Oil refineries. Yeah, that's what we need.

If we're looking for the source of our troubles, we shouldn't test people for drugs, we should test them for stupidity, ignorance, greed and love of power.
P.J. O'Rourke

I am so disgusted I don't know where to start. Yesterday, by a narrow margine, the House of Representatives approved a GOP-backed energy bill that encourages construction of new oil refineries.

This right here is about the eighth or ninth sentence I've stared and then erased. I don't know where to start. I need to get children's teeth brushed, so I'll cut to the chase and vent, in no particular order:

• Okay, if you had actually set some real fuel efficiency standards four years ago, we wouldn't need new refineries, dumbasses.
• When you say five minute vote, try to mean it. Otherwise, just be honest and let everyone know up front that voting will remain open until you get your way.
• Maybe you missed the news reports about oil companies' profits. They're big, really big. They don't need taxpayers subsidizing them. I mean, what kind of major fuck-you is it to rape the American people by price-gouging them, then take a their tax money to help produce more gas to hike the price on?
• New refineries won't alleviate fuel shortages for years. How about some fuel efficiency standards? They'll take just as long to implement as building refineries. Oh, yeah, right, sorry, I'm using logic here.
• What the fuck? More refineries? That's the big plan?
• Okay, we get it, you're evil. We get it. Can you move on now?
• Arrrrrgh!

Unfortunately, I don't feel any better....

Oh yeah, one more thing. Today the weather has been dark and dreary and raining. Nonetheless, our solar panels were still generating 300 watts of electricity. It's not huge, but come on. Have you seen the weather in NJ? And we're still producing. Don't you think the better long term strategy would be to throw that money at renewable energy? It's got to be better than funding oil, the source of most of our energy problems.

Oh, yeah, sorry. Logic again. My bad.