Flashback: Obama Energy Secretary Chu Says We Must Get Gas Prices “to the Levels in Europe”

This barely made a blip in the news when it was first reported, but read what President Obama’s Secretary of Energy Steven Chu had to say about gas prices back in December:

In a sign of one major internal difference, Mr. Chu has called for gradually ramping up gasoline taxes over 15 years to coax consumers into buying more-efficient cars and living in neighborhoods closer to work.

“Somehow we have to figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe,” Mr. Chu, who directs the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal in September.

And now you’re paying $4  a gallon. not quite European prices, but no fun nonetheless.

In President Obama’s defense, he dismissed the notion of raising taxes because of the increased pressure it would put on individual Americans. However, you cannot deny that it has been a task of this administration from day one to combat supposed global warming climate change by raising the prices of energy resources. One cannot forget Obama’s infamous “under my plan, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket” line, his clear animosity towards coal, and his use of the EPA as a lap dog in that fight. I would not put it past them to take on gasoline prices next.

What’s more interesting is that the Chu even thinks they could significantly alter gasoline prices, as the price of crude oil is set in the global market, not by some centralized plan. I shouldn’t give them any ideas though. Clearly then, the best route for raising gas prices for Chu is to increase taxes and then demonize the oil companies for *gasp* making a profit. And if you don’t think government makes enough in taxes on gasoline, look here: Exxon makes an average of 2 cents per gallon in America, while government takes in an average of about 50 cents depending on your state.

Remember this the next time you fill up. Obama and his administration don’t want to lower costs, they want to raise them.