Barton, who over the span of his career has received in excess of two million dollars in campaign contributions from the Petroleum Industry decided an investigation into the generous act involving the sale at a huge discount of heating oil for poor and less privileged Americans in the northeast courtesy of Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez.
President Chavez actually visited the area and spoke to Americans about their plight with ridiculously high petroleum prices visited on them by the Bush regime.
The Regime, has, in the past, engaged in attempts to oust President Chavez, who was elected by a clear majority people of Venezuela. A fact that the Bush regime cannot match. The Venezuelan people actually saw the temporary ouster of President Chavez, who was eventually returned to his elected office.
It is clear that Barton's actions are a crude attempt to stop Chavez from demonstrating anymore magnanimity in the US.
America should continue to purchase their petroleum products at clearly inflated prices by profiteering owners of the US Government.
President Chavez has been threatened by the Bush Regime, which given it's position as one of the top four suppliers of US oil needs lacks any form of sound thinking.
Further, Mr. Chavez has promised Mr. Bush a "warm" welcome should the, already wasted American armed forces, attempt to enter his country.
Citgo currently maintains some 14,000 stations in the US. It is clear that should the Bush Regime continue to pester Mr. Chavez, and were he so inclined, he could make things very uncomfortable for Americans.
Obviously the wealthy American's would have little problem with this in the short term, but this sort of calamity could make life more difficult for the shrinking middle class, and virtually impossible for the mushrooming numbers of poor in this country, of which I am one.
Further, it would give the Major Oil Companies yet one more of many opportunities to raise the price of fuel, and other products that are made from petroleum, as has happened several times in the recent past.
Fuel prices are still over two dollars in most of the US and on the rise, despite the fact that the Gulf region is back in production, and other than Venezuela, the other three largest producers for the US are in no danger. Barton plans to "ask" first for all "relavent" data, about the fuel oil sold at as much as 60 per cent less than that from American suppliers.
Clearly if this ridiculous action by the republicans is allowed to reach fruition, many hindrances could be applied to Citgo that would reduce their well earned profits, and further endanger one of the largest US suppliers.
Condi Rice is planning yet another junket to various South American countries to attempt to build a coalition against the Venezuelan President.
Already Mr. Chavez has given orders of actions to be taken in the event of his untimely death at the hands of the Bush Regime,a ploy the US has used many times in the past to shore up it's usually illegal means of obtaining whatever it wishes from smaller weaker countries.
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