It is why we heard so many politicians in the Gulf rant against the temporary exploratory drilling moratorium. That's crazy--sacrifice the economy of all for the economy of some.

Jody,

Sometimes you have to walk a mile in the other person's shoes before passing judgment. Things tend to be more complicated up close than they are form a safe distance. There are also other countries (great piece with Margaret Warner on PBS) who are deep water drilling with much better control and safeguards than BP...

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2010/06/brazil-oil-rigs-and-world-cup.html

Wish we weren't so hooked on the "juice" too...

its the dems that dony want us retreiving the oil we have which would reduce the need for all the foreign oil and would put many people back to work, all three of those people you mentioned use oil every day and will do so for the rest of thier lives unless they want to walk.

Domestic oil production here at home does not get earmarked for our country's use. It is produced by publicly traded companies that put it up for sale on the WORLD MARKET.

Domestic oil does not reduce our dependence on foreign oil. We sold our rights to it to the oil companies.

So here is the question,

Do you see things getting better if the Republicans take control?

My take is this is a vendetta on the President, to make him look worse the W. I hope that does not happen but the rhetoric seems to be pointing that way because in the end the country will lose over that.

My point about that is just this, if the Republicans take control and they make this into making the President looking worse than W, the country itself will not get better but far much worse.

We need a Congress that is willing to give and take with each other and not obstructionists. I am sure the Democrats will pull the same lame crap as the Republicans have if they lose power.

The old saying stands as a true tried method of a nation's existence "United We Stand, Divided We Fall".

This country has been divided far too long and we see where that has gotten us.

Although it is often hard to maintain my objectivity, it is interesting to watch a once amazing and powerful country self destruct. I hope others on the planet are watching carefully and learning what not to do. Probably not, though.

Heartlight3,

For me, that is the hardest part, being a disabled veteran knowing you were ready to die for this country and now watch as it self destruct.

These same questions should be applied to immigration reform.

CA,

You said it better than I could have, you have my vote.

Quentin Patrick

I suggest you look up Rule 22 of the senate as it applies to the modification of the filibuster and cloture rules. 51 votes doesn't get you anywhere in the Senate unless you are passing legislation through the "reconciliation" process. The RE-peat-the-lie-to-the-PUBLIC-ans in the Senate are making use of the "Proceedural Filibuster" (a filibuster in name only) FINO, on almost every piece of legislation that comes to them after passing with huge majority support in the House.

Wind Turbines and solar farms, are job creators, and may not have to be a permanent part of the solution to our energy "needs". That doesn't mean that we shouldn't embark on making use of there potential.