June 3, 2007
Posted: 08:50 PM ET

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel does not sympathize with complaints about high gas prices and said as president, he would not to anything to reduce prices at the pump but instead would confront the issue of U.S. dependency on foreign oil.

Gravel said, "We Americans have to grow up. If we want to get off the dependency in the Middle East, we have to own up to the problem, these things cost money."

Gravel agreed with Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Connecticut, on implementing a carbon tax, which would make certain fuels more expensive.

Dodd called U.S. dependence on foreign oil as a source of energy a "major crisis" , and said, "Today we have the solar polar caps melting, we have greenhouse gases accumulating at record levels way beyond expectations. We really have the dual responsibility here of reducing the polluting effects of depending upon fossil fuels and also allowing us to develop the alternative technologies that would allow us to move beyond this issue."

– CNN Associate Producer Natalie Apsell

Filed under: Chris Dodd • Mike Gravel


Luke Miller Hammond, WI   June 3rd, 2007 9:07 pm ET

Grammer errors are annoying.

Eric, Plano, Texas   June 3rd, 2007 9:14 pm ET

Does anyone not remember the 20 billion in profit Exon has made in its past two fiscal quarters? The President should not be responsible for what the consumers agree to pay. If anything, we should be yelling at the gas companies, not the President.

tony rizo, rialto california   June 3rd, 2007 9:24 pm ET

when are the people we elect into office going to take the balme for making the United States dependent on oil. I am not in favor of higher gas prices; higher gas prices mean less for our family to spend on the things we need to survive. YOU our elected officials have done abosolutely nothing to help get us off oil. We can put a man on the moon, build a vehicle that runs on electricty (powered by the sun) that would run far quiter down the street so that we don't have to listen to traffic noises made by combustion type engines. What would you our potential democratic canidate's do to change this? And please do not say that the American people are addicted to oil as we are not! You our eleceted officials have seen to it that automotive makers should not be held accountable for making vehicles that get terrible gas mileage even back in the 1830 when cars.

Do something don't just talk about it!!!

tony rizo, rialto california   June 3rd, 2007 9:29 pm ET

Eric you say that Americans AGREE to pay the prices at the pump without realizing that the system we live in forces us to pay these prices! and the President has the power to do something about it. It has been demonstrated many times that we could go to a bio diesel fuel that would cost 1/3 of current gas prices getting the American people off of the hazards of oil. But our current leadership is only doing whats best for the people that helped put him into office.

I do not agree to pay the current gas prices but working 60 miles away forces me to pay those prices. Maybe if I lived say 10 - 12 miles I would ride a bike; I wonder how many of our canidates actually drive a Toyota Prious?

Rod King   June 3rd, 2007 9:29 pm ET

none of the candidates mentioned removing the 50 cents per gallon tax on imported Brazilian ethanol…a 100% import tax! Removing it would immediately decrease our oil imports, drive down oil prices a bit, and help our democratic South American neighbor.

Thomas Moran, Santa Cruz, CA   June 3rd, 2007 9:40 pm ET

Gasoline Tax! Go Gravel!

Cpl. Swift, NYC, N.Y.   June 3rd, 2007 10:03 pm ET

Oh No!!! He's never going to be elected now, he's to into that whole "truth thing". We Americans need to be lied to. Now I know why the moderators don't want to call on him.. they're afraid he might give a real answer and cause someone out in America to wake up an extra braincell.

Alex Luthor, Madison, WI   June 3rd, 2007 10:15 pm ET

We Americans are spoiled little brats. We can't have our cake and eat it, too!
I'm glad some people are telling it like it is. We need to grow up and look at reality, not 'American Idol'.

ACarter   June 4th, 2007 11:03 am ET

To Gravel's "grow up," I say to him, "Wise up!" The relationship between retail prices and the costs associated with production (of any fuel) is far too complex for such simplistic scolding. Questions about "foreign oil" also cannot be separated from foreign policy issues and issues of profiteering and overall energy policy. I like Gravel, but he needs to show us more than that he knows how to "spank" us with his "truth."

Anonymous   June 4th, 2007 4:56 pm ET

Was that a joke Luke Hammond?

"grammar"

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