Pelosi----House Democrats Pass Embarrassing Energy Bill

Sham bill said to be one of the most embarrassing pieces of legislation produced by this "new direction" House of Representatives.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats released their one-sided Energy Bill to the rest of the House on Monday at 9:30pm for debate and passage to be completed yesterday, Tuesday Sept. 15th. There were no hearings and no amendments allowed by the Republican party and yet she called the bill a bi-partisan comprehensive energy bill.

Last week Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) was skeptical of the upcoming legislation:

"But Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) criticized the approach taken by Pelosi, which he said amounted to shutting the minority out of the process. And he hinted that he and other GOP leaders will attempt to vilify the bill as purely partisan.

"We’ll see what she has," Blunt said. "But you seldom get a compromise when you don’t talk to a single member of the other side."

It turns out Blunts worst fears were realized:

The bill was passed by a vote of 236-189. Thirteen Democrats also voted against the bill.

Most Republicans opposed the bill because it would allow new oil drilling only between 50 and 100 miles offshore. Democrats know that according to specialist, the bulk of the offshore oil reserves are inside this 50 mile limit.

Even before the House vote, the White House said President Bush was prepared to veto the measure should it reach his desk. An administration statement said the bill would "stifle development" of offshore energy resources by essentially making permanent drilling bans within the 50-mile coastal buffer, while imposing new taxes on the largest oil companies.

But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the bill "represents a new direction in energy policy" and a "bold step forward that will end our dependence on foreign oil" by using billions of dollars collected in taxes on large oil companies to promote alternative fuels and energy efficiency.

Republicans called the drilling measure a ruse to provide political cover to Democrats feeling pressure to support more drilling at a time of high gas prices.

"How much new drilling do we get out of this bill? It's zero. Just zero," declared House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio. "It's a hoax on the American people. This is intended for one reason ... so the Democrats can say we voted on energy." Link

Rep. Jeb Hensarling, a Texas Republican, shot back that the Democrats' bill is a "sham" and a "fraud."

"This is a bill designed to ensure Democrats' re-election, not designed to ensure affordable energy in America," Hensarling said.

Hensarling also complained about how the bill was brought to the floor: "No amendments, no substitutes, no committee hearings. Is this democracy? No." Link

One Republican legislator said you could get more energy by burning this legislation than what's in it.

So there you have it. The American electorate has been told by Pelosi and the Democrats you can forget about your precious energy independence. Pelosi never had any intention of passing anything that moved this country toward energy independence. Her scam of claiming they passed an energy bill is just that----a scam. And she's relying on your ignorance.

I believe it's time to begin an impeachment process to remove Nancy Pelosi from her throne for putting this nation on a path of national security disaster. You're a embarrassing joke Ms. Pelosi and we're not going to take your obstruction any longer.

Updates to follow..............