We'll Get Back to You on That

Trey Smith

Whether we're speaking of government or any large-scale organization, one of the worst "solutions" to a vexing and ongoing problem is the creation of a commission or committee to "look into the situation." More often than not, the committee is formed to whitewash the issue, get it out of the current discussion and/or to sidetrack those who want to pursue meaningful strategies to deal with it. This tack provides the leader or leadership group with the political cover to say the issue is important to them and they are taking steps to address it, while in reality, doing nothing of the kind!

I offer this preface in terms of an article posted on Common Dreams.

In April of 2011, with an attempt to address soaring gas prices and public concern, President Obama announced the creation of a special task force that would, according to the Justice Dept., "focus specifically on fraud in the energy markets." The Oil and Gas Price Fraud Working Group was formed and promises were made.

According to the DOJ's official announcement, the Task Force would "wage an aggressive, coordinated, and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes and other laws prohibiting financial fraud" and be empowered with an "array of criminal and civil enforcement resources."

Nearly a year later, however, almost nothing has been done. Once again, US consumers face runaway prices at the gas pump and both oil speculation and alleged price manipulation continue unabated.

According to reporting by McClatchy's Kevin G. Hall today, the task force "has met only four or five times since its creation last April 21, and most of those meetings came at the time of its inception."

It's fairly easy to figure out WHY the Obama administration wants this issue kept off the front pages. The main cause of the recent upsurge in gas prices is due to oil speculators. Obama is courting Wall Street to help fuel his reelection bid. By looking the other way, Obama is hoping that these speculators will make big contributions. If this "working group" was serious about their mission, they would make trouble for the oil speculators and this would cause said speculators to throw their lot behind the Republican nominee.

We can't have that, now can we?