Bizarro Congress tries to solve gas price crisis

In Bush's America, down really is up! Who knew?

When congress came back from its spring recess, during which their constituents pointed out to them that $3-per gallon gas is a straight-up killa, Democrats and Republicans brought different approaches to the table. Republicans brought their $100 rebate designed to help every taxpayer defray the cost of, perhaps, a week-and-a-half of fill ups.

Democrats were pushing for a 60-day suspension of the federal gas tax of 18.4 cents a gallon, and the Senate Republican leadership settled on the rebate.

Those leaders and Finance Committee aides said many Republicans opposed the Democratic plan because they feared that oil companies, which pay the gas tax, would not pass savings on to the public, or that the laws of supply and demand would push the price up again.

There was also the probable opposition of House Republicans, who have been reluctant to jeopardize the flow of the gas tax revenue to the highway trust fund that underwrites road and bridge projects.

Democrats want to suspend for a couple of months the federal gas tax, which Republicans have always indicted as one of the main causes of high prices at the pump. Republicans don't like the Democratic proposal because it might threaten the pork for the folks back home. Also, they can't bring themselves to support a Democratic idea that might actually result in some relief for fuel consumers.

Thus, the GOP proposal to bribe you with $100 of your own money. If you didn't realize already that the Republican Party is out of ideas, this should tell you all you need to know.