John Konop: Congress Sold You Out to Big Oil
May 3, 2006    John Konop for Congress   Guest Opinion

Congress Sold You Out to Big Oil

John Konop
Republican Candidate for U.S. Congress (6th district)
www.ControlCongress.com
770-852-2222
info@johnkonop.com

The 2005 Energy Bill is another shameful example of government of, by, and for big-money lobbyists. Rep. Tom Price and most of the other incumbents in Congress passed it because of lobbyist campaign contributions. Business as usual: say one thing and do another.

• Congress said, “The United States needs to end its dependence on foreign oil.”
• Congress said, “We need to develop alternative energy sources.”
• Congress said, “We need to reduce the budget deficit.”

What does the Energy Bill do?—something entirely different. It gives HUGE tax breaks and subsidies to oil companies already earning record profits (because of ever-higher prices at the pump). In reality, the Energy Bill does very little to advance any of the above bulleted “goals”. It is indefensible as energy policy and inexcusable as spending policy.

John Konop’s Solutions

Assuring adequate and affordable energy is a complex problem requiring creativity on both the supply and demand sides. What follows is a sensible start:

• Strictly enforce anti-trust laws to encourage greater competition. Both the energy market and Americans will benefit from more competition, not less.

In theory, a free and competitive market should steer prices down and spur innovation. But the recent reality is that mergers have reduced the number of major oil and gas companies down to a non-competing handful. The father of free-enterprise thinking, Adam Smith, warned that the benefits of the “invisible hand” are lost when monopolies reign. There is a direct correlation between soaring fuel costs and the continuing “consolidation” of oil and gas companies.

• Eliminate tax giveaways to Big Oil and instead offer loan guarantees to emerging, alternative-energy companies. Tax breaks don’t change a company’s behavior; they just make their existing behavior more profitable. Loan guarantees inject free-market energy into the development process when they’re awarded to entrepreneurs who are investing their own money in ideas that have already attracted substantial private funding.

Loan guarantees don’t rely on empty promises from oil companies about some vague or future innovation. Rather, they create the kinds of innovative energy technologies America needs to foster competition within the energy industry. This loan guarantee program will help entrepreneurs create new jobs, increase wages, and establish global leadership in this vitally important technology.

When elected, John Konop will have the courage and independence—that Tom Price has not demonstrated—to stand up and vote no on embarrassing legislation like the 2005 Energy Bill.  Votes should be cast based on how well legislation meets the needs of Americans, not on the perks and rewards being offered by lobbyists and short-sighted party leaders.

If you agree, please vote for John in the Republican primary on July 18th and make a contribution to John’s campaign by clicking here. Thank you very much.

For more information, visit John Konop's web site at www.johnkonop.com

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