Does Lois Capps Have Gas?

I can’t believe this. I just got an email from our representative, Lois Capps. Talk about spinning wheels, instead of getting something done. What are these politicians thinking of? Rather than deal with the limited amount of oil driving prices up, they are worried about our investors. Here is the bottom line.

Let’s say I want to invest a few million dollars. I will invest it where I feel I will get the best bang for the buck. I get into something with steady growth, or volatile highs and lows. If I choose steady growth, such as gold has been at times, I get a certain return on my money and am happy. I have less risk, and less reward.

If I want to make the big bucks, I will choose something riskier, such as oil futures. You and I know the price is going to go up. With the supply of oil dwindling or being cut back, and wackos like Chavez wanting to ruin us, it will continue to go up in price. You and I both know that, but do our politicians? Well, I say OUR politicians, but I assure you that Lois Capps is not MY politician. You can have her 100%. In fact, I am willing to sign over the deed to you. That is how disgusted I am with our politicians.

Oh, it’s not just the Democrats, either. I am not happy with Blakeslee or Maldonado, either. In fact, Maldonado has some competition coming up soon. His competitor is getting signatures on petitions downtown SLO at Farmer’s Market on Thursday nights, and at other venues to get on the ballot. I hope he gets on the ballot to at least get issues out there. NOBODY should run unopposed, EVER. Put me on the ballot, and I’ll give you a great show.

The only problem is that he is running as an independent, which means less chance of winning. I don’t care. In fact, I don’t care who the heck he is or what he stands for, he gets my vote right now. Heck, I can’t even remember his name and I already support him. I think it is Tim Ferguson or something close to that. I’ll get some info at Farmer’s Market and let you know for sure, and even where to sign his petitions. Let’s give Abel some work. Let Abel spend his time in our district talking to us. Make Abel EARN our vote and trust again.

Earn our votes and trust? That brings me back to Lois Capps, who I think is way wacko on these topics below. I can’t believe that she actually supports the tripe in this note I got from her. Take a look at what she says, then let me know what you think. It looks like all the Dems want is to get in office and dethrone Bush, even though he is a lame duck at this point. They don’t care about the election against McCain, they want the election against Bush. If you want to beat Bush, you are in the past. Get real. Debate TODAY, not the past.

Okay, on to Lois Capps. You can see how crazy I am over this. This is totally unacceptable. In addition, she has a poll whether you want the ban lifted on offshore oil. The majority of newsletter readers (probably mostly Democrats and Capps supporters) say no, but almost 7% say “not sure”. WHAT? NOT SURE? Wait, why do you vote on something if you are not sure? Moreover, why do you even add “not sure” to your poll? When it comes to politics, make up your mind. That is one thing that is wrong with this country. People don’t know what to do, so they vote for the wrong politicians.

So here is the other angle they are going after. It is obvious they want to get the support of people who have no cars and therefore depend on buses for transportation. Who are they? They are often the masses of lower class citizens and commuters to average jobs. Yep, pandering to those who do not have what they want or need in order to get more votes. Get more votes by going after the masses. Look good by attacking investors that have money and support jobs and businesses. Take from them as soon as you can. Get land back and make it look like you fought big oil. What is that land going to be used for? Nothing different than it is being used for now. The difference? Force oil companies to spend money trying to drill when you know they won’t be allowed to do it. Cost them money, then slap them and take the leases away from them. Yep, go get those bad guys.

We don’t need Reps or Dems, we need level headed honest people in there whether or not they have a party affiliation. When I find one, I will have their info here, believe me. I guess I don’t have to worry about taking up space with that, though. I doubt I will ever find that on the Central Coast. Anyway, back to Lois. Below is the newsletter I got from her. I have put my comments in there, and [made them italic with brackets ~ Op] so you know it is not from her. Get your barf bag by your side, and read on. From here until you see her “signature”, this is all Lois:

FROM Congresswoman Lois Capps, Representing California’s 23rd Congressional District:

Throughout the Central and South Coasts and across the country, Americans are suffering due to record prices at the pump.

I believe these sky-high prices are due in no small part to President Bush’s energy policy. [Okay, here is an example of how they are waging a Bush war, not helping us or running against McCain ~-Op] Over the past eight years, the Administration has focused primarily on opening up public lands for drilling and has paid scant attention to increasing energy efficiency and encouraging the development of renewable and alternative energy sources. I believe that has been a huge mistake and that we should be moving in a new direction with our energy policy.

