Not. (Shocking.) AND I just heard Lou Dobbs say that the hated Bush government has imposed a new credit card minimum payment amount that will force THOUSANDS of people into bankruptcy. Lovely.
NOBODY should be surprised at the gall of these people called Republicans in this story...
And as we all know, the discussion of the "framing" of the hurricane criticism by Dems is in full swing. Well, here's a story that is SO shocking but SO business as usual in a Republican-run America that it should give the even the most devout rank-and-file Republican pause (who get gouged too):
The surge in oil prices over the past two years has translated into a boon for refiners after years of meager returns. This year, the refining margin - the price difference between buying crude oil and selling refined products - has exceeded $20 a barrel, far above the long-term average of $6. That has meant record profits for oil companies and refiners and above-average stock performance on Wall Street.
more...
Criminal market manipulation:
"Oil companies have jacked up gasoline prices through a simple mechanism: reducing inventories and refining capacity," said Jamie Court, president of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, an advocacy group, expressing a view widely shared by critics of the industry.
Market manipulation via limiting supply:
As their numbers have dwindled over the years, most of the remaining U.S. refiners have expanded plants and added equipment to process more oil. Many refiners now typically run at 95 percent of capacity, a level that is dangerously high and that has led to a growing number of accidents in recent years.
Dear America: this is what you get when you elect an oilman. Please exhibit some self-preservation and vote for Democrats who have a history of bucking these powerful companies. Although Dems fall victim to these forces themselves, at least they have a history of stopping crime and gouging by big business.
Tax cuts for the rich followed by gouging taxing of the middle class by Bushco oil companies.