Congress Wants to Piss off OPEC, That'll make Gas cheaper!

[Chris_]

House passes bill to sue OPEC over oil prices
Tue May 20, 2008 2:27pm EDT
http://www.reuters.com/articlePrint?articleId=USWAT00953020080520
Excerpt:
By Tom Doggett

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved legislation on Tuesday allowing the Justice Department to sue OPEC members for limiting oil supplies and working together to set crude prices, but the White House threatened to veto the measure.

The bill would subject OPEC oil producers, including Saudi Arabia, Iran and Venezuela, to the same antitrust laws that U.S. companies must follow.

The measure passed in a 324-84 vote, a big enough margin to override a presidential veto.

The legislation also creates a Justice Department task force to aggressively investigate gasoline price gouging and energy market manipulation.

"This bill guarantees that oil prices will reflect supply and demand economic rules, instead of wildly speculative and perhaps illegal activities," said Democratic Rep. Steve Kagen of Wisconsin, who sponsored the legislation.

The lawmaker said Americans "are at the mercy" of OPEC for how much they pay for gasoline, which this week hit a record average of $3.79 a gallon.

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Yeah, sicking the lawyers on them will REALLY make OPEC want to lower prices...
What was that, Steve? We are "At the mercy of OPEC", Gee, and your bill changes that how? DO you want to allow us to drill for and refine DOMESTIC crude? Can we build some new refineries? Yeah, didn't think so.

[Mr Mannn]

Allow drilling in the Anwar and off shore. That'll lower prices real quick.

[JohnnyReb]

You know, every time I think our political critters can't get any DUmber, they raise the bar on stupidity.

Raised taxes on  the oil companies.
Barred us from buying Canadian oil produced from the 'sand slopes'.
Put the polar bears on the endangered species list.
Now they're going to sue OPEC.

What's next?

[john c calhoun]

so america is supposed to be  afraid of OPEC now ??

first the terrorists & now OPEC ??

wait, how many OPEC nations ARE THE TERRORISTS !!! ...

f**k OPEC  & anyone who says otherwise is a chickenshit liberal.......definitly not a conservative...

cowboy up damnit...

[Chris_]

so america is supposed to be  afraid of OPEC now ??

first the terrorists & now OPEC ??

wait, how many OPEC nations ARE THE TERRORISTS !!! ...

f**k OPEC  & anyone who says otherwise is a chickenshit liberal.......definitly not a conservative...

cowboy up damnit...

When gasoline hits $7 a gallon (and under this plan it will inside of 2 years), I'll be happy to quote you back this post.  And I can afford $7 a gallon so this doesn't bug me that much.  Maybe I will be able to drive on the 405 again like when I was young.

And when speaking of America, you capitalize it, you America-hating bastard.

[john c calhoun]

so america is supposed to be  afraid of OPEC now ??

first the terrorists & now OPEC ??

wait, how many OPEC nations ARE THE TERRORISTS !!! ...

f**k OPEC  & anyone who says otherwise is a chickenshit liberal.......definitly not a conservative...

cowboy up damnit...

When gasoline hits $7 a gallon (and under this plan it will inside of 2 years), I'll be happy to quote you back this post.  And I can afford $7 a gallon so this doesn't bug me that much.  Maybe I will be able to drive on the 405 again like when I was young.

And when speaking of America, you capitalize it, you America-hating bastard.

I can afford it too...

but I happen to give a rats ass about the ENTIRE AMERICAN MIDDLE CLASS, who will suffer greatly at $7 per gallon & so will our FREEDOMS that pseudo intellectual republicans posing as conservatives like you say you care about ....

YOU are the anti american, not I....

true americans fight for a country that is righteous....

and you don't even know that that is you darwinist queer...

[Chris_]

so america is supposed to be  afraid of OPEC now ??

first the terrorists & now OPEC ??

wait, how many OPEC nations ARE THE TERRORISTS !!! ...

f**k OPEC  & anyone who says otherwise is a chickenshit liberal.......definitly not a conservative...

cowboy up damnit...

When gasoline hits $7 a gallon (and under this plan it will inside of 2 years), I'll be happy to quote you back this post.  And I can afford $7 a gallon so this doesn't bug me that much.  Maybe I will be able to drive on the 405 again like when I was young.

And when speaking of America, you capitalize it, you America-hating bastard.

I can afford it too...

but I happen to give a rats ass about the ENTIRE AMERICAN MIDDLE CLASS, who will suffer greatly at $7 per gallon & so will our FREEDOMS that pseudo intellectual republicans posing as conservatives like you say you care about ....

YOU are the anti american, not I....

true americans fight for a country that is righteous....

and you don't even know that that is you darwinist queer...

You are the one who is disrespecting America.  And it is YOU who desires the $7 gasoline, not me -- I just said I could take it (the market will adjust, it always does).

I have no idea what you mean by "righteous." If you are the example, I'll pass, thank you.

I have no idea what my understanding of The Theory of Evolution has to do with anything.  And my wife got a kick out of your "queer" comment.  She said something about "projection..."

[Lauri]

You know, every time I think our political critters can't get any DUmber, they raise the bar on stupidity.

Raised taxes on  the oil companies.
Barred us from buying Canadian oil produced from the 'sand slopes'.
Put the polar bears on the endangered species list.
Now they're going to sue OPEC.

What's next?

i can almost feel the era of Jimmy Carter II wrapping around our necks... 

[Airwolf]

You know, every time I think our political critters can't get any DUmber, they raise the bar on stupidity.