[Again, crying foul about President Bush, rather than doing something about it. Oh, wait, they did do something about it. They required corn be used in our gas. Never mind the fact that corn is used in all our foods and the diversion of corn to gasoline has caused all our food prices to go up. Oh, and what about Archer Daniel Midland? Don't they make a bunch of money out of that? I wonder who they supported in the last elections. Google Finance says this about them: "Archer-Daniels-Midland Company is engaged in procuring, transporting, storing, processing, and merchandising agricultural commodities and products. The Company’s operations are classified into three business segments: Oilseeds Processing, Corn Processing, and Agricultural Services." Their stock was very high through the first 5 months of this year and dropped sharply in June. Maybe that is because corn is all of a sudden abundant? Maybe farmers saw this coming and planted much more corn for this season. Yay farmers. Oh, and don't get me started on Monsanto. They rake in the cash from all the corn kernels planted that they own the patent on, and many that they don't because of pollination. Maybe I will cover corn and the way small corn farmers are being bullied and run out of business by big companies in another post soon. ~ Op]

Fortunately, Democrats in Congress have been pushing measures to bring about that new direction. Just last week, I supported legislation to crack down on price gougers and Wall Street speculators who experts say are driving up the price of oil and gas, force oil companies to “use or lose” the undeveloped oil leases they’re sitting on, and make public transit more affordable and accessible. These common sense measures will be more effective in lowering energy costs than the recent calls for more drilling off California’s coast.

[I will deal with each of these issues below each listed by Rep Capps ~ Op]

Here’s more information on the energy related bills I voted for when the House considered them last week:

• The Energy Price Gouging Prevention Act (H.R. 6346), would encourage the investigation and punishment of those who artificially inflate the price of gasoline and diesel fuel. The bill establishes criminal penalties for price gouging, and permits states to bring lawsuits against wholesalers or retailers who engage in such practices. It also gives the Federal Trade Commission the authority to investigate and punish companies that artificially inflate the price of energy. Unfortunately, the bill failed to garner the necessary 2/3 support for passage due to a lack of Republican support. The final vote was 276 to 146, and the legislation could be voted on again when Congress returns from the July 4th recess.

[Okay, this is not going to do anything. Who is gouging? There are already laws in place against gouging. It seems to me that this is just a superficial attempt to look like they are doing something. The fact is, there is no way to "gouge" prices if there is competition. Other stations will keep the price down. This is simply a back door to get at the oil companies and sneak in federal regulation. ~ Op]

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• The Saving Energy Through Public Transportation Act of 2008 (H.R. 6052) gives grants to mass transit authorities to reduce public transit fares, giving consumers a cost-effective alternative to $4.00 plus per gallon gasoline. The bill’s $1.7 billion in mass transit grants for the next two years could also be used to expand transit services and for the escalating operating costs of public transportation and would be available to both rural and urban areas. The bill was approved by a vote of 328 to198.

[The mass transit in most cities is usually very good. It is outlying areas like the Central Coast where you have to wait 20 to 40 minutes for a bus, and they are usually more than half empty. Why are they empty? Is it because routes suck? Is it because schedules suck? Is it because people don't want to walk a mile and wait 20 minutes and hope they get where they are going with the proper transfer which may add another 20 minutes to your transportation time? Is it because I can walk there faster than the bus will get me there? Why are there escalating transit costs? Poor administration? High admin salaries? Inefficient implementation and routes that are not necessary or wanted? Let's deal with the inefficiencies and stop the bleeding before you throw more money at it. Maybe that means AmTrack can keep operating now. Did Amtrak or the union give Lois much money this time? I know she has fought hard to continue Amtrak operations going with millions of dollars. Then there is the fact that Lois spends a good deal of time with Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters, who is also on the board of Amtrak. Her third biggest contribution sector is labor unions AND she is ENCORSED BY THE TEAMSTER UNION which consist greatly of transportation sector jobs such as Amtrak employees. 25% of Amtrak's service is in California and the Northwest, and Lois has worked hard to keep the Goleta and Santa Barbara stations functional regardess of need or viability. ~ Op]

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• The Energy Markets Emergency Act (H.R. 6377) directs the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to use its full authority and most potent emergency tools to curtail excessive speculation and other practices distorting the energy market. Rampant speculation has been cited as one cause of the spike in gas prices. The bill was approved by a vote of 402 to 19.

