Gas prices are high because there is an increased global demand. It has nothing a five month moratorium on new deep water wells that was in place more than two years ago. The EPA has not blocked coal mining -- exports are at an all time high. It is true that there are fewer coal-fired plants slated to be built in the coming years, but that is as much because power companies believe natural gas will become more economical than coal in the coming than it is because of EPA regulations. Regardless, the coal industry is free to mine as much coal as it wants -- demand will continue to grow globally, even if it decreases here. And the company who owns the Keystone pipeline is being sued by refineries because the pipe is unnecessary (the current pipeline have more than enough capacity to carry the oil from Alberta to the US). The new construction costs have therefore increased the transportation costs for the oil and in turn have increased gas prices. Check your facts.

We need to become energy independent oil, gas, coal, and in the future wind and solar. I don't want to see one more woman or man died for a barrel of oil.

"Gas prices are high because there is an increased global demand."

Horse stuff! The speculators at NYMEX are the ones keeping the prices up.

Wholesale has dropped all week to $2.73.

.............companies like Haliburton?

Matt you couldn't of said it better. The clown in office needs to go as he is destroying the coal business and if he is elected again for another 4 years gas will be hitting 10 a gallon. Why he never did anything about the prices of gas was because he was trying to force everyone to buy Electric Cars, which are a joke to drive because they run like a sewing machine, and to replace a battery every 2 years is going to cost you 1,500 to 3,000. Who has that kind of money laying around as everything keeps on going up in price but pays don't.
4 more years of obummer will have 80% of the people of the United States on welfare.

proud American - Yes, it would be wonderful for all of us if no person or country were any long dependent on oil, gas or coal deposits. Your idealism would be laudable if it was not so wanting in practicality. While it is important for the world to intelligently investigate all potentially viable, environment friendly, energy alternatives, common sense dictates that this be done realistically. At present, we too often actually use more energy and money than we save, in chasing up unrealistic alternatives.

Seems someone has not researched the topic and is trying to snow the public. Check it out. All Presidents since Jimmy Carter have energy independence as part of their mantra. Only two Presidents have actually reduced the amount of foreign oil into the US. Jimmy Carter and President Obama. The reduction of forgein oil is over 20 percent under the current administration. You probably don't know it as the current adminstration does many positive things for this country and doesn't make any announcements to prop up their standing in the polls like previous administrations. The price of gas at the pump today is actually quite high; but not as high as it was prior to the economic collapse in 2008. So if you desire to have that sub $2.00 a gallon fuel using supply side economics, you must also desire to have losses of over 700,000 jobs a month, your 401k and IRA's to be worth about 50 percent of todays value and for the Dow Jones to lose about 7,000 pts. THat cheap gas is not cheap when it is in the middle of a world wide economic tragedy. The problem with political statements is that they never give you the whole story, similarly, your statements here Mr.Dragovits.

comp every thing obummer has said before last election and this election was a lie also. the clueless in office now has done nothing but destruction to the United States

That is the dumbest thing I have ever read! Romney has it absolutely wrong. If you think Dubya was bad, just wait and see what happens if Romney is elected.

Pure hokum. History of such 'tax breaks' indicates nothing of the sort. All that has happened is that the rich have gotten richer and everyone else, poorer. Romney and Ryan and the republican policies are simply more of the Bushie same that put the country in the situation it is, and the stupid republican refusal to do anything has tried to keep it there so President Obama and the Democrats can be blamed for the mess the republicans caused. When I get in the voting booth, I'm not fool enough to vote for a single republican. I say boot 'em all out!

If Romney gets elected and lowers corporate tax rates and tax rates of the top 1%, the US will be like Ireland, 14% unemployment, zero economic growth and slashed services. Sounds like hell to me!

Well the tax rate has been a lot lower since the Clinton administration. Bush put in the tax cuts and with those tax cuts we lost jobs and gained jobs slowly. During Clinton's administration they paid more taxes and guess what........the unemployment rate was low. Soon there will be no mention of middle class if Rominey gets in because there will not be a middle class....just rich and poor.

