An Open Letter to Nancy Pelosi
Justin Higgins — Mon, 2008-08-04 13:35
An Open Letter to Speaker Pelosi
On Friday August 1, 2008, at 11:23 a.m., your Democrat majority in the House of Representatives adjourned the House for five full weeks.
House Republicans believe that Congress should not go on vacation until we take action to lower gas and energy prices for struggling American families.
For the last two months we and our House Republican colleagues have used every tool at our disposal to try and get you and your Democrat majority to vote on legislation to lower gas and energy prices by expanding environmentally sound domestic production of oil and natural gas, improving energy efficiency, and encouraging the development of alternative energy technologies.
Many of the proposals we have asked you and your Democrat majority to allow us to vote on are bipartisan proposals that we believe would enjoy the support of a majority of the Members of the Congress. Yet because you and your Democrat Leadership personally oppose these proposals, you are not allowing them to come up for a vote. This past Sunday, you even told George Stephanopoulos that you will never allow this vote to occur ….
In protest of you and your Democrat majority not allowing an up or down vote on producing more American energy, we and our House Republican colleagues were prepared to take to the floor on Friday, August 1, 2008, and speak to the nation. Rather than allowing that to happen you and your Democrat majority adjourned the House, turned off the television cameras, shut off the microphones and turned out the lights. Nearly 50 House Republicans remained on the floor of the House in defiance speaking to those citizens gathered in the galleries and to the media.
Today we have again returned to the Capitol to continue speaking to the thousands of Americans from all across our country who are visiting the Capitol. We would have preferred if instead we were joined by our colleagues to have a true debate on this issue that ended in an up or down vote.
We think it is unconscionable that Congress has gone on vacation before we have addressed the high gas prices that are crippling our economy and hurting millions of families. We are asking that you reconvene the House from your five-week vacation and schedule a vote on legislation to increase American energy production. Let us be clear, we are not asking for a guaranteed outcome, just the chance to vote.
Signed by: John Boehner, Republican Leader; Roy Blunt, Republican Whip; Adam Putnam, Republican Conference Chairman; Eric Cantor, Chief Deputy Whip; and Members of the House Republican Conference
- Justin Higgins's blog
- Login or register to post comments
Energy and Nancy Pelosi
David (not verified) — Wed, 2008-09-03 17:57A lot of air time has been given to the subject of high gas prices and American energy futures. And yes, inflating your tires will help you get better gas mileage, but it WILL NOT reduce the entirity of American energy deficits. Unsaid a lot of the time is that this is a world market economy, not just an American economy. China is increasing its petroleum consumption by over ten percent per year, and India is not far behind. So no matter what the U.S. does, it does not obviate the fact that there is an ever increasing demand for oil against what is now a steady state supply. It's a perfect model for increasing prices.
The U.S. needs to create its own oil/energy economy, and in doing so become less dependent on foreign sources. It can do this by creating incentives for more energy efficient petroleum consumers, expanding the very safe nuclear energy pool, increasing attention to wind, solar, tidal and geo-force energy sources. All of these support a cleaner environment and reduced energy prices. However, we should not penalize the oil companies' profits in the process. Doing so takes the incentive out of creativity. Why is a 10 percent oil profit different than houses going for rent during the Democratic convention at exhorbitant, supply driven costs. Reportedly, one mansion sized house is going for 100k per night. Why don't we take money from them and turn it to the convention clean up, or return it to the people of Denver? Because it just wouldn't be fair.
America is driven by a capitalistic market. The drive towards success is a genuine mark of an American. Challenge Americans to come up with a better mouse trap and Americans will put a man on the moon. They will devotely and persistently cause the fall of the walls of oppression. They will create a better world for everyone. Shackle them and they will overturn the shackler. From my blog at www.republicanbase.blogspot.com
Energy and Nancy Pelosi
David (not verified) — Wed, 2008-09-03 17:56A lot of air time has been given to the subject of high gas prices and American energy futures. And yes, inflating your tires will help you get better gas mileage, but it WILL NOT reduce the entirity of American energy deficits. Unsaid a lot of the time is that this is a world market economy, not just an American economy. China is increasing its petroleum consumption by over ten percent per year, and India is not far behind. So no matter what the U.S. does, it does not obviate the fact that there is an ever increasing demand for oil against what is now a steady state supply. It's a perfect model for increasing prices.
The U.S. needs to create its own oil/energy economy, and in doing so become less dependent on foreign sources. It can do this by creating incentives for more energy efficient petroleum consumers, expanding the very safe nuclear energy pool, increasing attention to wind, solar, tidal and geo-force energy sources. All of these support a cleaner environment and reduced energy prices. However, we should not penalize the oil companies' profits in the process. Doing so takes the incentive out of creativity. Why is a 10 percent oil profit different than houses going for rent during the Democratic convention at exhorbitant, supply driven costs. Reportedly, one mansion sized house is going for 100k per night. Why don't we take money from them and turn it to the convention clean up, or return it to the people of Denver? Because it just wouldn't be fair.
America is driven by a capitalistic market. The drive towards success is a genuine mark of an American. Challenge Americans to come up with a better mouse trap and Americans will put a man on the moon. They will devotely and persistently cause the fall of the walls of oppression. They will create a better world for everyone. Shackle them and they will overturn the shackler. From my blog at www.republicanbase.blogspot.com
An Open Letter to Nancy Pelosi
Anonymous (not verified) — Mon, 2008-09-01 19:22An "Open Letter" that wantonly uses "Democrat" as an epithet can't hope to get very far.
Is this really too much to ask?
epicmax — Sat, 2008-08-09 21:54Amen brother. I honestly don't understand how these liberal politicians who supposedly care about their constituents can just call it quits when, we all as Americans, need Congress the most. Our fuel crisis is on everyone's mind and the fact that they can just take a dump on us like this is quite disheartening.
but very well put, friend. god bless.
Sucks to be in the minority,
Anonymous (not verified) — Tue, 2008-08-05 17:39Sucks to be in the minority, doesn't it?