Mark Warner’s Solution to Higher Gas Prices: Look for Cheaper Gas
By Ward Smythe | Thursday, April 28th, 2011 | Energy independence, Policy
Now there’s some brilliant leadership for ya.
Here’s the email I got from our Senior Senator:
Dear Friends: (how the heck did I get on that list?)
I’ve heard from many of you about the skyrocketing gas prices and I understand the strain that these dramatic increases are placing on family budgets.
Finding the lowest gas prices in your area and researching alternative ways of reducing your fuel consumption can help ease the burden of these cost increases.
Finding the lowest prices in your area will ensure immediate savings at the pump. The following link (ooo Mapquest!) will allow you to find the lowest gas prices in your area in a fast and convenient way.
I would also recommend the Department of Energy’s guide to fuel economy. It offers several helpful tips that will help you reduce your fuel consumption and maximize the gas mileage in your automobile.
I am a strong advocate for an “all of the above” approach to energy, and I believe the United States should lead the world in producing the clean, safer fuels of the 21st Century.
I hope these resources help you reduce your fuel costs and drive in a smarter, more wallet-friendly manner. If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact my office.
Sincerely,
Senator Mark Warner
So, according to Senator Marie Antoinette, the solution is to “let them buy cheaper gas.”
Wish I could’ve thought of that. And the reality is we have. We’re already making more fuel efficient, and smarter budget choices. We need to make smarter voting choices.
To his credit, Warner has denounced Obama’s ban on offshore drilling, but he still opposes drilling in ANWR. He says we need a comprehensive energy policy.
Telling his constituents to suck it up, shouldn’t be part of that. It’s just like the President telling us to go out to buy a more fuel-efficient car.
Personally, I want more fuel-efficient leaders.
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Ward Smythe is a pseudonymous aspiring freelance writer from Central Virginia. Until late 2007 Ward blogged at the now defunct "Ward View" and was active in Virginia and national politics. Ward's signature style of snarkery gained him a unique following that he hopes to regain here at Bearing Drift. Ward uses humor, satire and sometimes photoshop to make his point. Ward is proud to be an equal opportunity offender.
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Comments
14 Responses to "Mark Warner’s Solution to Higher Gas Prices: Look for Cheaper Gas"
I received the letter too and I was irate. Does he think we are idiots. It reminds me of Jimmy Carter telling us to put on a sweater and lower the thermostat.
Shocking at least… We need to support House Speaker John Bohner who is willing to look and talk about tax increases and ending the billion dollar (a year) tax credits that big oil companies get from the tax payers.
A typical Mark Warner email/letter. Full of platitudes and generalities without any specifics as to issues and ideas before Congress about the subject at hand and where he might stand on them.
Oh yes. Raising taxes will lead to a fountain of new oil! What a great idea! Congress can spend the money on cowboy poetry festivals.
And of course after Obama is driven from office we can lower taxes on them as the prices drop. Leftists would certainly want to be fair.
And speaking of Boehner maybe we can give him the Arnold Schwartzenegger award.
And speaking of Warner how about the Repubs take a moment from their busy schedule and go after him and his phony baloney?
BTW This is what leftists mean when they say they want America to be more like the rest of the world. Read some world history and some books about politics in other countries (such as Venezuela, Cuba, China) and find out what they have in mind.
What do you guys expect Warner to actually be able to do here? Or is this just fun dem-bashing?
William Bailey, be careful of what you wish for. A whole bunch of that ‘tax credit’ money is Uncle Sam subsidizing your commute costs.
JayD,
I think we expected Sen Warner to stop the phony baloney and be a source or at least an advocate for fresh ideas within the Dem party. Obviously despite his fake persona as a centrist he has zero intention of doing that. Instead he acts like a sanctimonious weasel. I never had the contempt for the old Dems that I do for the current bunch and I suspect others feel similarly.
[...] it’s just a bit ironic to learn, that Senator Warner has finally found a use for a map. I’ve heard from many of you about the skyrocketing gas prices and I understand the strain that [...]
