Saxby Chambliss: “I rise to discuss the most important issue on the minds of my constituents in Georgia and, I know, folks all over the…”

“I rise to discuss the most important issue on the minds of my constituents in Georgia and, I know, folks all over the country; that is, skyrocketing gas prices. I hear from hundreds of Georgians every day who are struggling to fill their gas tanks to get to work or to take their kids to school or to run their necessary errands. They want to know what Congress is doing about these out-of-control gas prices. Nobody disputes the fact that the United States is dependent on foreign sources of oil, and nobody disputes that this problem has been in the making for any number of years. We currently import more than 60 percent of our oil and, over the past 30 years, we have reduced our domestic exploration options and left our refining capacity stagnant. But we can do something to provide relief to American families who are really feeling the pain at the pump. If we can do something about it, the obvious question is, Why aren't we? Let's look, first, at what the Democratic response has been to high gas prices. Yesterday, we voted on a so-called energy bill proposed by the majority. The two highlights of this bill to address skyrocketing gas prices are, first, sue OPEC. The Democrats want to sue the individuals we are doing business with as a means of lowering gas prices. This is hard to understand. Second, the Democrats propose to put a windfall profits tax on big oil companies that are certainly achieving big profits in today's market in the petroleum industry.”