Democrats Call for Nationalization of Oil Refineries

The modus operandi of the left follows a predictable pattern:

(1) Foul up some sector of the economy, or sometimes the entire economy, by inducing the government to interfere in some fashion.

(2) Blame the results on greedy capitalists or on Republicans

(3) Propose even deeper government intrusion, to "fix" the problem.

In the current energy crisis, we can see how this has played out:

(1) (a) The left have prohibited drilling for oil and gas on most of our coastline and parts of the land
(b) "Environmental" laws have prevented the construction of any new oil refineries in over 30 years
(c) More laws have prevented the construction of nuclear power plants
(d) Ridiculous substitutes like ethanol have been subsidized by the government, that have done more harm than good.

(2) The left are now blaming the problem on greedy oil companies

(3) And now Democrats are proposing to nationalize the oil refineries

House Democrats responded to President's Bush's call for Congress to lift the moratorium on offshore drilling. This was at an on-camera press conference fed back live.
Among other things, the Democrats called for the government to own refineries so it could better control the flow of the oil supply.
They also reasserted that the reason the Appropriations Committee markup (where the vote on the amendment to lift the ban) was cancelled so they could focus on preparing the supplemental Iraq spending bill for tomorrow.
At an off-camera briefing, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) said the same. And a senior Republican House Appropriations Committee aide adds that "there were multiple reasons for the postponement" including discussion on the supplemental. But the aide said there was the thought that Democrats may wish to avoid a debate today on energy amendments.
Here are the highlights from briefing
Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), member of the House Appropriations Committee and one of the most-ardent opponents of off-shore drilling
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We (the government) should own the refineries. Then we can control how much gets out into the market

If you think we got problems now, wait until the Democrat-controlled government runs the oil refineries. I can already picture the likes of Senator Clinton and her husband licking their chops over how they get to decide which businesses get to buy or sell to the government-owned refineries and on what terms.

Its time that government got out of the energy business altogether. This includes subsidies for alternative energy sources. If it is truly feasible to utilize solar, wind, or biofuel energy, then huge profits await those who can exploit them efficiently. There is no need for government to waste tax dollars on things that won't help.

Hat tip to John Lott.