In today's PG,

http://old.post-gazette.com/pg/images/201210/20121020pa_unemployment600.png

Tell us what the US and PA unemployment rate was in January 2006. Post it back here, please.

You're a Pub. Confess!

You are absolutely correct, jjtss! SO FRUSTRATING that people will not look at the facts and try to understand how the economy really works. You don't even need to know how it works - it's easy enough to look at the last four years of Obama's leadership and understand that that is what it looks like when it doesn't work! Vote Romney to get the economy moving in the right direction at last! He does have the answers. He is not a bubble person who just looks pretty but has no substance. Romney is the real deal!

jjtss you totally understand what obama has done to the business owners over the last 4 years. If he raises taxes more small business will close or more people will be unemployed.

Let me let you in on one of Romney's candid moments in that infamous video tape in Boca. Romney said that "the ecomomy will improve if he gets in and does nothing at all." See, when in front of similarly wealthy people as himself, he is open and relaxed and the truth comes out. To even mention welfare as something that should be a consideration as one of the 47% is simply revealing that you are an imposter as a Democrat. We have had a reform bill under Clinton and a Republican Congress that addressed that and to give someone $200 or less a month to live upon is not too much to ask when people, probably like yourself, will deduct as much for a lunch so as to avoid paying taxes in your business. Sure it is lawful to do, but is it morally right for you to slam the misfortunate who are getting so little while you are getting so much? jjtss is probably a cover for you (beard) so as to not reveal either your business or name. You expect us to believe anything that you say here when you, yourself are shamed to put you name beside it? We don't and we see you for what you are.

Or look at what most people see as "2016" being a propaganda piece by a writer who has tried this in print but now is putting it out there as a movie. A lot of exaggerations boardering on lies and a few blatant lies thrown in there. Anyone basing their view of Obama solely on this movie needs to open their minds up a bit.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/movies/2016-obamas-america,1230760/critic-review.html

Anyone who thinks Obama has a binder of qualified Muslims needs to look at where this particular piece of information comes from. Pure paranoia from some small minded people who are open to all hate speech from organizations or bloggers with questionable reasons to hate Obama. It's up to you to decide what these reasons are.

JS-Anyone who thinks Obama has a binder of qualified Muslims needs to look at where this particular piece of information comes from.
Do you mean the Chicago Tribune?
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2009-03-29/news/0903280381_1_muslim-americans-american-islamic-relations-white-house

You know what you need to fear....when an election is controlled legally...Voter ID. Remember hanging chads? When rights are taken away legally. Who is really running this country.....Koch Brothers? Corporations? I find a great deal of concern when ethics are flushed. We had Bush's election won on hanging chads. When he could not get someone to support is going to war with Iraq that persons wife who was undercover CIA was exposed...she could have been killed. Now we have voter ID. Rominey was in PA before the court made the decision boasting he was going to take Pennsylvania. A GOP senator in Harrisburg was heard saying the voter ID would put PA Republican. These are the things you need to worry about. We have a Senate, Congress and Supreme Court that gives the balance of power. This notion that Obama is going to make this country socialist is dumb. With the current Republican congress he could not even get a Republican bill through because the "ethical" congress would vote for nothing. It is amazing what people want to believe.

The guy who did that move was just fired from his main job yesterday. His hypothesis is crap. Obama has saved this country from depression. There ate only 3 western countries in the world not in recession:USA, Canada, and Germany(and Canada because of us) Wake up-Romney is bad news-the top 1 percent already have more wealth than is healthy for a well functioning economy. People like Romney have made it SO much worse.

thomas gavin - I don't mean to be rude, but you seem to have no idea at all what you are talking about! For starters, I live in Australia and can tell you that our country is in much better shape than the US has been over the last 4 years, with a much healthier economy. Obama has been like poison for your country. And you are so very, very mistaken and misled in your views about the wealthy. Countries like Greece are in severe economic difficulty precisely because their private sector is no longer fiscally strong enough to support the government sector. Please try to understand: it is the financial success of the wealthy that helps to support the needy in your country. It is also private enterprise that generates the jobs that the worker population require to support themselves. When government policy makes it too difficult for private enterprise to continue in business, the business leaders may as well pack up and go relax somewhere. Where does that leave you?? That's right! - with no job, dependent upon the quickly bankrupted government for relief that cannot continue long in such a climate of poverty. The world watches. Will the USA choose Romney and live again in freedom and with honor - or choose Obama and retreat ignominiously from the leadership you once held on the world stage... ?