[Okay people, this is where the rubber hits the road. The whole goal is to CONTROL the market, not fix the problem. If they can use this to control investments in oil, next may be pharmaceuticals, food, energy, hamburgers, fat, or whatever they want. They have opened a Pandora's Box with precedent that allows them to go after anyone by squelching investment. Sulfur matches were run out of business by taxes. "Big oil" will be run out of business by regulation. This is a slippery slope for ultimate control by the government. This is soft regulation. In other words, they regulate it from behind the scenes. They pull the strings, but we only see the puppet. This was a big mistake. I am not a Libertarian, but I certainly don't want the government saying what is best for me then taking my rights away. This is the first step to ending capitalism. Is that good? Capitalism drives our economy. Our economy drives the world. Do away with capitalism, and you take the first step to nationalism and socialism. Higher taxes and rationing are in your future. ~ Op]

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• The Responsible Federal Oil and Gas Lease Act (H.R. 6251), or the “Use it or Lose it” bill forces oil companies to produce oil and gas, or diligently develop, the 68 million acres of public land they already have leased, but are not using to produce energy. Unfortunately, the bill failed to garner the necessary 2/3 support for passage due to a lack of Republican support. The final vote was 223 to 195, but the legislation could be voted on again when Congress returns from the July 4th recess.

[This is probably the dirtiest one of all, and is clearly set up to favor environmentalism. Use it or lose it? Are you serious? You won't let them produce oil in this country because of regulation and restrictions. In fact, take a look at Lois Capp's voting record below to see where her true intent is. This is a giant land grab. Once the oil companies lose their rights to use of the land, the environmentalists will win. This is clearly an attack on ANWR and places where environmentalists (and Lois) want to keep oil out. If they have it leased but it is still public land, what is the problem? Isn't it still open space? Isn't that what the people want? This is so blatant, that I hope you will support those that opposed it. There is a reason why something this stupid requires a 2/3 majority. If you want to make them give up the chance to drill and develop, because you won't let them do it, you effectively decapitate us in our ability to produce our own oil in times of emergency. What happens when Israel bombs Iran and the availability of oil decreases again? This is unacceptable, and you should be crying foul too. Instead of losing the lease, they should just be required to prepare the land for use by the public for hiking and camping. That way, we all win. ~ Op]

Prior to last week’s votes, Democrats had taken other important steps to make America more energy independent and bring down the cost of gasoline. You can read about these and other efforts by visiting my website at www.house.gov/capps. As always, I welcome your thoughts and comments. Please take a moment to fill out the survey on the right, and feel free to forward this to your family and friends.

Sincerely,LOIS CAPPS
Member of Congress

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So, let’s take a look at Rep Capps’ voting record and the elements that show she is not consistent with a desire to reduce fuel cost for you and me:

• Voted YES on tax incentives for renewable energy. (Feb 2008)

The problem with this? It denies the tax deduction for income attributable to domestic production of oil, gas, or any related products. This is totally opposed to domestic oil production, so what about this “use it or lose it” idea?

• Voted YES on investing in homegrown biofuel. (Aug 2007)

The problem with this? How do we decrease that importance of the Persian Gulf region? We move to coal-to-liquid technologies. What is wrong with this bill? Everything. No soy diesel. No ethanol. No coal. Nothing on nuclear energy. No expansion. There is no supply in this bill. We need to ensure the future use of coal in an environmentally responsible fashion. We can talk about biofuels all we want, but the fact is that coal produces half of our electricity for the foreseeable future. Until we deal with coal, which is our most available domestic energy source at present, and the carbon dioxide problems, we will not have a viable energy policy. Develop technology that allows us to have what we have and abundance of, and what is reliable.

• Voted YES on criminalizing oil cartels like OPEC. (May 2007)

The problem with this? It amends the Sherman Anti-Trust Act to declare it to be illegal for any foreign states to act collectively to limit the US price or distribution of oil, natural gas, or any other petroleum product. Denies a foreign state engaged in such conduct sovereign immunity from the jurisdiction of US courts. Okay, what about Chavez? He has openly stated that he intends to ruin us with oil. He has actively pursued our policies and attempted to cause our acquisition, distribution, and prices to be unstable. Also, it only affects OPEC subsidiaries in the US, which makes US oil companies criminals.

