Congress Set to Quadruple Oil Tax to Pay For Oil Spill

From Weasel Zippers:

Clearly, our present Congress doesn't care AT ALL what the voter thinks. What do you think that means? Why would people who are voted into office not care what the voters think? Do they think we're stupid? Or, do they think it doesn't matter whether they could get elected again? Perhaps because they plan on getting while the getting is good? 

What the hell is going on? It defies rational sense, does it not?

WASHINGTON (AP) – Responding to the massive BP oil spill, Congress is getting ready to quadruple—to 32 cents a barrel—a tax on oil used to help finance cleanups. The increase would raise nearly $11 billion over the next decade.
The tax is levied on oil produced in the U.S. or imported from foreign countries. The revenue goes to a fund managed by the Coast Guard to help pay to clean up spills in waterways, such as the Gulf of Mexico.
The House could vote on the bill as early as Tuesday. Senate leaders hope to complete work on it before Congress goes on a weeklong break next week.
Lawmakers want to increase the current 8-cent-a-barrel tax on oil to make sure there is enough money available to respond to oil spills. At least 6 million gallons of crude have spewed into the Gulf of Mexico since a drilling rig exploded April 20 off the Louisiana coast.