I just read a few articles about President Bush lifting the executive ban on offshore drilling to supposedly "ease the rising oil prices".  Don't know if you all are aware of this or not but lifting this ban would do nothing to ease gas prices any time soon--most likely it wouldn't do anything for another decade or so--nor would it help in the long run, either.  This is just another ploy to pad the pockets of oil executives by their best mate George W. Bush. 

More after the jump...

Bush seems to think this is the best solution--and apparently the only realistic solution--to the problem of rising oil prices.  Well, Mr. President, have you ever considered raising fuel efficieny standards on cars and trucks?  By raising the fuel efficiency standards to 40 MPG on all cars and trucks, we would be completely independent of Middle Eastern oil.  That way we wouldn't have to start illegal and devastating wars in Middle Eastern countries in order to gain control over their oil.

Of course it would take some time for us to completely severe the oil-slicked umbilical cord we have attached to the Middle East because not everyone is going to buy a new car in the next year.  But at least all those who do decide to buy new cars (and I do mean new, not used, of course) will have to buy a more fuel efficient car.  That would then lead to more fuel efficient cars being driven, less gas being used and, therefore, less gas needed.  It would take a while for all cars and trucks on the road to be at the 40 mpg standard but at least we would see some results immediately.  Plus, it is better for the environment and better for your wallet.

It would, however, hurt the oil companies.  And that isn't kosher with our President because, as we all know, he has it in with big oil.  But when you make record profits of $40 billion per year like Exxon-Mobil, I think you can afford to take a hit.  Besides, the rest of the world has somehow gotten by the past few months by taking hit with high oil prices, not including the hundreds of millions more people going hungry, the wars over food it has caused and the inequality it has exacerbated.  But all the upper-middle and upper classes in developed countries have gotten by alright.  So if they can make it, I think the CEO's of oil companies will make it, too.  They might not be able to afford that Italian villa on the Mediterranean but they could always settle for a nice new $1 million Yacht they could sail around the Mediterranean.

President Bush's lifting of this ban doesn't give oil companies the okay to start drilling.  Congress also has to lift it's ban as well, and the final decision would lie with the individual states about whether or not they want to allow the drilling.  The Democratic-controlled Congress, along with some GOP members, has so far declined to give Bush what he wants.  So once again Bush is slamming Congress, stating it is their fought the American people are suffering.  It has nothing to do with Exxon-Mobil making $40 billion in one year, it is because our Democratic Congress is refusing to do something that is completely pointless, useless, unnecessary and potentially harmful to the environment.

Once again, Congress has the opportunity to do the right thing.  They failed last week when they passed the "revised" FISA bill, denying Americans their 4th Amendment right and giving our government the un-checked authority to spy on us pretty much whenever they want.  Now they have the power to control whether or not we start something that is totally unnecessary (like they did in 2002 before they authorized war with Iraq). 

Too many times Congress has, for lack of a better term, bent over for the Bush administration and refused to do what was right.  Let's hope they finally grow a pair and listen to the experts who are telling them that this move will do nothing to ease gas prices, and that they listen to the majority of American people who are sick and tired of the same old tired bullshit and want someone to come up a realistic and effective solution to this and every other problem facing us. 

It's a crying shame when you can't rely on your elected leaders to do the right thing, but oftentimes that is our reality.  I just hope that I don't bow my head in disappointment because yet again our country's leaders have failed to do their job:  lead.