• Voted YES on removing oil & gas exploration subsidies. (Jan 2007)

The problem with this? Title I Ending Subsidies for Big Oil Act–denying a deduction for income attributable to domestic production of oil, natural gas, or their related primary products. Title II: Royalty Relief for American Consumers Act–to incorporate specified price thresholds for royalties on oil & gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico. So we are penalizing domestic oil production? How do we become independent?

• Voted YES on keeping moratorium on drilling for oil offshore. (Jun 2006)

The problem with this? This is clearly about limiting the availability of oil and penalizing Americans for using oil.

• Voted NO on scheduling permitting for new oil refinieries. (Jun 2006)

The problem with this? In the last 24 years, our refinery capacity has dropped from 19 million barrels a day to less than 17 million barrels a day. This calls for the President to designate at least three closed military installations as potentially suitable for the construction of a refinery. At least one such site be designated as potentially suitable for construction of a refinery to refine biomass in order to produce biofuel. Part of our problem is the bottleneck in getting oil to gasoline. With this we would have more gas, AND be able to develop more biofuel. Isn’t that a good thing?

• Voted NO on authorizing construction of new oil refineries. (Oct 2005)

The problem with this? Okay, this shows the hipocracy of Lois Capps. She says she wants all this good stuff for alternative fuel and conservation. She voted against a bill allowing the Secretary of Energy to enter into contracts with non-Federal entities to construct or restore new refineries that use crude oil or coal to produce gasoline or other fuel. Again, conversion of coal to liquid is a very viable way to stop our dependence on foreign oil. However, they want to stop or dependence on oil altogether, not just foreign oil. Get out your bicycles. It would also establish a program to encourage carpools by giving grants to states and to evaluate the use of the Internet to link riders with carpools, assist employers establish carpool programs, and market existing programs. Isn’t it a good thing to authorize facilities to use biomass debris as fuel if it meets certain standards? It would also provice $2.5 million to create an education campaign about gasoline conservation. Doesn’t Lois want you to believe this is what she wants? NOPE, she doesn’t want any of this.

• Voted YES on prohibiting oil drilling & development in ANWR. (Aug 2001)

The problem with this? Well, this is obvious. It is a possible source of 700,000+ barrels of oil each year, and she doesn’t want us to have ANY oil.

• Supports tradable emissions permits for greenhouse gases. (Aug 2000)

The problem with this? This is a joke. Even if you believe in greenhouse gasses contributing to global warming, should you be able to buy and sell credits and permissions? Come on. This is a scam from the start. If you want to reduce gasses, reduce gasses. Don’t let your rich friends and businesses buy exemptions and move their permits around.

• Preserve Alaska’s ANWR instead of drilling it. (Feb 2001)

The problem with this? Preserve it? it is already a refuge. It is just supposed to be a nail in the coffin of domestic oil production in Alaska. The indian tribes don’t mind the production. They are just upset at the way they are treated, and want to assure the abundance of caribou and whales. Caribou have been thriving along the Alaska pipeline. This can be taken care of easily.

• Establish greenhouse gas tradeable allowances. (Feb 2005)

The problem with this? See the permits above. Hey, I have a small footprint, who wants to buy mine? Let’s start the bidding at $200,000. Do I hear 200,001? 200,002? 200,003?

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Alright, there you have it. If this makes you as sick as it makes me, contact Lois or whoever you want, and let them know how you feel. You can post a comment here, but realize that it is not going to do any good other than people reading it. You need to be proactive. In fact, someone send this to Lois, will ya? This is a public statement by her, and I have identified the source which clearly does not restrict the duplication (after all, this was sent from a public official through government resources, so it is public information available for publication, right?). Just do something about all this stupidity. Oh, and here is a disclaimer you will love:

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Be aware that all statements by the Opinionator on the Central Coast are simply for entertainment value, and in no way reflect any reality or opinion of anyone real anywhere in the world. Nobody agrees with this, and nobody cares. There you have it, it means nothing. It is all a bunch of BS. Now go away and leave me alone. I need to read that email again and have a good laugh/cry.

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The Opinionator