From: Grlygrl201@aol.com
Date: Tue May 15 2001 - 15:49:21 PDT
THANK YOU.
In a message dated 5/15/01 10:53:18 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
bkdelong@pobox.com writes:
<< At 07:19 AM 05/15/2001 -0400, Grlygrl201@aol.com wrote:
>i just can't get over that he suggested we use our tax "refund" to cover the
>increased cost of energy - and the accompanying increases in food, shelter,
>you name it - and no one is calling him on it.
<rant emotion="bitter" length="long" detail="verbose">
Agreed. I haven't been following the thread but correct me if I'm wrong -
the only reason energy prices are so high is because the unregulated
producers of said energy have marked up the price almost 1900% during peak
usage times [1] and the only reason there is an energy shortage is because
the utilities cannot afford to purchase as much energy from said producers
due to this unregulated price gouging...hence, there is no energy shortage
and both Dubya and Cheney (the latter of whom declared $36M[2] on last
year's taxes, most of which came from his exercising of stock options from
Halliburton Co a *surprise* energy company that boasts it helped stimulate
the most prolific producing oil well in the Gulf of Mexico) have no plans
to step in and intervene with the energy companies. Hey, Bush and Cheney
are oil men and many of the key people involved in the raping of California
with regards to power are the very people who made contributions and helped
get them elected.
The point? Of course they'd recommend we use our tax cuts towards paying
increased energy costs. Of course Cheney would make the absolute ridiculous
claim that "Conservation may be a sign of personal virtue, but it is not a
sufficient basis for a sound, comprehensive energy policy" [3] while Bush
is running around trying to use eminent domain[4] at the Federal level to
put up as many power lines as he can. They're primary supporters are making
loads of money! What's even funnier is that we have no shortage of energy
[5] and even the Federal government's own scientists have produced
research[6] at odds with the Bush administration.
It's just something Cheney and Bush are pushing, I'm guessing, because
since two oilmen hold the top two positions in the country, they want to do
everything they can to give the environmental movement the finger, pay back
all their supporters, destroy the environment in as many ways as possible
that they previously weren't allowed to, and pave the way for good jobs at
energy companies before they are kicked out of office and the Democrats are
brought back in to clean things up.
[1] According to a June 2000 article from SJM, prices were spiking as high
as $750 per megawatt hour until the ISO board lowered the cap to $500.
"Normally, the price of a megawatt hour -- which is enough to power 1,000
homes for an hour -- ranges between $25 and $40. "
[2] According to an April 14th AP article, "Vice President Dick Cheney took
in $36 million, according to income-tax documents released Friday."
..."Most of Cheney's income came when he exercised stock options and sold
stock in Halliburton Co., the Dallas-based energy services firm he headed
until late in the presidential campaign. The vice president received $4.3
million in deferred compensation and bonuses. He reported $806,332 in
salary and $823,509 in capital gains." ...."Cheney's tax total put him in
the rarified realm of the top 39.6 percent tax bracket, which Bush wants to
eventually reduce to 33 percent." ...."Using the small standard deduction
of $7,350, the calculator estimates Cheney's tax cut under
the Bush plan at more than $2.3 million, a 16.1 percent cut. "
[3] Source for quote and hideous pro-resource consumption rhetoric:
http://channel.nytimes.com/2001/05/01/politics/01CHEN.html
[4] "We need more electricity wires carrying product across the country,"
the president said Tuesday night at a speech to the Electronic Industries
Alliance in Washington. One of the ways Bush intends to achieve that goal
is by asking Congress to pass legislation that substantially expands the
government's eminent domain authority
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/DailyNews/Electricity_Bush010509.html
[5] Forbes says there is no energy crisis and that not even the whole state
of California is effected - LA has it's own municipal power service. Oil
and Natural Gas reserves are at an all-time
high. http://www.forbes.com/2001/05/02/0502nocrisis.html
[6] "Most of the savings came from installing geothermal heat pumps, an
efficient home-heating and cooling system that circulates fluids through
underground coils but otherwise uses conventional technologies." ... "The
heat pumps, though still something of a novelty, are proven and save so
much money that President Bush installed a system at his new ranch home in
Crawford, Texas. Cheney's official home, the Naval Observatory in
Washington, also uses geothermal heat pumps to cut down on its energy bill."
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/134292670_power06.html
</rant>
>>
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