V – “Skyrocketing” is not quite the same adjective other nations use to characterize US pump prices.
http://money.cnn.com/2011/03/10/news/international/gas_prices_worldwide/index.htm
This is a 40-year-old problem; it’s highly doubtful there are ‘fresh new’ ideas left (that Republicans would vote for). BTW, have you guys read the REPUBLICAN “Energy Policy for Dummies” yet? http://conservativerepublicanforum.blogspot.com/2011/04/us-energy-policy-simplified-for.html
JayD
I didn’t use the term “skyrocketing” that was “sara etc”. A fresh idea from the Dems would be some coherent strategy for moving from here to wherever their desired endpoint is. (Anyone proposing a radical change in a major sector of the economy needs to pass that hurdle.) If there is none then they need to propose a different endpoint. Since they have never explained how we get from A to B (alternative energy nirvana) they clearly have no economically defensible progression. Then propose a better endpoint. That would be a fresh idea for the Dems. Instead, what they have been trying to do is use executive/judicial force and phony hysteria. They don’t really need Repub votes any more than Repubs need Dem votes since currently Independents hold the balance of power electorally. You convince the voters first (or you should).
Val,
Increasing fuel efficiency, isn’t that a “fresh” idea? It was the Bush administration that gave tax breaks to businesses to purchase large, inefficient vehicles.
Now imagine, if everyone who had taken that tax break and purchased a car getting 40 or more miles to the gallon there’d be a lot less complaining. And what if they purchased an electric vehicle, high gas prices wouldn’t be bothering them at all.
Also, rising gas prices have something to do with the declining value of the Dollar. We could try to strengthen the dollar, but that would hurt exports, and as its traded on the free markets should a government be involved? not to mention with the sorry state of civil discourse here in the US, the markets wont listen. Don’t you just find it amazing given all the economic mess going on in Europe that the Euro is gaining vs. the Dollar? And don’t forget to ask how much it is per liter over there!
I’m 100% behind Warner’s opposition to drilling ANWR. The most optimistic projections calculate tapping ANWR will increase Alaska’s oil production by barely 30% over current levels – and worldwide production by .5%-1%. Alaska produces:
~ only 14% of US total domestic oil production.
~ only 1.9% of US total natural gas production.
~ only 3.5% of US total domestic energy production.
~ only 2.4% of total US energy consumption.
~ Texas produces twice as much oil as Alaska.
~ Canada categorically opposes drilling.
~ Canada is SECOND only to Saudi Arabia in oil reserves (approx. 180 TRILLION barrels).
Regardless of the environmental damages … why would we want to tick off our best neighbor – AND the planet’s second largest oil field –for such a potentially SMALL return? Yet, Drill-Baby-Drill (in ANWR) is the centerpiece of the Republican Party’s energy policy?
V~ sorry about that!
I live in NOVA and received this idiot senator’s e mail as well. This is what I wrote back to him:
Dear Senator Warner:
Your e mail today about rising gas prices was just about the most insensitive message you have ever sent.
How dare you think that the solution to high gas prices is to supply us with information on how to find the lowest prices in our area. Do you honestly believe this is a solution? Do you think saving a penny or two makes a difference when the price of gas has DOUBLED since B. Hussein Obama became president?
Your second suggestion is just as ludicrous as the first: check out the DOE’s website on how to improve my gas mileage? That is NOT the problem!
We are not drilling our own oil and we are being held hostage by foreign countries. Sure, we have billions of our own tax dollars to throw at Brazil and Argentina to help with their energy programs, but why can’t we use that money in our own country? When the EPA bans drilling in Alaska because an ice breaker ship’s emissions exceed their “standards” for air quality, we have a problem.
Just think of the hundreds and maybe thousands of jobs that drilling off the coast of Virginia would create, not to mention the revenue for our state, yet I do not see you promoting that. No, your answer is to tell me that gas is a penny cheaper at the Shell down the street than the Chevron up the street. No wonder Americans have such a low opinion of Congress. This is just insane.
You are an absolute embarrassment to this state. This proposal to save money on gas is bullshit, and you should be ashamed of yourself and this e mail today.
went to high school with this mental midget. used to kill him when i wore my nixon button. one day he took it off of me and scratched off the on at the end of the name. typical immature democrate then and a continued dolt. he was a braggard and annoying. noticed he hasn’t lost his “looks”. at the 25th reunion he acted as if he was POTUS. JERK then, samr liberal JERK now. Rockville CT sure doesn’t miss him.
If you guys REALLY want ‘fresh ideas … here’s a link to an upbeat and neutral program that explores the connection between climate change & energy needs and new technologies being used around the world to produce energy. Our US military is working with/testing out some really, REALLY cool stuff! Earth, the Operators Manual was written and produced by a registered Republican, geologist, professor, and ex-oil company employee.
http://video.pbs.org/video/1855661681
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