Since President Obama took office, domestic oil production has increased while foreign oil imports have decreased. Oil prices are up because of the increase in global demand and because of market speculation.

In 2005, oil imports accounted for nearly 60 percent of America’s daily consumption. In 2010, for the first time in recent memory, imports were less than half of consumption, and last year, imports were only 45 percent — 8.6 million barrels a day of the 19 million consumed. There are two reasons for this welcome shift: production is up and oil consumption is down. We used 20.8 million barrels a day in 2005, the highest level in history. That dropped to just under 19 million barrels last year, and, according to the federal Energy Information Administration, is likely to stay there awhile. The recession has had a lot to do with the decline, but so has fuel efficiency. With developing countries like China and India demanding more petroleum, prices are likely to stay high. Source: "Obama Sets Gas Prices? Just Another G.O.P. MythBy" ROBERT B. SEMPLE Jr. - NY Times - March 17, 2012 Presumably, no one would call President George W. Bush unfriendly to the oil industry. Yet the price of gasoline rose steadily during most of his administration. In February 2001, just after Mr. Bush took office, the average price of regular gasoline was $1.45 a gallon. Source: "Why Gas Prices Are Out of Any President’s Control" By RICHARD H. THALER -NY Times - March 31, 2012

Source: NY Times - 3/18/12 Source: NY Times - 3/18/12

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The truth is too inconvenient for Republicans, so they are lying through their teeth about this, too. I really wish the Democrats and the so-called liberal media would push back against their lies. Call them out, tell them they are lying. Now is not the time to be "politically correct."	Linda Denton	4/6/2012
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