Thank you SandeeM you are so correct other countries can see what is happening to America. I see it as the problem with America is not Obama he can be voted out it is the voters who are failing to see what he has done to America and still blindly vote for him.

Do you even know who produced that propagandist film Annie Hill? It is not much of a documentary when it was based on a book that was produced as a political cloaking device to fool the public. The mear basis of the title 2016 should put it into the fiction category alone. Mr D'Sousa has recently been shamed enough to put in his resignation at Kings College for having a relationship outside of his marriage. Yes, the head of the Kings College is an adulter and your author of the movie you site. I don't understant whey these people on the right who idealize Ronald Reagan forget the best thing he ever said (and has been part of my political reseaoning since) in dealing with the Soviets on the SALT talks (nuke treaty) "TRUST but VERIFY". Seems those on the right have never recall history, even of their idols and are hence able to be manipulated by the over abundance of right wing talk shows and stations. Just look at are area what influence FOX has through Rupert Murdock's media empire of television and radio stations.

Way to parrot the talking points Foxbot:)

Obama's foreign policy record is sterling. Match Benghazi against all the rest of it. Romney is dangerous because he doesn't have a clue, and he will be heavily influenced by the neocons. A true nightmare scenario for our country.

it is obama who is clueless in foreign policies. Let see where he gets without Hillary over the next 4 years. She is the one that has saved obummer butt with other countries as no other country likes obummer except for the muslim countries.

allisnotlost-Keep drinking that kool-aid.oooooohhhhh-the Kardashians are on-you better run ! TYPICAL MSNBC airhead.

Obama has a track record. He just does not want to run on it. His only accomplishment was forcing Obamacare on the public when at least 70 percent of us do not want it. Also, for all those partisan Democrats who charge that Romney is inexperienced, I say you do not know what you are talking about. Until now, it was widely accepted by both parties that anyone who held a governorship was qualified to run for president. We had Dukakis, Carter, and Clinton for the Dems. Never did a Democrat question their qualifications. Now, all of a sudden, Mitt is not qualified even though he too was a governor. Hypocrites.

Are you speaking of his track record of creating Romneycare or his state ranking 47th in job growth during his four years? Or maybe your talking about his support of a woman's right to choose during his years in the governors mansion?
Or maybe you're speaking of his success going offshore with many of his investments? We really don't know what he's worth right. He could be a billionaire, how would we know?
His track record certainly proves that he has held both sides of any position you can name. He has no problem lying to us about just about anything. He's proven that over and over. Ask Newt. He called him an liar outright.
They guy governed a state for four years, and he's currently polling behind the President by 20%. That certainly proves something to me!

What kind of proven track record does Wimpy Willard have? I personally think Mitt the Nit Wit will make George W. Bush look like a genius!

re 47th ranking as governor, that was the average of all four years in office. He took the state from 51 his first year MA ranked, then his last year of governance MA ranked 29th. Look at the momentum. Check FACT Check.org

Wishy Washy Willard Mitt the Nit Wit Romney has a track record at what? Lying?

Amos - what proven track record????? Massachuettes. He did not run for the second time because he would have lost!!!! Look at his record in Massachuettes and that is what you can expect as president.

bd-you tell 'em !

Romney's record on bills during his four years in office has revealed that he used the veto pen over 800 times and was over-ridden by the Democratic legislatures over 750 times. So for whatever reason he is bragging about his former job, it was the workers who produced it not the governor. I will give him credit as he did work with the Dems on health care reform as he has his sights on a higher office and he decided to work with Teddy Kennedy (to whom he lost his senatoral bid) to get it done. But Romney could not own up to his own good deeds as the right wing people in power of the Republican Party would not permit to as his stance must be to be against Romneycare, talkiing about throwing out the baby with the bath water.

