No Runny Eggs

I might not be a professional political consultant, but waving off the little photo-op and waste of state Internet resources on a meaningless online petition really should have been a no-brainer. Oh well, time to deconstruct it, with some help from JSOnline’s Daywatch because I was a bit busy counter-protesting (side note-PSP ROCKS!!):

Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle today called on federal lawmakers to cap oil company profits, return “excessive” oil profits to Americans and repeal $10 billion in tax breaks to oil companies, saying the moves would lower gas prices for struggling Wisconsin families.

Craps admit it; he’s a socialist. Of course, I knew it all along.

Moving to the “return” of “excessive” oil profits, how exactly is that going to happen? There’s no way of knowing how many miles somebody drove, even with intrusive vehicle emission inspections. Even if that could be determined, there’s no way that Craps and his merry band of ‘Rats would allow a proportionate share to be “returned” to owners of gas-guzzling SUVs. Indeed, the ‘Rat proposals for a windfall profits tax (already whacked by the pro, Brian Fraley) out there have the “excessive” oil profits going not to drivers, but to more gubmint spending.

Similarily, removing tax breaks would only further encourage the abandonment of American oil wells and foreign wells owned by the oil companies themselves in favor of buying oil from the likes of Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. Of course, since those revenues go in large part to enemies of the United States, the ‘Rats seem to be perfectly fine with that.

Doyle also announced a joint Web site with the state of Michigan,… (website removed, but it is a wisconsin.gov site) and urged residents of both states to sign an online petition urging President Bush and Congress to make the changes.

Craps just can’t stop spending our money on wasteful and worthless gestures. If Craps and Jennifer Granholm the Canuck want to lobby the feds, let them do it with their campaigns’ money, not the state treasuries.

“We are struggling here in Wisconsin as are people all over the country,” Doyle said at a news conference outside a BP service station in Brookfield where regular unleaded fuel was selling for $2.89 a gallon — about 62 cents higher than a year ago….

I was so hoping that Craps would show up in front of one of the 4 Mobil stations in Brookfield; I would have had to go out and get a video capture card just so I can add some visual to this. Let’s see; take away the 9.18% markup from the daily average terminal price mandated by the state at the pump mandated by the state (more on that in a bit), and that drops the price to $2.65/gallon. Take away the 3% markup mandated by the state at the terminal from that and the price falls to $2.57/gallon. Take away the $0.31/gallon in taxes levied by the state and the price falls to $2.26/gallon. I know, the stations and terminals do have to have some markup to stay in business, but that’s 63 cents in state-mandated costs, which is more than the increase over last year’s price.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that, by schlepping the 135 miles round-trip to Brookfield instead of finding a gas station near either the governor’s mansion or the Capitol building, he enriched the very oil companies he’s fighting against. Of course, knowing Craps, he probably had the tank topped off at Citgo so the money goes to his soulmate in Venezuela, Hugo Chavez.

…Doyle said he did not know at what dollar amount or percentage increase oil profits should be capped, saying he would leave that to Congress to sort out.

“Let them make decent profits,” Doyle said.

Time to bring back that 9.18% state-mandated markup to the debate. If a profit margin that starts with something less than a “9.” isn’t good enough for a gas station, it stands to reason that a profit margin that starts with a “9.” isn’t too good for ExxonMobil and company.

He also did not stake out a position on how excess oil profits should be returned to citizens.

I guess that if he did stake out a position, he would sound as stupid as his fellow ‘Rats, who would “return” the “excess” oil profits in the form of gubmint health care.

Doyle said he did not believe lowering Wisconsin’s gas tax would lower gas prices because he believed oil companies would raise prices to offset the reduced tax.

Typical socialistic lieberal – tax cut bad, tax hike good. I call bullshat part 1: Just who does Craps think pays those taxes? Hint; it isn’t ExxonMobil/BP/et al.

I call bullshat part 2: Back during the Algore Memorial Gas crisis of 2000, Illinois suspended collecting sales tax on gasoline sold there. Gas was that much cheaper on the other side of the toll booths.

He said he supports eliminating the state’s minimum gas markup but said he also doubted such a repeal would ease gas prices.

If he thought that cutting ExxonMobil’s/BP’s/et al’s profit margins would drive down prices, why won’t eliminating the minimum markup law?

Doyle accused oil companies of intentionally — and unpatriotically — raising prices to record levels after natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina “because they could.”

As an economist, Craps makes a bad trial lawyer. Oil and gasoline prices (as well as natural gas prices) are driven not by the oil companies, but by traders acting on market forces, both real and perceived. Since the petroleum markets operate at tight-supply/high-demand extreme edge of the market curve thanks to OPEC’s quota system, growing global demand, and the unwillingness of both the DemocRATs and RepubicRATs (as well as Sensenbrenner) to allow proper exploitation of American oil reserves through refusal of new drilling rights, the 26-year-and-growing moratorium on new refineries, and umpteen blends of Algore Memorial Gas, any disruption whether real or preceived has a magnified effect.

Of course, because we’re talking about a ‘Rat, the presstitutes will more than gladly try to ignore these holes. Heck, the Journtinel sure did. Only one small problem; that monopoly is gone, and the herd of sheeple who blindly swallow the ‘Rat/Presstitute line is shrinking.