Raised taxes on  the oil companies.
Barred us from buying Canadian oil produced from the 'sand slopes'.
Put the polar bears on the endangered species list.
Now they're going to sue OPEC.

What's next?

i can almost feel the era of Jimmy Carter II wrapping around our necks... 

Your probably more right then you have ever been.

[DixieBelle]

I too feel like we're reliving history. WTF?? Don't people read books anymore?

[Airwolf]

I too feel like we're reliving history. WTF?? Don't people read books anymore?

They do.(Well except maybe idiots like JCC), The read all kinds of books that are on the approved reading list of the ACLU,NAMBLA,NOW, NEA etc,etc.

[miskie]

Allow drilling in the Anwar and off shore. That'll lower prices real quick.

The prices will drop like a stone through a wet paper bag if there is even the threat of the US actually going after its own reserves. The second drills are moved into place, OPEC will flood the market to stop it from happening. However ;

( This is my opinion. )

The OPEC nations see a weak, pandering Democrat as president - One that wants to open up Talks with Iran no less - They also see the power of the enviro-whackos growing, which will help insure no drilling happens here. It will take decades for The USA to move from petroleum to other fuel sources because the technology simply isn't there yet. That gives them the upper hand. Even an idiot can see this.

Therefore, they know they can charge whatever they want by limiting production, and the USA will capitulate. Its as simple as that.

[Hawkgirl]

Why the big reluctance to tap into our own reserves?  Perhaps if OPEC sees America saying **** YOU!..they'll bring back the prices...While China and other 3rd rate countries may be using more oil, their ordinary citizens don't have the deep pockets americans have...I think the whole "china will use up our oil" is a crock of shit.  Hell, even when I visit Italy, most people can't afford cars, and those that can, use it rarely as the gas is too expensive. 

One of two things must happen, either we start drilling for our own oil, and add more refineries, or we build cars that can drive 50/mpg and still PERFORM.  If neither of these 2 things happen within the next 2 years, we will see $7/gallon prices and you will see the USA go into a deep recession/depression.

[Lauri]

I too feel like we're reliving history. WTF?? Don't people read books anymore?

i actually saw a post on DU the other day exclaiming the 'blessed Carter era' and about choked.

right now, about the only thing liberals arent bleating about is interest rates, cause those are at record lows right now. but they dont seem to remember the 17-18 % interest rates back then.

the gas lines
the power outtages and rolling blackouts (that were real, not faked by enron)
and the introduction of the Misery Index

we are nowhere near that right now, no matter what the Dems are trying to do to us.

[Lauri]

Why the big reluctance to tap into our own reserves?  Perhaps if OPEC sees America saying **** YOU!..they'll bring back the prices...While China and other 3rd rate countries may be using more oil, their ordinary citizens don't have the deep pockets americans have...I think the whole "china will use up our oil" is a crock of shit.  Hell, even when I visit Italy, most people can't afford cars, and those that can, use it rarely as the gas is too expensive. 

One of two things must happen, either we start drilling for our own oil, and add more refineries, or we build cars that can drive 50/mpg and still PERFORM.  If neither of these 2 things happen within the next 2 years, we will see $7/gallon prices and you will see the USA go into a deep recession/depression.

i heard an economist saying just recently that our oil reserves are not enough to offset what we'd need on a daily basis.

say we use 300 million barrels a day. our reserve would only put in 30 million barrels a day.

its a lot, but its not enough. my numbers are not accurate, but they reflect the disparity of what the economist was saying..

[Rebel]

....members of OPEC were later heard laughing their hairy asses off...story developing

[DumbAss Tanker]

so america is supposed to be  afraid of OPEC now ??

first the terrorists & now OPEC ??

wait, how many OPEC nations ARE THE TERRORISTS !!! ...

f**k OPEC  & anyone who says otherwise is a chickenshit liberal.......definitly not a conservative...

cowboy up damnit...

Take your thorazine, John.  What kind of barking moonbat do you have to be in order to think you should be able to sue another country for not selling you something at the price you want to pay, a thing of which they have a limited supply and for which they have plenty of other customers who are willing to pay more?

[Lacarnut]

I guess these politicians can go back to their district and stick out their puffy fat chest and exclaim that we are going to do something about the high gasoline prices. I bet the OPEC members and the speculators are shaking in their boots

The energy bill that the Prez just signed contained; no new drilling, no nuke plants and no new refineries. A big windfall for Ethanol and alternative energy in the form of subsidies.

[Chris_]

I guess these politicians can go back to their district and stick out their puffy fat chest and exclaim that we are going to do something about the high gasoline prices. I bet the OPEC members and the speculators are shaking in their boots

The energy bill that the Prez just signed contained; no new drilling, no nuke plants and no new refineries. A big windfall for Ethanol and alternative energy in the form of subsidies.

And the price of a bushel of corn may hit six bucks this fall (without participating in any subsidies).......I'm gonna laugh all the way to the bank........

doc

[Lacarnut]

I guess these politicians can go back to their district and stick out their puffy fat chest and exclaim that we are going to do something about the high gasoline prices. I bet the OPEC members and the speculators are shaking in their boots

The energy bill that the Prez just signed contained; no new drilling, no nuke plants and no new refineries. A big windfall for Ethanol and alternative energy in the form of subsidies.

And the price of a bushel of corn may hit six bucks this fall (without participating in any subsidies).......I'm gonna laugh all the way to the bank........

doc

I hear ya. In a year or two, my ship is coming in with the advent of (DNR) spiking oil wells with CO2.