See previous statement on gas prices and your lack of information on said subject. Get your name beside this statements or are you still ashamed?

B.Z. What is this obsession with getting people's names ? OHHH, that's right, -creeper.

the comments aren't any different on the left

Duke - I've always found it interesting that Presidents are often not properly appreciated in their own time. Everything I have read suggests the Abraham Lincoln was very much under-appreciated while he was alive. Reagan was another like this. Obama on the other hand - you and I are in disagreement here - I believe will come to be viewed in the years ahead as one of the worst-performing of all the American presidents. I could be wrong but that is how I see it, based on his somewhat dreadful performance in most areas over these last four years.

comp- 'they' you speak of are the nasty Dems who put the state in 47th place. Romney tore them a new one and got the state into the top ten. Mass.was, and STILL is, heavily Left- THAT's why they wanted him out. Don't let blind loyalty to this Marxist blind you.

yankee/B.O. parrot=Let me guess-you think MSNBC is God's word- I rest my case.

Keep believing those Leftist talking points, Polly Parrot.

Previous Republican administration - War in Iraq for no good reason, 4000 soldiers die and many more maimed; rich got richer and poor got poorer; almost went into complete depression; spent money that Clinton left and then went into debt; barrowed from China. Rominey has no plan or has changed his plan, it really depends on what the people want to here. Tell what you want to hear and he will say it for you. Look, listen, he has changed his position so manytimes I don't think he can remember. He was governor of Massachuetts and that state was #47 in jobs. What is he going to do different or do we need to wait until he is elected so he can discuss it with congress!

No, jjtss, I'm actually in the 1% and I can tell the difference between the facts and crap that Fox News or a serial liar will say to get elected. But you keep drinking the kool-aid and cast your vote for the GOP, which is a vote against your own interests. Duh-OH!!

Manup or woman up depending upon your sexual persuation. Put a name beside your comments,,,are you afraid?

Michele - They are providing the funding for legal mammograms for women. I am glad I live free to make my choices. Do I believe in abortion.....definitely not. I would never have an abortion however that is me. I have no right to impose my beliefs on anyone. I can tell them how I feel but everyone has freedom of choice. Maybe if we expelled as much energy on contraception and abortion on responsible sexual behavior for both men and women we would not be having this conversation.

There are illegal mamograms for women? Are you saying if the fed gov doesn't fund Planned Parenthood women won't be able to get momograms? I don't have a problem with the fed gov funding (or not funding) planned parenthood. What I do have a problem with is the scare tactics...if PP isn't funded women won't be able to get birth control or mamograms. It's just not true. Do they think women are truely that stupid?

I really would love to know where you get your economic information and what basis you used for your economic model of the future,, could you enlighten us? So far, housing starts are up while the economy in 2008 was down 57 percent so that is an improvement. The Stock Market his a low in 2008 at nearly 6,000 and it is over 13,000 today, an improvement, The price of gas at its high prior to the Bush depression was over $4, its is less today and is an improvement. We were losing jobs at 700k per month and today we are gaining jobs at over 100k per month which is an improvement, the manufacturing base is up over 30 percent since 2008 which is an improvement. Is there more room for improvement, yes there is. But to return to supply side economics of Herbert Hoover, Reagan, Bush Jr will create just another decline in our ecomomy. Those that fail to heed history are prone to repeat it.

Again, u have all this time to write ur statements without a name, why is that? You left a government job that built your business as the government had nothing to do with your aquired wealth (home and savings). The roads that you travel upon, the police protection that you enjoy, the infrastructure that brought in the sidewalks, gaslines, waterlines, sewage were all built by you. Geez, I wish I knew your name so I could thank you for building it all for us. LOL

jjtss- be careful about people wanting your name- they're usually creepers

jjtss - You are joking, right. The most successful state. As the people in Mass. and I don't think a whole lot of them will agree.

