Spank That Donkey

 Jim Gilmore pounded home the message that basically the Democrats have failed to deliver on energy after taking over Congress in 2006, and responds to critics of drilling in the ANWR, or off-shore.

The SNL highlights his Governor Jim Gilmore's visit to Waynesboro, and his message:

"What I'm seeing now is the best thing that I can do as a United States senator is to address these economic issues, which are quite specific in the minds of the people; and that means you've got to have a decisive energy policy, and that means you've got to drill in ANWR (Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge)."

Gilmore said that although some won't agree, he and others believe that the drilling can be done in an environmentally-sensitive manner that will benefit the country.

"And therefore I say we should do that, and the same with off-shore (drilling) as well," he said.

Gilmore said he believes in investing in other energy resources as well, listing as examples everything from solar power to cleaner coal and nuclear resources, but he said that expanding U.S. drilling sites and refineries will help relieve prices in the shorter term.

Asked about the time it would take to reach oil at new drilling sites, Gilmore said he doesn't think it would take as long as some critics have said.

"The heart of it is that people who say, 'Gee, it's going to take 10 years to get the oil,' are just trying to deflect the right policy ... it won't take 10 years, but even if it would take 10 years, that's what they told us 10 years ago," he said.

Governor Mark Warner vetoed a bill that would have moved Virginia forward to produce our own domestic resources.  He has also repeatedly stated he will not drill for oil in ANWR.  He would fit right in with the 'do nothing' on energy Democrats in Congress if Virginia's voters if he can fool enough of them between now and November.

The Washington Times ran a front page article in it's Sunday Read, "Millions Ventured little gained", that takes a chunk out of Mark Warner as an entrepreneur, and questions whether his ventures were really just political motivated.

I especially like VV's comment on the subject:

See what happens when Marky Mark doesn’t have inside information to rely upon.  More proof that the man is nothing more than a scam artist who doesn’t have a lick of business sense for himself.

You know what gets me about Mark Warner is his inability to be honest.  I think he is making an honest statement here concerning the failure of four of his five ventures:

Mr. Warner and other investors said the funds floundered because of poor management and poor timing - they were created just before the stock market crashed in 2000, prompting scores of technology companies to fold.

Yet, when elected Governor, the same stock market crash, and then the 9-11 attacks aren't the focus of his explanation for less revenues coming into the Commonwealth's coffers.  He instead insists that Governor Jim Gilmore's No Car Tax plan left him a $6 billon dollar deficit?

There's tons of tidbits in the article, that's just for starters...

Vivian Page, who is beyond a doubt one of the most respected Left Leaning Bloggers in Virginia has quite the proposal on the table.  Take it away Vivian:

Last time I looked, former governor Jim Gilmore’s “no car tax” plan was costing the Commonwealth $950 million. By killing this plan, either outright or over a period of a few years, that money could be used to fund transportation. Yes, this amounts to a tax increase, but only on people who own cars. Think of it as a user fee

 Now, Vivian favors Governor Mark Warner for the US Senate Seat, and he is pitted against my favorite Conservative, Governor Jim Gilmore.  We all know Jim Gilmore initiated the PPTRA, or eliminating the Car Tax, and by last 2001 budget had dedicated $604 million to the program.

Mark Warner campaigned in 2001 on not raising taxes at all as governor of Virginia, plus finishing the elimination of the PPTRA (car tax) altogether.  During his budgets of 2002, 2003, 2004, and  2005, the  Commonwealth's expenditures  increased $5.9 billion, while the 2005 budget only dedicated $907 million to the PPTRA.  This amounts to a paltry $303 million in annual additonal dedicated funds to eliminating the PPTRA, beyond Jim Gilmore's $604 million.

The following year in Tim Kaine's first budget of 2006, the General Assembly froze the PPTRA appropriations at $950 million annually, or what at that time was estimated to be a 70% elimination of the tax on the citizens.   FY 2007 saw the same appropriation, so in reality, and as per Vivian's wishes; the PPTRA is actually reducing as a percentage of eliminating the overall car tax.  What I hear her saying though, is she wants to dedicate some nice chunks of that PPTRA funding and dedicate it to Transportation.  Not just slowly bleed the tax cut.

Fair enough Vivian... Her favored candidate Governor Mark Warner should step up to the plate and tell us exactly what he would do right now if he were Governor Kaine.  Ask the General Assembly to defund the PPTRA, and put the funds towards transportation, or continue to increase funding to eliminate the PPTRA?  Simple Math tells us that if $950 million is 70%, then $1.3 billion annually gets us to elimination.

