Read Rep. Cantor’s Op/Ed, ‘Taxing Issues,’ at National Review Online

“Republicans envision an America strengthened by a simpler and more pro-growth tax code. Workers must have the incentives to work, while entrepreneurs and small business owners need to see a benefit in taking risks. The best way to allay the fears of middle-class workers is to foster a climate in which quality jobs are readily created and retained.”

In a historic ruling today, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Washington, D.C.’s 32-year-old ban on hand guns. It affirmed that the Second Amendment protects an individual’s right to keep and bear arms in defense of themselves, their family and their home. The ruling today will cast fresh light on the constitutionality of several other bans on firearms around the country. We must remember the importance of appointing judges who respect our laws and interpret the Constitution as it was intended; our liberties and freedoms must never be compromised. This was a major victory for liberty.

To date, after weeks of $4 per gallon gas prices, the Democrat leaders in the House of Representatives still refuse to recognize the pain at the pump. As families across the country continue to strain over the sky-high price of gas, House Democrats seem powerless and unwilling to respond to the urgent call to “Drill here, Drill Now, Pay less!”

The time has come for the common sense solution to explore for energy in the deep waters off our coasts. Some have argued that drilling will take too long and that exploration won’t affect today’s price. Think of what similar action a decade ago would have done for the price today. Lifting the ban on energy exploration will send a clear signal to the markets, the Saudis’ and others that we are serious about deep sea exploration for American oil, which will help relieve the pain at the pump immediately. The United States is the only oil producing nation that limits a significant amount of its resources.

So it’s time for us to get serious about helping the middle class in this country and do something real about the pain at the pump. It’s time for us to see Washington working for the people again, and not the other way around.

On Sunday, Rep. Cantor was on CNN’s Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer. Watch it here.

BLITZER: Would you support offshore drilling off the coast of Virginia?

CANTOR: Absolutely. And our legislature has taken the stance to say that they support it as well. We are the one state on the East Coast who believes that we can do it in an environmentally sensitive way. In fact, I am an advocate of doing that and using some of those revenues to help support the clean up of the Chesapeake Bay.

Read Rep. Cantor’s Op/Ed on Energy Exploration in today’s Richmond Times-Dispatch

“Increased energy exploration can change that. Even if it doesn’t yield oil for years, the expectation and promise of a secure future supply will strongly impact the cost of oil today. In fact, the expectation of higher prices — reflected by steeper prices in the futures market for oil — has been a significant factor in pushing up the current cost of oil despite slackening demand from the developed world. Buyers want to make purchases before prices go up.”

Working Americans have every right to be outraged at the skyrocketing gas prices! Moms and dads, small businesses, and all hardworking Americans have even more gripe with Washington’s inaction in the face of what I consider a “hidden tax” on workers in our country. This week, John McCain introduced his proposal to end the federal moratorium on drilling in the outer continental shelf. This proposal does a number of things, but most importantly, if it were signed into law, it would signal to the world that we are serious about producing American energy. With that, upward pressure on prices in the spot markets and at the pump would likely diminish. In Virginia, deep water energy exploration would mean approximately $250 million/year for 40 years. This money could be used to help clean up the Chesapeake Bay, as well as provide dedicated revenues to research and develop alternative fuel sources to replace the fossil fuels that we are receiving from Middle Eastern countries and others who don’t always have America’s interest in mind. If a President McCain were sworn into office, deep water energy exploration would mean more jobs and more security for us all.