The retail price of gasoline in small town west central Missouri at noon on May 27, 2012. Still, it’s less expensive than beer.

Representative Vicky Hartzler (r) sent out a Memorial Day weekend e-mail to some constituents:

From: Representative Vicky Hartzler [….]

Date: Sun, May 27, 2012 at 7:00 AM

Subject: View From the Capitol – Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler’s Newsletter for the Week of May 21-25, 2012

To: [xxxxxxxxxx]

[….]

With the Memorial Day weekend comes the traditional start of the summer travel season. And the fact is gas prices are too high for many Missourians who cannot afford to take the family on vacation. It is time for the elected representatives of the people to take definitive actions to help seriously lower pump prices to allow Americans to spend more of their hard-earned money on paying the mortgage, putting food on the table, and – yes – enjoying that road trip with the family.

Gas prices are impacting the family budget. They have doubled since President Obama moved into the White House. Most economists agree that the price we pay at the pump is tied directly to supply and demand, meaning greater supply of gasoline would bring about much lower prices. Yet, President Obama has consistently stood in the way of efforts to increase supply. He has discouraged the use of American energy, put a moratorium on off-shore drilling, and delayed the issuing of drilling permits. His rejection of the Keystone pipeline project that would bring much-needed oil from Canada is the latest in a series of poor decisions to appease environmental extremists while increasing our dependency on Middle Eastern oil.

[….]

Americans are fed up with high gas prices. Common sense approaches from the House will develop more energy from all of our available resources and reduce energy prices. It is time America used the natural resources with which we have been blessed and stopped relying heavily on foreign dictatorships for our energy needs. Without this action, prices will most assuredly stay high. By embracing a proactive energy policy we could not only become energy independent as a nation, but also create jobs and preserve a cherished American tradition – the family vacation.

It is truly an honor to represent you in Congress.

Have a great week.

Vicky Hartzler

Member of Congress

Interesting. Let’s look at the current information on gas prices from the United States Energy Information Administration:

Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update

Gasoline Release Date: May 21, 2012

U.S. Regular Gasoline Prices*  (dollars per gallon)

Midwest (PADD2) 3.721 (05/07/12) 3.641 (05/14/12) 3.626 (05/21/12) values are down – 0.015 (week ago) values are down – 0.191 (year ago)

Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t the gas prices in the photo over forty cents a gallon less than the Midwest price from almost a week ago? Could that mean that gas prices are going down? Does President Obama get credit for that, too? Just asking.

From March 2012:

Oil war: the ad battle between ‘Big Oil’ and DNC, Part 1

Posted by Josh Hicks at 01:39 PM ET, 03/30/2012

….The Post created a graphic a while back to show how perception about gas prices doesn’t quite match the reality. Despite the way prices look, they are roughly average after adjusting for inflation. A rate of $1.38 per gallon in 1981 sounds amazing until it’s converted to $3.35 in today’s dollars – better than the current price, but still much higher than when Obama took office.

Inflation-adjusted gas prices have indeed doubled during Obama’s time in the White House, but they were unusually low when he took office because of the massive economic downturn. Rates have gradually increased back to normal levels as the economy has improved. As we said in a previous column, it’s doubtful that anyone wants to return to those conditions for the sake of cheap gas….

Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t $3.20 less than $3.35? Just asking.

Previously:

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (r): we don’t need no stinkin’ objective reality (January 21, 2012)

Teresa Hensley (D): Vicky Hartzler <3 Big Oil (April 13, 2012)