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Comment from Eli
Time: June 5, 2008, 5:39 am

I hate pandering stunts like this. The pain people are feeling is a good lesson and nothing should be done to diffuse it. The high gas prices are a blessing in disguise, because a change in our consumption habits will only help us in the long run.

Comment from tomr
Time: June 5, 2008, 8:28 am

The last thing we need is the message that Rasoul will ease our pain, be it at the pumps or elsewhere. What we do need are politicians who are willing to make painful decisions regarding necessary cuts to the big fat government teat; no, that wouldn’t win anyone a popularity contest, it would be better for our country than our current status quo, which focuses on garnering votes by giving out the most freebies to the largest segment of population possible. Both Republicans and Democrats are using the same technique and obviously, Rasoul is no different.

Comment from Seth
Time: June 5, 2008, 8:40 am

shhhhh
no one gets elected with that kind of crazy talk.

Comment from JB
Time: June 5, 2008, 8:45 am

Salem Rasoul would be helping us more by convincing his friends and family in the Middle East to lower the price of gas.

Democrat policies of No drilling, no refineries, etc. have caused the price to skyrocket.

Mr. Rasoul, tell your pals Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid we want to DRILL HERE, DRILL NOW AND PAY LESS.

Comment from JGFitzgerald
Time: June 5, 2008, 9:34 am

JB,

Sam’s from Botetourt. Does JB stand for jackboots?

Comment from Bubby
Time: June 5, 2008, 9:54 am

Everywhere I go these days, people are talking about gasoline prices. They are obsessed with it. Rasoul popped into the middle of the media spotlight - isn’t that what underdog politicians are supposed to do, show up where the people have their heads?

Jimmy Carter told us this day was coming - 31 years ago. And now the same people that laughed at him, then went out and gave $100,000 tax refunds for gas-guzzling SUVs tell us they have a solution - drill everywhere , and occupy Iraq, go back to sleep. Stupid is as stupid does.

Comment from Eli
Time: June 5, 2008, 10:05 am

You can drill here, drill now, and pay 75 cents a BARREL less….in 10 years!

In the meantime, people can power their SUVs with their smug sense of entitlement.

Comment from Bubby
Time: June 5, 2008, 10:29 am

Yeah well Eli, we’re talking about a bunch of folks that don’t do numbers. Stuff just Trickles Down from someplace awesome, while we keep our eye on the ball - protecting our marriages from The Gay Agenda.

Comment from Jeremy Aldrich
Time: June 5, 2008, 10:51 am

If JB would get his friends and family in Europe to come up with some alternative energy sources…

Comment from Jeremy Aldrich
Time: June 5, 2008, 11:08 am

Hey you want to consider something interesting, google “military oil consumption”…it looks like the US military is the single largest consumer of oil in the world, using an average of 300-400,000 barrels of oil every day. Wonder how we could cut that down?

Comment from Bubby
Time: June 5, 2008, 11:29 am

Bob Marshall is the single largest consumer of oil in Virginia - according to Bob he drove 215,000 miles this spring. I guess he’s gone from saving the fetus’ to delivering the fetus’. Then again, Bob’s not real good with those pesky numbers either.

Comment from Seth
Time: June 5, 2008, 2:04 pm

the republicans are evil and want to burn up all the oil in pointless wars to get more oil.

you’ve established that.

this should really be more about the democratic party and how they can get elected without compromising their lofty values.

Comment from Frank J Witt
Time: June 5, 2008, 2:35 pm

they can’t…they have mis-led the people with unfulfilled promises. Don’t ask me to show you, you already know the answers…

Comment from finnegan
Time: June 5, 2008, 3:21 pm

From the Augusta Free Press:

“Around 60 cars fueled up during the special, and over $700 in discounts were applied to their purchases.”

Comment from Seth
Time: June 5, 2008, 3:43 pm

so what do you think, money well spent for the rasoul campaign?

Comment from Bubby
Time: June 5, 2008, 4:45 pm

You do the math Seth - $700 is almost enough to buy a 1/4 page ad in the DNR. Do you ever talk about political ads in the paper? All day long?

