Joe Barton is turning out to be Big Oil's best friend.
Check out this interview of Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) -- he of apologizing to BP fame -- by ABC on Wednesday. Pressed repeatedly by Jon Karl to stake out a position on tax credits enjoyed by offshore oil companies, Barton argued that the subsidies represent equal treatment, and are required to keep the companies like Exxon-Mobil from going out of business.
"Over time if you put so many disincentives against any U.S. manufacturing or production company, or oil and gas exploration company, they'll go out of business," Barton said.
What about all of the families who will "go out of business" when they can't afford healthcare? Or when corporations send their jobs overseas? Not a priority for the deficit hawks. They'd rather continue to spread the wealth around -- redistribute it -- to oil companies that, despite Barton's warning, are massively profitable. Make no mistake: Republicans are just as socialist as the rest of us. They just want to spread the wealth to people who don't need it.