Herb Kohl is retiring!

Long overdue, in my opinion. I hope he enjoys the nice retirement package he voted himself out of our pockets.

He's still claiming that suing OPEC through his cutely-named "NOPEC" law will lower our gas prices.

I've got an idea - OK, let's cut out all federal subsidies on energy - not just "big oil", but money for ethanol, wind, solar, efficiency research, the whole enchilada. At the same time, remove all federal energy taxes, and get rid of the Department of Energy and the EPA. Don't forget the federal DOT, NHTSA, and all the other vampires sucking at our lifeblood.

Let's open everywhere to oil exploration, limited only by local concerns. If the local NIMBYs outweigh those who want to drill, so be it.

The drop in tax money being collected from energy producers and compliance expenses should be evident in fuel prices immediately. The individual states can increase their fuel taxes to replace what pittance Washington returns from federal taxes stolen from their motorists, and we still would save, since we won't be wasting a large proportion of that money on bureaucrats in DC.

Email from Kohl

Telling me how much he's doing to lower the price of gasoline - by raising costs to the producers:
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We’ve all been alarmed by the rise in gas prices, which are now surpassing $4 a gallon in many places across the country, including Wisconsin, and have nearly doubled in two years. While we know that the rise in gas prices has many causes, one important cause is the actions of the OPEC oil cartel, which limits supply in order to maintain a high price.  If the nations of OPEC were private companies, such conduct would be nothing more than naked price fixing, illegal under the most fundamental principles of antitrust law.
This week, I questioned Attorney General Eric Holder at a Judiciary Committee hearing about rising gas prices and my legislation, the No Oil Producing & Exporting Cartels (NOPEC) Act.  My bill would give the Department of Justice tools it needs to enforce the antitrust laws against the OPEC oil cartel.  NOPEC was approved with bipartisan support by the Judiciary Committee last month.  Attorney General Holder indicated that he is always looking for more enforcement tools to protect American consumers and that he will consult with his colleagues in the Cabinet about the NOPEC legislation.   The Administration recently established a task force to examine whether there has been inappropriate market manipulation of oil prices.  Attorney General Holder assured the Judiciary Committee that he will be aggressive in examining the rise in oil prices, and to the extent that they were artificially driven the Justice Department will take action.  I want you to know I will continue working to reduce the price of gasoline.

Sincerely,

 

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My reply:
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Herb,

What are you smoking? "NOPEC"? Cute name, but where does our Constitution give Mr. Holder the power to enforce American laws against OPEC? In case you haven't noticed, OPEC is not an American organization.

Any fines or other sanctions against an oil importer will be paid directly by the American consumer, as corporations never pay taxes and fines - they just pass them along as costs of doing business. This is how business works.
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Priceless blast from the past!

SEIU paid for this back in 2008. High gas prices - under $2.00 - were all Bush's fault.



Now who should we blame?
H/t Another Gun Blog

The Memory Hole is alive and well

and working at Associated Press. Only problem is - Big Brother isn't omnipresent yet.

Instapundit caught 'em at it.

Osama made a callous remark to a questioner - sort of a Marie Antoinette thing. Screen shot from that website: