Demagogue

I thought the Democrats were bankrupt of ideas, but the GOP is now giving the Dems a run for their money. This is the clinging-to-the-status-quo proposal that Senate Republicans are pushing:

Every American taxpayer would get a $100 rebate check to offset the pain of higher pump prices for gasoline, under an amendment Senate Republicans hope to bring to a vote Thursday.

However, the GOP energy package may face tough sledding because it also includes a controversial proposal to open part of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to oil exploration, which most Democrats and some moderate Republicans oppose.

There's no price tag estimated for the cost of this gimmicky proposal, which will simply add to the deficit while providing very little cushion from rising gas prices.

Is it such a terrible thing that Americans are reminded of the down side of having an economy that is dependent on oil? Americans are facing a lot of cost pressures these days. Why are Republicans so much more concerned with the rising price of gasoline than with the rising price of health care?

These rising prices could have the silver lining of building a consensus for greater investments in synthetic fuels, liquified natural gas and other alternatives to oil. They encourage more Americans to buy hybrid cars.

Finally, the CNN article doesn't mention how much it will cost the federal government to process and print these $100 checks and then mail them to every taxpayer. That cost will simply be added to an already swelling deficit.