Salt Life

More Politics...

Recently I sent a letter to our State Senators regarding gas prices and offshore drilling. The letter was sent via a well-known conservative organization which keeps me in the loop on important issues. Here's the response I received from Senator Nelson:

Dear Mrs. Kush:

Thank you for contacting me about drilling for oil off Florida and other coastal States.

The oil industry has 32 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico that are leased but have not been drilled. Why?

President Bush has proposed allowing drilling rigs off coastal States as a way, he says, to reduce gasoline prices. But he must know this won't happen. That's because a report from inside the Bush administration specifically shows that increasing offshore drilling won't have a significant impact on gas prices for decades.

And we simply cannot wait that long on the hope of giving Americans some relief at the pump.

To lower gas prices now by an estimated 25 to 50 percent, we must reign in the real culprits: speculators who are able, because of legal loopholes, to bid up the price of oil to unrealistic and shocking highs. Oil now costs about $140 per barrel, but recent congressional testimony from a leading industry executive showed that the price of crude should only be $55 per barrel given the laws of supply and demand. That means gas prices should be about $2.28 a gallon-- not more than $4.

This is why I have introduced legislation-- S. 3134-- that would ban unregulated speculative trading in oil futures. If Congress will pass this bill, we can bring gas prices back down to earth.

The oil companies claim loudly that they need to drill off the coast of Florida so they can increase the oil supply. But what they won't tell you is that they aren't drilling on 32 million of acres they already have under lease from the Federal government. I think they should drill there first-- in areas where the infrastructure for transporting oil already exists-- before demanding more areas be open to leasing and drilling activities that could take years to produce a single drop of oil.

Americans are being gouged, and now is not the time to allow the administration to give away the store before it leaves office. It's time to do what's really necessary to lower the price of gas: reign in profiteers and speculators. I hope you will be able to support passage of S. 3134. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact my office again.

One phrase set me off! Can you guess which one it was? "I think..." In my opinion, that's not what our senators are elected to do! Well, to a certain degree, yes, but it seems many of them actually "think" they know better than the people and make decisions on our behalf without considering what the majority actually wants. Below is my response. I'll let you know if I hear from his office again.

Dear Senator Nelson,

I appreciate your response to my recent letter regarding offshore drilling. I also recognize that everyone is entitled to an opinion. However, as an elected official, it is not your job to do what you "think is right", as you stated in your response to me. It is your responsibility to do what the people want. So many times I feel as though congressman like yourself have lost sight of the fact that this is a nation "of the people, by the people and for the people". As per the constitution, Americans were intended to elect representatives, not proprietors. Please keep this in mind as you cast your next senatorial vote on offshore drilling or other important matters to the American People you were elected to represent.

Best Regards,

Bethany Kush

Labels: politics

posted by Kushmama @ 10:31 AM