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Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Ryun & Jenkins Squabble Over Who's Being Meaner, Boyda Talks the Issues

A half dozen more reports about Jim Ryun going prostrate before Lynn Jenkins begging her not to attack him in her pre-primary ad buy appeared in today's papers. Here, a smattering from the Topeka Capital-Journal:

"I'm extending to Lynn a friendly offer," said Ryun, a conservative Republican and former Olympic athlete. "It's time for us to set an example and rise above the usual political attacks and distortions."
(He says that with a straight face, ladies and gentlemen).
"I find it odd Jim wants me to sign a pledge he's already broken," said Jenkins, a moderate Republican and two-term state treasurer. "His Washington cronies have already spent $120,000 running negative attack ads regarding my record. I think he just needs to look in the mirror."
This comes on the heels of Lynn's spokesman Josh Hersh saying yesterday Ryun was "in denial" about how badly the people want him back in Congress. Hell, just accusing Ryun of having anything to do with the $120,000 TV ad buy Club for Growth did is pretty sleazy- seeing as such collusion would be illegal...

But it was a nice ad:


Ah, Republican leadership...don't you just love it?

While all that nutsy-ness was going on, Congresswoman Nancy Boyda took a little bit of time to actually address a huge problem facing the United States today: gas prices. She talked about several of the measures she has personally supported in an effort to bring down the price of gasoline- though she noted a quick fix wasn't in the picture.
Earlier this year, Boyda successfully helped push a bill through Congress that would temporarily suspend purchasing oil for an emergency government stockpile of gas.

[...]

Boyda has also favored suspending the 18.4 cent-per-gallon federal gas tax, which is set aside for building highways and bridges, as a way of helping consumers, spokesman Thomas Seay said.

On a Kansas City-based public radio show, Boyda said she favored paying for the reduction by rolling back millions in tax breaks given to oil companies in an effort to bolster their attempts to find new oil sources.
Boyda wasn't the first to propose a suspension of the federal gasoline tax- but she was one of the first to suggest a way to pay for the lost highway construction & maintenance funds. After the disaster in Minnesota, we'd be surprised if anyone could argue against the necessity of keeping those particular coffers full.

Finally, the more sobering bit:

Boyda said on air that many Americans are also waking up to the fact that there are limited options for holding back price increases, including efforts to reduce oil speculation.

"There aren't a lot of short-term fixes out there," Boyda said.
The Republicans love to toss out "drilling in ANWR" as the solve-all for our gasoline problem, but no one has any idea if that drilling would actually produce enough crude to effect the price of gas at the pump.

Boyda made it clear in her radio interview yesterday, though, she certainly supported expanded domestic drilling (and, like we've been tryin' to tell you all for months, she has even voted that way).

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Most of these items are short term fixes ..... I mean we know there is oil in ANWR as well as oil shale in the Rockies. But everything has been done to stop the oil companies from using Americas resources. There is much potential for oil offshore but looking there has been stopped.

These short term ideas fix nothing. Suspending the national taxes leaves less money for highway and bridge repairs or we increase the debt.

The desire by environmentalist to stop building oil refineries have also contributed to the spike in prices ..... America is not only importing oil when we have our own but we are now importing refined gasoline from other countries which also increases cost.

We in Kansas look to stop two coal fired plants and think we are helping global warning by doing that..... What a freaking crock .... China is opening a new coal fire plant every other week ..... Europe is adding 50 new coal fired plants over the next five years.

In surveys Americans have a greater support for drilling for more of our own oil than they support this global warming tax nonsense.

Anonymous said...

http://www.americansolutions.com/General/?Page=dec28cdd-e2be-454f-84b4-da5b11fdce70

Anonymous said...

nothing has been done to "stop" domestic exploration...with record profits you'll never be able to convince anyone anymore that the oil companies just can't afford to build new refineries.

and, no, they aren't short term fixes...the only way to actually reduce the price of gas would be to find a HUGE new reserve and flood the market with it...and there isn't that much oil in ANWR.

Anonymous said...

It isn't that oil companies can't afford to build refineries ..... they have been fought by environmentalist in court over the last 30 years when they've attempted to build along one of the coasts where it would be cheaper

Yes, the $10 billion refinery planned for South Dakota could be the first.

Anonymous said...

the oil companies and their allies always cite the incredible cost associated with the construction of new refineries BECAUSE of environmental laws...and everyone knows it's BS.

Anonymous said...

really??? the environmentalists haven't said they would take the coal issue to court if it passed legislature ..... not planning to challenge it in a higher court if Sunflower wins in lower court?

Anonymous said...

oil companies site the price of construction as why more refineries haven't been built...they can afford literally anything at this point

Anonymous said...

Well here is to oil companies. Congradualtions. It finally paid off. After all those long years of bearly making ANY money at $10-20 a barrell, you stuck with and now you are finally getting what you invested for. I hope that you make every dollar off you can off the American people. Then I hope the libearls tax the hell out of you, so we can expose them for who they are..... socialists!

Then I hope the socialists lead by Obama drive this country into the ground...so we can all go back to living like cavemen!

Anonymous said...

it used to be in this country everyone agreed everyone had to pay taxes...to make sure the whole country stayed strong.

when did the radical conservative rhetoric of "all taxes are BAD!" take over?

as the price of gas skyrockets, but the oil companies make more money than any industry has ever in the history of the world, i know something's wrong. but i do know one thing: they don't deserve tax credits or tax loopholes or tax subsidies from me. they just don't.

profitable companies SHOULD NOT receive MY tax money. the military should, or road construction should, but private companies SHOULD NOT.

i'm not a socialist, i'm an american conservative.

Anonymous said...

ryun is going to blow jenkins out of the water...why did she even run against him?

Anonymous said...

Jenkins ran so that Republicans have a chance in the general election ..... Jim is washed up and has shown is lack of connection to Kansas in his fundraising.

Anonymous said...

Great post, I am almost 100% in agreement with you

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