WASHINGTON - House lawmakers opened the way for oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as one of their last acts of an all-night session Monday bringing their legislative year to a close.

WASHINGTON - By the barest margin, the Senate voted Wednesday in favor of opening Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, marking a turning point in a decadeslong fight between environmentalists and the petroleum industry.

Opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas exploration is one of Washington's longest-running political battles, going back at least to 1987.

“Have you see an episode of Leave it to Beaver lately? It finds its humor in kids lying to parents, being sassy mouthed, sneaking behind parents’ backs and trying not to get caught. It has strong racist and sexist vibes. It’s not violent, but it’s not the values I want for my family. Look it up on Netflix if you think I’m wrong. If you want good values, try Little House on the Prairie and Mr. Rogers.”

Like a huckster of patent medicine in 19th-century America, John McCain is trying to convince us that drilling, drilling and more drilling is the instant remedy for the pain Americans feel approaching a gas pump these days.

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John McCain’s choice for a running mate is a brilliant political move, although it raises new questions about just how much pandering will Arizona’s senior senator undertake in his bid for the White House.

The noisy fight over whether to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has always been something of a distraction in the quest for that elusive, perhaps mythical, goal of “energy independence.”

With the presidential election fast approaching, the economy remains one of the key issues that could be a decisive factor for many voters. President Barack Obama and GOP challenger Mitt Romney offer vastly different visions for turning around the economy and putting Americans back to work.

We encourage readers to submit letters to the editor on issues of interest to East Valley residents. Submissions should be no longer than 300 words, factually accurate and original thoughts of the writer. Please be brief and include name, address, city and phone number for verification. Letters and call-in comments may be edited for clarity and length.

PHOENIX -- State senators are poised Thursday to force Internet retail giant Amazon.com to start collecting -- and paying -- sales taxes on its purchases by Arizona residents.

Whatever the question is, Washington is not the answer, at least not for the rest of this year. The president is dispirited and the Congress is deadlocked. The daily political life of the capital seems more and more to be killing time until the fall election.

Just how fragile and interconnected the world’s oil markets are was glaringly evident when BP announced it would have to shut down production at its Prudhoe Bay field in Alaska, accounting for 8 percent of domestic U.S. production, to replace up to 16 miles of corroded pipeline.

We encourage readers to submit letters to the editor on issues of interest to East Valley residents. Submissions should be no longer than 300 words, factually accurate and original thoughts of the writer. Please be brief and include name, address, city and phone number for verification. Letters and call-in comments may be edited for clarity and length.

WASHINGTON - House Republican leaders scuttled a vote Thursday on a $51 billion budget-cut package in the face of a revolt by moderate lawmakers over cuts to Medicaid, food stamp and student loan programs.

Judging by all the outraged Vent callers and letter writers screaming about skyrocketing gasoline prices, Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard will have plenty of public support for his “Price Gouging Protection” legislation.

Standing at a gas station where regular unleaded was selling for $3.49 a gallon, Republican congressional candidate Dave Schweikert challenged opponent Rep. Harry Mitchell, D-Ariz., to help promote more domestic oil drilling.

To burst the oil bubble, use a drill! If Congress stands up to special interests and develops domestic energy sources, oil prices will tumble.

WASHINGTON - House Republicans on Thursday refused to support billions of dollars in new taxes on oil companies as lawmakers in both parties looked for ways to soothe election-year rage over high gasoline prices.

Congress considered billions of dollars in new taxes on oil companies Thursday, looking for ways to punish the cash-rich industry and soothe growing anger over high gasoline prices.

PHOENIX -- State senators are poised Thursday to force Internet retail giant Amazon.com to start collecting -- and paying -- sales taxes on its purchases by Arizona residents.

Rising global oil prices lead to significant and adverse economic consequences for the United States. Last week alone oil prices rose by almost four dollars a barrel. America continues to be dependent on the Middle East and unstable regimes for its oil supply, despite the fact that we have enormous, yet untapped reserves in our own country and neighboring countries in our hemisphere.

WASHINGTON - Senate Republicans are trying to determine how much of President Bush's proposed $726 billion economic package they can save after Democrats and GOP moderates said the tax cuts should be sliced in half.