'Government needs to cut back'

Excellent letter published in The Daily Local News in West Chester about how screwed up things are in this country thanks to Democrats' reliance on big government (and spineless Republicans going along).

Government needs to cut back

I just watched Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer rant about energy prices.

Since Democrats took over Congress, gasoline prices have increased $1 a gallon. They promise lower prices if they became the majority … what happened? Chuck's response to the problem is a windfall profits tax levied against Big Oil. I am so tired of having my intelligence insulted. Here are some facts that Chuck and the pandering Democrats and spineless Republicans refuse to comprehend.

Oil prices are high because economies of huge nations like China and India are developing rapidly. Oil demand is high with few new supplies. Corporations pass on all of their taxes to the consumer.

The average oil company does make about 10 cents per gallon, but if you want to really talk about windfall profits, look at your covernment. The federal fuel tax per gallon is 18.4 cents.

The state of Pennsylvania steals another 32.3 cents per gallon. Does 50.7 cents per gallon get you as mad as Big Oil's 10 cents? At least Big Oil explores, develops, refines and transports the gas for those 10 cents. What does Big Government do for its 51 cents? (We have beautiful safe roads and bridges for our $7.50 per fill-up!)

When will the American people wake up to the facts and insist that our elected representatives get out of the way of the private sector? It is the private sector that will fix our energy supply problem, not a windfall tax or a government mandate.

Don't count on Big Corn to solve the problem, either. Again it was our efficient government that forced oil companies to use ethanol in their production of gas. Four hundred pounds of corn make 24 gallons of inefficient ethanol.

Are we surprised to see the cost of our food supply skyrocket? Thanks to the government subsidies, Big Corn is planting 8 percent less corn this year. Won't that increase prices further? It's time we drag Big Corn in front of Congress for a drilling. Stock up on your corn flakes now, because we need to burn our food supply to heed Al Gore and his whacko's call for a smaller carbon footprint.

It probably is a good idea that we are burning up our food supply since vegetation gives off 80 percent of our greenhouse gases.

If you have had enough of high gas and food prices, you need to start pointing fingers at Congress for being unwilling to tap our own resources and increasing fuel taxes year after year. Stop buying junk from China. Call Ed Rendell and demand the state retire the gas tax. Why is it only the American people have to cut back on spending in economic hard times? It is time for the government to follow that rule!

Jean Hoffman
Downingtown