Avoiding The Socialistic Abyss
Wednesday - October 03, 2005
Are there collusion and unfair business practices among oil companies post-Katrina/Rita? Look for more information as state Attorney General Mark Bennett and other state attorneys general combine forces to investigate wildly high Mainland fuel prices.
But what about here at home? If there is not a similar effort, can we come to the conclusion that our high prices in Hawaii are not due to gouging by oil companies, but rather a confirmation of what we have always known?
The answer: an expensive combination of taxes, government mandated regulations and simply the costs businesses face here in Hawaii.
This whole gas cap debacle has served a purpose. No, the intent was never to reduce the price of gas at the pump, and it certainly is having the opposite effect. The brazen position taken by legislative Democrats has exposed the core belief system of our state Democratic Party.
Socialism.
Let’s take a look at the definition of socialism. According to brainydictionary.com, socialism is the theory of social reform which contemplates a complete reconstruction of society with a more just and equitable distribution of property and labor. Merriam-Webster says socialism advocates collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods.
How does this apply to the gas cap? The government, more specifically Menorita - the two-headed monster comprised of Sen. Ron Menor and Rep. Hermina Morita - and their Democrat colleagues, wish to violate the premise of a free market society. That is, a society which is steeped in capitalism. By instituting a price cap at the wholesale level, Menorita is squelching the ability of the market to decide pricing via the economic law of supply and demand. In order to achieve their business objectives, which does include profit, oil companies and distributors will sell their product at an optimum price. By forgoing Hawaii in favor of other markets, supply will be restricted with static or increased demand. And voila - prices are destined to increase rather than be more “fair” as touted by supporters of this legislation.
The ardent defense and support of the gas cap by Democrat law-makers is amusing. But what is insulting are comments from Democrat leaders proclaiming that we are seeing benefits of the gas cap because consumers are shopping around for the best prices. What a laughable statement! This debacle is wholly and totally a Democrat initiative and we are all, literally, paying the price.
According to House Republicans, the gas cap has cost our economy almost $9 million over the past month. The analysis is a comparison with other states whose source of oil is similar to ours. We get a majority of our oil from Alaska, Vietnam and Indonesia, not the East Coast, West Coast or Gulf Coast markets on which our gas cap formula is based. As MidWeek went to press over the weekend, gas prices were expected to rise about 25 cents per gallon by early this week.
By taking money legislatively from you and redistributing it to others, your Democrat-controlled government is fulfilling one of the basic tenets of socialism. Initiatives like the bottle bill, proposed targeted tax cuts, etc., take from one and give to another. In the case of the bottle bill, monies are being collected and stashed by the government that created this “distribution of wealth” vehicle. Where is the parity and equality of this policy?
The bottom line? We need a retreat from the socialist-based initiatives of a dominant Democratic Party. The key, as I said last week, is not the governor’s seat. The influence exerted by a vast majority in the state Legislature is the culprit. Less Democrats, more Republicans (or Libertarians, etc.) is essential from stopping this slide into the socialistic abyss.
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