Did your congressman vote for this?

U.S. Royalty Plan to Give Windfall to Oil Companies

EDMUND L. ANDREWS
Published: February 14, 2006

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 - The federal government is on the verge of one of the biggest giveaways of oil and gas in American history, worth an estimated $7 billion over five years.

New projections, buried in the Interior Department's just-published budget plan, anticipate that the government will let companies pump about $65 billion worth of oil and natural gas from federal territory over the next five years without paying any royalties to the government.

Based on the administration figures, the government will give up more than $7 billion in payments between now and 2011.

Hypocrisy redux.

Pinch the states. Pinch the counties. Pinch the cities, towns, villages and townships. Pinch the hardworking folks of this country. Pinch the elderly, the disabled, the students. Pinch everybody but your rich friends and campaign contributors. To hell with a balanced budget. Voodoo accounting and permanent deficits, full speed ahead!

For the whole article, go here.