Marathon Pundit: To infinity and beyond: Rep. Hastings on high gas prices and Obama's failed energy policy

Morton Grove, IL, May 1, 2011

"To infinity and beyond!"
Buzz Lightyear, in every Toy Story movie.

As you can see in the picture, I live in the "beyond" that Rep. Doc Hastings (R-WA) discusses in his Roll Call op-ed.

With gasoline prices quickly surging to $4 per gallon and beyond, pinching the pockets of families and business across the country, it’s no surprise that gasoline has become a regular talking point in President Barack Obama's stump speech. Yet instead of offering real solutions, the president is telling the American people that there’s "not much we can do" about high prices. He’s waving the white flag of defeat — essentially telling Americans to get used to paying more than $4 for gasoline.

It's not just about what President Obama can do tomorrow to address higher prices, it's about what he's done over the past two years to get us to this point. The president's attempt to deflect criticism and his 'don't blame me' attitude expose how out-of-touch he is with reality and the everyday needs of American families. President Obama has an energy plan — it's just not one to increase American energy production. Instead, President Obama's plan is to block, delay and tax American energy.

When President Obama took office, the national average price of gasoline was $1.84 per gallon — and it's been steadily climbing ever since. That's because over the past two years the Obama administration has never missed an opportunity to block access to our American energy resources. For example:

When President Obama was elected, nearly all of our offshore areas were open to offshore drilling. Since then, President Obama has systematically locked-up the entire Atlantic Coast, the Pacific Coast and much of Alaska — preventing the creation of over 1.2 million jobs.