WASHINGTON/ Conservative Monitor -- Analyzing the looming energy crisis House Majority Leader, Dick Armey said, "The Clinton administration gave us an incoherent national energy policy. As former Energy Secretary Bill Richardson admitted, 'We were asleep at the wheel.' And now we're paying the price."

The House Majority Leader went on to say, "Small businesses are often the first and the hardest hit by rising energy prices. Take the self-employed truck driver. As gas prices go up, his costs go up and his livelihood is threatened. A small, high-tech firm's productivity is diminished when electricity bills eat up the money that could be used for expansion...Small businesses need solutions, not politics."

"This crisis is the result of both neglect (by the government) and a desire to restrict supply and drive up prices," Representative Armey pointed out. "In response, Democrats want to create laws to force people to change their lifestyles by curtailing energy use...They want to force you out of your SUV, to turn off your air conditioning, and ration your energy use. This is no substitute for a coherent energy strategy...They are stuck in the past and blame you for the problem. They're for rationing energy and more government control."

Mr. Armey summed up his comments, stating, "The Bush-Cheney administration is working hard to fix this problem with a balanced, national energy policy that strengthens our economy, supports small business, and protects the environment. I support their efforts to fix the problem and maintain the quality of life for all Americans."