Joe Knollenberg and Republicans Running on Empty

Joe Knollenberg and the Republicans have been screaming lately about increasing domestic production as a way to bring down prices at the pump. Guess what they did though, when the Democrats proposed a bill that would increase the amount of drilling on federal lands, most of the Republicans, including Joe Knollenberg, voted against it. Why would he do that you ask? Well, it turns out the proposed legislation didn't increase the amount of land available for drilling. That's Joe for you, hypocrite through and through.

Republicans Vote Against Quick Oil Drilling On Existing Leases

June 29, 2008 at 9:27 pm · Filed under House legislation

For the last couple of months, Republicans in Congress have been whining and complaining that gasoline prices in the United States would go down a whole bunch, if only the the Democrats in Congress would do only something to increase the amount of oil drilling taking place on federal lands.

Well, wouldn’t you know it, but last Thursday, the Democrats in Congress did just that. They proposed a law that would increase the amount of drilling for oil taking place on federal lands.

Funny thing - almost all the Republicans voted against the bill. Why? Well, H.R.6251, called the Responsible Federal Oil and Gas Lease Act, moves to increase the amount of drilling for fossil fuels on federal lands without increasing the amount of land available for oil drilling. Instead, the law would force oil drilling companies to stop slacking off and to use the federal lands they’re already leasing more efficiently.

You see, although oil companies complain that oil supply is low because there isn’t enough public land available for them to drill on, those same companies are moving as slow as slugs to actually begin drilling on the public land they’re already leasing. The huge majority of land leased for the purposes of oil exploration hasn’t actually been tapped by the oil companies yet. They’re just sitting on that land, not drilling it.

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Joe wants to waste $20 million of YOUR money

Joe Knollenberg wants to waste $20 million of your money

I can’t believe what I just read on Joe Knollenberg’s web site. Instead of coming up with a comprehensive energy plan that addresses what scientists agree is a quickening global warming problem, where the world’s glaciers are melting even faster than had previously been thought, Joe wants to waste $20 million of your money on a PR campaign. Joe is missing the big picture. Automakers and Joe want to slowly, very, very, very, slowly increase gas mileage mandated to 36 mpg by 2024, 17 years from now. Apparently Joe thinks that American engineers and auto companies can’t figure out how to get 11 more mpg for 17 years. Joe’s answer to America’s energy problem is $20 million worth of commercials that tell you to “Just go slow.” How ridiculous. What we need is a program on a par with President Kennedy’s program to land a man on the moon by the end of the 1970’s, where large amounts of talent are focused on solving the global warming crisis and as part of that Apollo like program, we challenge America’s carmakers to be part of the solution by coming up with automobiles that get 100 mpg.

Just like his health care plan to give employers a $200 tax credit for setting up health prevention programs, while leaving 47 million Americans without health care coverage, Joe believes in putting bandaids on patients that are bleeding to death when it comes to Americans’ health care system and our energy crisis. This idea reminds me of Nancy Reagan trying to address drug addiction by telling our citizens to “Just say No.”

Joe Knollenberg’s idea is a huge waste of your money. Call Joe at (202) 225-5802 or write Joe Knollenberg today and tell him to stop wasting your money.

Joe won't win any Oscars for this performance

Take a look at Laura Berman's column in today's Detroit News:
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070310/OPINION03/703100378

Joe used to be a pretty quiet guy, but now he's shouting out his message on billboards. Winning by only 5% in November has put a scare into him and he's coming out of his shell -- giving speeches, appearing on TV, voting with the Democrats on an energy bill.....

Yes, it may seem on the surface that Joe has changed his tune on energy now that he's voted with the Democrats and is talking openly about alternative energy sources, but is this reallly how he feels or is he just acting to try to convince the voters he's wised up? I think we know the answer to that, don't we? Joe doesn't want to take a chance on losing in '08, so's he's saying things he thinks will appeal to the voters in the 9th even if he doesn't really believe them.

He can't on the one hand say we need alternative fuel sources, electric cars, hybrids, fuel cells, etc. and then say we shouldn't increase fuel standards or hike gasoline taxes. Duh! Don't those go hand-in-hand? If we make all of the changes to our cars that he says we should make, fuel economy will automatically go up, won't it?

The only thing worse than a Joe Knollenberg who votes with Bush almost 100% of the time is a Joe Knollenberg who pretends to have changed his tune when all he's doing is acting out of fear of losing his seat by voting the way he thinks the people want him to vote until he's got a majority back in the House (which probably won't happen for a while), at which time he'll go back to being the same old Joe. You can fool some of the people......

Oakland County voters aren't stupid -- they can see right through this charade.