Why are you worrying about what the Democrats would do about fuel costs (or the economy, the Middle East, or our busted Military). How much worse could it get?

Comment from Seth
Time: June 6, 2008, 8:51 am

easy bubby. i was interested in finding out whether people thought this was effective use of funds for the rasoul campaign, not in stoking your animosity.

i would think that a 1/4 page ad might reach more than 60-70 people (although they wouldn’t walk away from reading the ad feeling like rasoul had done something for them personally.)

i care about what dems (and republicans) do about fuel costs because it annoys me to hear about energy independence and environmental concerns one day and how we’re going to give voters breaks on gas prices the next. if he were giving away hot dogs, i’d have nothing to say.

and it can get much, much worse. when politicians who should be able to say, ‘gas is expensive the world over. sorry america, suck it up and figure out how to drive less,’ are saying ‘i’ll personally chip in to make your gas cheaper in exchange for your vote,’ i’d say we’re still on a downward spiral.

Comment from Jeremy Aldrich
Time: June 6, 2008, 9:01 am

Giving away hot dogs would be okay with you, Seth? Why, with the rising cost of food, and so many parts of the world suffering from critical food shortages, giving food away just feeds people’s wasteful eating. Food should be MORE expensive, not given away for free…

;-)

Sorry, I just couldn’t resist.

Seriously though, I don’t think Rasoul’s point is that gas prices are too high; I think he’s saying people are suffering because of energy needs and he cares about that issue. On his website, he talks about the need for alternative energy sources and the creation of “green collar jobs”. Congressman Goodlatte, on the other hand, has consistently voted for policies that keep us dependent on oil and against promoting fuel conservation and alternative energy.

Comment from Bubby
Time: June 6, 2008, 10:01 am

Seth: Just this morning, a start at energy independence that used a market-based approach to moving away from fossil fuel use, and promoted the development of a new American alternative energy industry was defeated. The Bipartisan legislation (Climate Security Act of 2007 (S. 2191) was sponsored by Senators, Lieberman, and Warner, and supported by both McCain and Obama.

It is important to note that rather than debate the details of the legislation, Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) chose to spend 8 precious hours of Senate time wasted having the 500 page document read aloud. Powerful oil industry allies like James Imhofe (R-Exxon) advocates doing nothing and led the effort to kill the Bill.

Here is a 4 page document that describes what the Energy Security Act of 2007 would do to lower our energy costs, create jobs, and move America toward energy independence.

Recharging America’s Economy: Clean Energy Investments, Global Warming Solutions, and a Prosperous Economy

Comment from David Miller
Time: June 6, 2008, 11:27 am

The reason that Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) chose to have the amendment read out loud is because he only had two weeks in which to read and understand the bill. This apparently is not enough time to read and understand 500 pages that Democrats are “trying to push through a huge and complex bill in a matter of days”.

Comment from Jeremy Aldrich
Time: June 6, 2008, 11:29 am

So are McConnell and the others concerned about understanding the bill sitting there listening to it being read?

Comment from Bubby
Time: June 6, 2008, 11:56 am

Mitch McConnell, who btw is about to become the former Republican minority leader, stalled the bill because it’s sponsors were fellow Republicans Warner and Lieberman.

The bill did need work, but the opponents didn’t even try to amend it, they just said, “we got nothing” and obstructed, stalled and killed it.

Comment from David Miller
Time: June 6, 2008, 4:24 pm

Actually they claim to be stalling because they insist that dems have betrayed their promise to allow federal judge nominations to continue. Apparently though the repubs first reneged on their promise to allow a bipartisan bill “flow” through the senate and then started making demands for their “cooperative” nature.

Comment from Fuzzwell
Time: June 15, 2008, 10:02 pm

This young Democrat is trying to buy some attention by giving away money.

This is probably not a good idea.

However, I would like to add, the rising prices of fuel are going to increase the need for alternative fuels and more efficient vehicles and that is a great idea.

America will go green ONLY WHEN the economic impact hits their OWN pocketbook.

Giving relief, drilling new wells, and prolonging the inevitable is a mistake.