Energy Fuels Political Games

While Washington plays politics with our energy future, the U.S. consumers continue to pick up the check. The bill to curb energy speculation appears to be merely a political move designed to fool the electorate into believing that Democrats really care about our cost of fuel. It is really an attack on free enterprise which fails to address the true issue -- supply and demand. The price of fuel is set where the quantity supplied equals the quantity demanded. We either need a greater supply or a lower demand. The economic growth of China and India make it difficult to lower demand even though we are burning less fuel in the U.S. Therefore, we must work on the supply side of the equation. We must produce more oil.

From all appearances, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi do not care about the American people. They only care about their power and the narrow interest groups that keep them there. Until Republicans control both the Senate and the House, there is little chance of meaningful energy legislation. That control means more than a simple majority of seats. It must be at least 60% to be truly effective.