Please Governor Warner, tell us how you would handle this?  I am absolutely sure that AP reporter, Bob 'six billion dollar lie' Lewis is ready to pose this question to Governor Warner himself, at the upcoming US Senate debate at the Homestead in a couple weeks?

Actually, I doubt that altogether.  I think that the panelists will be tossing softballs at Warner, and continuing what has become a MSM mantra that Governor Gilmore left a budget 'Mess'...  You know, he cut taxes....

Vivian, I hope you press for Warner to answer your call for eliminating, or reducing the PPTRA.  You're not going to let him, or Governor Kaine just walk on the issue, right? 

To cut the citizens taxes to spur economic growth.  Here is an old Atlantic Article discussing just that.  For instance:

President Bush may have it exactly wrong. A bear market may be more likely to decrease, rather than to increase, public support for his $1.6 trillion tax cut. A surprising finding in this month's Gallup Poll indicates that the more worried people are about the nation's economy, the less they support President Bush's tax cut.

Whoops, guess that guy got it wrong huh?  The Bush Tax cuts spurred the economy on, but this is just typical negativism to encourage the citizens from voting to keep their own money in their pockets, vs. funding a bottomless pit that is our Federal and State Governments.

Speaking of State Governments, this article addressing Governor Gilmore and the Car Tax Cut:

In Virginia, Gov. James S. Gilmore III is standing firmly behind his commitment to abolish the car tax. He has to. It's the issue that got him elected in 1997. Not only that, but President Bush has made Gilmore chairman of the Republican National Committee. What an embarrassment it would be if the GOP national chairman agreed to compromise his signature tax cut or allow it to become tied to revenue triggers, as moderates in Congress are urging the President to do with his tax cut.

But Virginia does not have the revenues to replace the car tax. And state law requires a balanced budget. What an embarrassment it is for the Republican governor to be squabbling with the state Legislature, which Republicans took control of last year for the first time in more than 100 years. The Legislature has to go back into special session to consider controversial spending cuts in education and transportation. Nothing is more likely to enrage voters in Northern Virginia, which faces an intractable congestion crisis.

Seems our Transportation Crisis knows no ends... such as the war on poverty... Think that will ever be solved? One thing is for sure, if you are part of the MSM, you will get gallons of ink at your disposal to encourage the funding of Government Gone Wild... It's just so much more sexy, than letting the people keep their own money.

I look forward to the day when the people get to keep the vast majority of their earnings, and the government has to hold a bake sale to expand welfare programs, and pay Congressional Salaries... How much money would we save if Congress only met every other year, for like 60 day sessions to set the budget?  They could come in, get it done, shut their pie-holes, and go back to work as the Citizen Legislators they were supposed to be.

Congressman... nothing but a bunch of grandstanding, Presidential wannabes.... Come home and work for a living you bunch of bums!

 Look at today's 300 plus point slide in the Dow Jones, and consider what Investors Business Daily has to say:

Oil prices, a near-constant thorn in the market's side over the past few weeks, walloped stocks again Thursday.Crude crossed $140 a barrel for the first time on reports that Libya may cut production. An OPEC official said oil could top $170 a barrel this summer, while the dollar dropped against the euro, giving prices an added jolt.

Every day it's a Nigerian Oil Rig was attacked, or the Iranian Prime Minister Farted, etc.  The supply of oil is predicted out in futures contracts years ahead, and those contracts are influenced by the future prediction of the supply of oil to market.

Mark Warner says this about ANWR:

Drilling in the ANWR would provide neither immediate nor significant relief at the pump. Such drilling could reduce gas prices by only one to four cents, and would not provide that relief until the year 2018.

So you're trying to tell me that opening up ANWR, and drilling offshore will not impact the price of oil per barrel, or at the pump?  Well, if Mark Warner gets his way and ANWR is never opened, and only lip service gets paid to drilling offshore he will be completely right.... but yet let an oil rig or refinery get shut down anywhere, for any reason, and oil can jump $5 a barrel a day?

Warner is looking for votes in the turnip patch folks.... and I'd say that would have to be college campuses... hey didn't he and Kaine double tuition there, just in the last six years?

Alton weighs in on the environmental impact.

Seriously, I bet the oil traders are figuring that the Dems really will pick up enough seats in the Senate to insure that ANWR and offshore drilling is never allowed...  Remember, reality is only what the MSM allows it to be.