It looks like the RINOS in the House are living down to their name

They decided to kill the ANWAR drilling in the budget bill being sent to a vote. I guess our $3.00+/gal was some once-in-a-lifetime anomality, so we don't need divergant oil supplies here at home.

WASHINGTON - A solid phalanx of Republican moderates drove House GOP leaders to drop a hotly contested plan to open an Alaskan wilderness area to oil drilling as a sweeping budget bill headed toward a vote Thursday.

A plan to allow states to lift a moratorium on oil drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts was also axed.

. . . snip. . .

... Florida Republicans were especially active, helping kill the offshore drilling plan and loosening proposed restrictions on food stamp benefits for legal immigrants.

The decision on the Arctic refuge was a big setback for those who have tried for years to open a coastal strip of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, or ANWR, to oil development. It was a victory for environmentalists, who have lobbied hard against drilling.

And lets not forget the fiscal side of being in bed with the Libs:

"I have to represent my district," said Rep. Tim Johnson, R-Ill., who represents farmers opposed to cuts in commodity payments as well as the University of Illinois campus, which is upset about cuts to student loans. "At this point, I am very, very skeptical."

The overall bill is a top Republican priority. The Senate last week passed a milder version of the bill to curb the automatic growth of federal spending by $35 billion through the end of the decade.

The House plan cuts more deeply across a broader range of social services, though Republican leaders say the effects will be modest to programs like the Medicaid health system for the poor and disabled. It will still grow much faster than inflation even after beneficiaries face increased copayments and the likely loss of some benefits.

"We are not cutting Medicaid for those truly in need," said Rep. David Dreier (news, bio, voting record), R-Calif.


Someone want to tell me just WHY I should bother to vote for anyone with a big old (R) behind their name?



Daym, those crickets sure are loud.