At a time when oil companies are posting record profits, Republican congressmen across the country are being challenged by constituents about their support for roughly $4 billion in annual tax incentives for the oil industry. Last month, every single Republican voted to preserve these subsidies, but under pressure, several GOP leaders, including Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), have admitted that Big Oil shouldn’t continue to receive taxpayer-funded subsidies.
But yesterday Congressman Lou Barletta (R-PA) took at different approach: scoffing at the idea. ThinkProgress has the story (and amazing video).
When a constituent asked him how he could vote for tax breaks for the oil industry, the congressman simply laughed at the woman and shook his head, ignoring her question. Another constituent then responded angrily, telling Barletta, “You’re our congressman, don’t laugh at us!”
Barletta continued to smirk in amusement as constituents began to debate one another, at one point even turning his back on the crowd and rifling through papers as he appeared to completely disengage from the discussion. Watch it:
This is not the first time the freshman Republican has responded dismissively to tough questioning at home. At a town hall event one week ago, constituents confronted Barletta about his vote to end Medicare through the Ryan budget plan. He wasrebuked by a 64-year-old woman who wanted to know why he backed “a plan that will destroy Medicare.” The congressman’s office brushed aside the complaint and tried to smear the woman, claiming she was part of a coordinated Democratic campaign to disrupt the event.
The congressman’s condescending attitude toward his constituents’ concerns is disconcerting, but not altogether surprising, given the generous support he’s received from oil companies. In the 2010 election cycle, the oil and gas industry was one of the largest contributors to Barletta’s campaign, kicking in more than $30,000.
Today, two of the world’s largest oil companies, Exxon and Shell, announced nearly $18 billion in profits in the first quarter, thanks to higher gas prices around to the world. Democratic congressional leaders Sen. Harry Reid (R-NV) and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) have called on Republicans to hold votes on ending the subsidies.
UPDATE: Thursday afternoon, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) rejected Pelosi’s request to hold a vote on eliminating oil subsidies. “The Speaker wants to increase the supply of American energy to lower gas prices and create millions of American jobs,” Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said in an email. “Raising taxes will not do that.”
– A ThinkProgress repost.
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Instead of just talking about the subsidies, those guys need to have some pressure put on them. The fossil fuel companies are engaged in public endangerment. They should be charged for externalities. If they reflexively again try to bribe Congressmen, they should be nationalized. Events may force these actions sooner than people think.
Nationalization of oil companies? Events may force these actions sooner than people think? If only! What’s actually happened is the just the other way around: corporatization of the government.
The Congressman does not need to worry. Many of these constituents will support him no matter what he votes for. It’s called the chicken voting for the fox.
We declare “WAR” on CO2, the military embraces GREEN, the Commander an Chief injects some rationality into the “run amuck Capitalism” and restructures our economy to focus science and rational thought to walk us back and prevent the Nation and HOPEFULLY the world from stepping over the “Door Step of Doom.” It is easy.
Now back to our regularly scheduled programing.
Two oil companies alone had $18 billion in profits in one quarter and the fossil industry gave $30,000 to Rep. Barletta. If my early morning NW math is correct that is 0.000167% or the equivalent of 8 cents to my household earnings of ~$50,000 for the year.
Of course Rep. Barletta laughed he has 3 reasons to do so…
1) Most of those people were foolish enough to have voted for him in the first place.
2) He also laughing because they still seem to think that he actually cares about what is best for the people. They don’t understand that he is only concerned with acting in regards to what is best for the corporations that give him money and help to secure his power.
3) He’s also laughing at them because he knows that no matter what he does, and however badly he screws them (and their children/grandchildren/great-great-grandchildren) over, that they’ll still be voting for him and other Republicans again rather than vote for someone from another party. (As was already noted above by George Ennis @ post #3.)
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As to Boehner’s spokes-critter’s comments…
Well we know that the tax breaks have done nothing to increase jobs and they’ve done nothing to keep the oil prices lower, so as usual the Republicans response is a non sequitur.
Mike Roddy (#1), you are completely right. In fact, the most rational thing the government could do is nationalize the oil companies that are supposedly based in this country and slap restrictive high tariffs on any foreign based companies. Of course these measures should also be linked to strict rationing of all fossil fuels while steadily reducing allocations over time while pushing alternative energy sources as well as drastically modifying American culture and life styles until our society just doesn’t use fossil fuels any more. Of course I also agree with Tim (#2) that we’re actually going in the opposite direction. Because of this fact and the realities of human nature, I feel very strongly that any inevitable restrictions will only occur in a very haphazard and excruciatingly painful way for most people as our society and economy steadily disintigrate at an accelerating pace over the coming years and decades.
The Republicans are selling out the US public for just a few cents on the dollar, or even less.
Thy give away $4 Billion is tax breaks for get a measly $8 Million or so in political contributions. Some businessmen.
It would be good to publicize how little it takes for the oil companies to buy out each candidate – directly and indirectly.
While reporting – over more than a decade – for Mr. Barletta’s hometown paper (the anthracite coal town of Hazleton, Pa.), I often had to cover events/speeches/whatever that he was participating in. Nothing surprises me anymore. But I agree that many many of his constituents will again vote for Barletta, no matter what surprises — or cheap attempts at humor — he exhibits.
It easy to learn just how many campaign contributions, and from whom in Big Oil and Big Coal they were received, for Mr. Barletta or any other federal politician, at this site: http://dirtyenergymoney.com/
This is how it works: Money buys political influence. Political influence is used to make money. It’s called a positive feedback loop. Eventually the people with all the money have all the political influence and can keep it indefinitely because they have all the money.
Democracy is merely a political delusion.
Just speaking as a woman, it seems to me that these guys are amazingly condescending to their female constituents, thus no real gentlemen among them.