Thank the Good Lord not all elected Republicans are brain-dead. Today the Republicans in the Senate blocked a move by Democrats to impose a windfall profits tax on the oil companies. The Democrats are fit to be tied, complaining that with over $4 a gallon gas, this was the right thing to do.

How do people who know nothing about the economy of our country keep getting elected to pass regulations and taxes that can enable or kill it? How do people with a socialist view of economics get into national office? The political illiteracy of the American public.

Fewer and fewer Americans know how our economy functions and many of those who do, feel guilty over it. We are a market economy, spurred by sales, production, and meeting the demands of the consumer. We are NOT a state-run economy where government sets prices and profit margins, and runs manufacturing and production. We work for a profit, that is entirely just and moral that we be rewarded for our investment and labor.

Every political system that has grown too top-heavy with regulation and taxation has collapsed in on itself in the long run. Our system of capitalism has served us well for far too long to allow government to ruin it now.

Capitalism is not a crime, it is not immoral, it is not even shady. Capitalism is the freedom to trade goods and services in exchange for payment, to produce and make a profit from your labors, to create wealth and prosperity for all those inclined to work for it. To listen to the Democratic party is to hear a chorus of communists who hate free trade and want to kill it.

WINDFALL PROFITS TAX???? They have gone insane. If you impose a windfall profits tax on me this year, do you know what I will do next year? I will make only as much as I can to stay out of the windfall profits territory. The side effect of that is that the goods or service I used to produce will be greatly diminished, and the demand of the consumer will not be met. (HINT: Prices will go up) WHY would I invest and work harder only to pay more taxes and not a greater return for my efforts?

Not to mention that when we tried this same scheme in the 80’s it suppressed domestic production and sent imports sky-rocketing. We hurt our own economy and funneled more wealth to OPEC and other oil-producing nations.

Do you want lower gasoline and energy prices? Then call your congressman and tell him to lift restrictions on domestic oil drilling to increase supply of crude. Then, tell him to introduce and pass legislation to stream-line the construction of new refineries in America to increase the gasoline supply. When supply comes into alignment with demand, PRICES GO DOWN!!! When demand is high, and supply is low, PRICES GO UP!!!

The oil companies are not to blame, the commodities market is not to blame, OPEC is not even to blame. It is the insanity of the American government, especially the legislature, who has for over 30 years strangled domestic production of oil and energy.  We are reaping the fruits of decades of wrong-headed policies when it comes to energy, and liberals, environmentalists, and lilly-livered Republicans are to blame.

The time has come for the United States Congress to embrace the free-market economy gifted to us by our founders and lift the stifling regulations in our energy policies. If you want over-regulation and government control of the market, go to Cuba! I hear they have wonderful health care…..