Joan- The Dems put Mass in 47th place- Romney got them into the top ten .Because Kennedy's buds did'nt like being shown for the worthless bums they were, they pushed him out. Get your facts straight and stop parroting MSNBC.

jtss - Good show. You are absolutely correct. I liked the signs at Tea Party Rallies. No government in my life.....don't touch my medicare and social security. The basic Republican belief is there should be no government programs, not social security; not medicare or pensions, nothing. They get to the working class by highlighting the people who abuse the system. The town meetings for Obamacare were so full of lies to scare people. Death panels, end every other possible scare. Again I must remind everyone that Bush tax cuts are still in play and that under those cuts we lost 4 million jobs and the job gain has been slow. However, this recession has been like no other. You cannot look to the recession under Reagan, it was not as devastating. Gains have been made but slow. Under Clinton taxes were higher but the unemployment rate was much lower.

Read your history....they fought FDR over Social Security and they were against Medicare. They do not believe in welfare and will always tell te working class how people get free government help while they work. They have brought up the food stamp situation over and over. There have been congressmen who have stated that SS and Medicare need to be cut. They (meaning your party leaders) have never believed in these programs.

Ernie- like most of the Left on this site, they have their OWN version of history and it has NOTHING to do with reality.

I agree-some people don't believe the truth. THEY are the ones who deserve Obama, not the rest of us.

PP does not perform mamograms Joan. They provide referals to their patients for them. I don't have a problem with PP. Just don't go there expecting a mamogram. Also, PP gets most of it's funding from private organizations not the federal government. It would survive if the funding was cut. About $70 million of their annual $1 billion dollar budget comes from federal grants. I'm not against federal funding, but the tests Obama said they do, they actually don't, and most of their money doesn't come from the federal government anyway. They would survive.

Mammorgrams After application is received, you will contacted, and we will assist in setting up appointment with a local medical provider for your FREE screening. Here's list of services* provided by PP affiliate health centers:
38% - Testing of and treatment for STDs/STIs
•STI tests for women and men -3,552,955
•Genital warts (HPV) treatments - 51, 197
•HIV tests for women and men - 574,901
33.5% - Contraception (including reversible and permanent)
: •Reversible contraception for women** - 2,219,726
•Emergency contraception kits - 1,461,816
•Vasectomy patients - 3, 290
•Female sterilization procedures - 605
14.5% - Cancer screening and prevention
•Pap tests -769,769
•Breast Exams and Breast Care - 747,607
•Colposcopy procedures (for diagnosis of abnormal growth cells in the cervix) - 41,549
•LOOP/LEEP procedures (treatment for abnormal growths) - 2,432
•Cryotherapy procedures (treatment for abnormal growths - 1,254
10.4% - Other women's health services
•Pregnancy tests -1,113,460
•Prenatal services - 31,098
3% - Abortion services
0.6% - Other health services
•Family practice services for women and men - 35, 062
•Adoption referrals to other agencies - 841
•Other procedures for women and men (which include WIC services -- a federally funded nutrition program for low-income women, infants, and children up to the age of five -- as well as pediatric care and immunizations) - 32,229

I know they do not do the tests unless there are licensed providers who can do some of the tests. Abortions, mamograms, etc need to be provided by licensed providers. However who pays for it. If a person without insurance comes to Planned Parenthood who pays for these services????

Joan, Pp doesn't pay for the mamograms that they provide referals on. They provide their clients with names of other organizations that can provide grant money for the mamogram. They may also help the client hook-up with the other organization for the funding. But, PP doesn't provide the funding for a patient to go to another facility for the mamogram. In some areas, PP will pay for a mobile unit to go to neighborhoods and perform mamograms. But this is done on a limiited basis and funded by the local PP. The funding most likely comes from a local or state grant. They do receive state grants as well.

(^_^) Yes !

You're so used to the arrogant, pompous preening braggart YOU call a President, it's blinded you to how real people are. I, I closed Gitmo,- I, I created 600 billion jobs[ his figures change speech by speech ] - I, I killed Bin Laden [ no, idiot, Special Forces killed Bin Laden]-I, I will lower the level of the oceans- I,I,I,I,I-----My GOD.