It appears, looking at the likely effects of the upcoming tax increases on the American Oil and Gas Industry, that I'm an evil greedy big oil company. I'm an independent contractor in the oil and gas business. That means I own an oil and gas company but the problem is that my company employs one person, me. The proposed tax increases on the industry that pays my rent will affect me long before it affects Exxon.

As a matter of fact, according to the IPAA (the Independent Petroleum Association of America) independent producers develop ninety percent of domestic oil and gas wells; produce 82 percent of U. S. natural gas and 68 percent of U. S. Oil. The IPAA also shows that there are 5,000 independent oil and gas producers in the U. S., employing on average 12 employees.

The label given to oil and gas companies of "Big Oil" is nothing more than a stereotype created for political expediency. These independent producers have absolutely nothing to do with the price of energy. These people are the risk takers that help drive the American economy. So why are they in the crosshairs of the Obama Administration's punitive tax measures?

The proposed tax hikes have no effect on imported energy. It will not cost Saudi Arabia one more penny to produce oil or gas than it did under the Bush Administration. The difference will be that U. S. producers will not be able to produce or explore at the levels previously seen. That extra capacity will be shifted from here at home to our enemies overseas. The tax hikes will do nothing to reduce consumption here at home.

The only viable answer to the question of why taxes are being increased on the small companies that drive the American oil and gas industry is payment to the environmental lobby that helped put that administration in power. Of the top fifteen oil producing nations on the planet, the U. S. has the most restrictive environmental laws by far. I guess it all goes back to that 'not in my backyard' mentality. Ted Kennedy would be proud. Do you think that since we aren't drilling here Hugo Chavez will cut back?

It's time for our leaders to start legislating based on the realities of the industry instead of political expediency. In this most important issue facing the American People, it's time for us to do our research on the issues and cast our votes based on that research.