Lawmakers Scramble to buy votes

In an obvious effort to appeal to voters outraged by high gas prices caused by 30 years of leftist energy policies, shameless lawmakers are offering meaningless solutions to a growing oil and gas problem:

Senate Republicans proposed a $100 rebate check for millions of taxpayers Thursday to counter high gasoline costs, but linked the assistance to drilling in an Alaska wildlife refuge, assuring the measure would face stiff opposition from most Democrats.

Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee called the proposal "a bold package that will give consumers some relief" from gasoline prices that have passed $3 a gallon in many parts of the country.

"We are going to ease the burden," added Sen. Pete Domenici (news, bio, voting record), R-N.M., at a GOP news conference unveiling the measures. Frist said he hoped for a Senate vote next Tuesday.

Let me get this straight! They're going to "altruistically" hand out our $100 bills, to ease our financial burden in this present gas crisis, while they should be passing emergency allowances to drill in the desolate frozen tundra of the Alaskan nether regions where no one goes, or at the very least, drop the federal gas tax immediately. The $1oo bill pay off to selected voters is insulting. By the way, rebates are taxible, so the $1oo giveaway will be taxed as income. They tax us, waste most of it, give some back and tax us on what they give back...and we're supposed to be pissed off at Big Oil??? Wake up, boys and girls!

How about making some bold decisions aimed to fix the problem instead of shamefully buying a few votes with our tax dollars! It's not yours to give away!

There's more Congressional shamefulness:

The Senate Finance Committee also scrambled to respond. In a rare move, the panel requested tax returns from the country's major oil and gas companies as part of an investigation into industry profits and soaring gasoline costs.

Sen. Charles Grassley (news, bio, voting record), R-Iowa, the committee's chairman, said senators were concerned about the "record profits and significant executive compensation in the oil and gas industry."

"I want to make sure the oil companies aren't taking a speed pass by the tax man," Grassley said in a statement.

These are so-called republicans, boys and girls. How dare they call the oil companies to task when Congress is to blame for this entire matter.

Congressional ineptitude or corruption, the end result is the same; America gets screwed by the very people we entrust to take care of the nation's business.