Ron Paul knows why gas prices are rising

Who's to blame for rising gas prices? It's not the oil companies. It's not OPEC. It's not George W. Bush. It's the United States government.

That's what presidential candidate Ron Paul is saying.

"Basic economics says that when government restricts the supply of a good, the price will increase. Yet Congress continues to reject simple measures that could increase the supply of oil."

Congress (which last time I checked was controlled by the Democratic Party) refuses to allow reasonable, environmentally sensitive, offshore drilling, Paul writes.

"Congress also refuses to remove the numerous regulatory hurdles that add to the prohibitively expensive task of constructing new refineries. Building a new refinery requires billions of dollars in capital investment. It can take several years just to obtain the necessary federal permits. Even after the permits are obtained, construction of a refinery may still be delayed or even halted by frivolous lawsuits. It is no wonder that there has not been a new refinery constructed in the United States since 1976."

It's a shame Ron Paul was dismissed so quickly by the mainstream media. A lot of what this maverick Congressman has to say makes sense.

Read his full column, "Big Government Responsible for High Gas Prices" at Ron Paul's Congressional Web site.