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The Republicans have their offshore drilling. Democrats have their push to open the spigots at the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

Both are intending to increase the supply of gasoline, and to bring down gas prices. Both are missing the point.

A low supply of gasoline isn’t the main problem. Excessive consumption of gasoline is.

Think about it: When was the last time you went to a gasoline station, and weren’t able to get any gasoline? It doesn’t happen. There’s plenty of gasoline for reasonable uses. The real problem is that Americans have become addicted to using gasoline to satisfy every whim.

I’m sitting by the side of a lake right now, and watching people ride their gasoline-powered jet skis back and forth, going in great big circles, not because they’re trying to get anywhere, but just for the thrill of going vroom. These jet skis get less than five miles per gallon of gasoline.

The Democrats won’t offer a bill banning recreational use of jet skis, though. That would be too unpopular.

So, the Democrats are responding to the crisis of over-consumption of gasoline by encouraging it. They say that if we just open up the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and let the oil flow from there, everything will be fine.

Michael Arcuri from Upstate New York took to the floor of the House of Representatives and supported legislation to make it happen, saying: “Deploying some oil from the Reserve would increase the supply of oil and help bring down the cost of gasoline. With so many Americans struggling in today’s economy, it’s time President Bush stands up for consumers and taps into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.”

Standing up for consumers? No, no. Opening up the Strategic Petroleum Reserve is standing up for consumption, and right now, that’s the last thing we need.

The legislation, offered by Democrats Nick Lampson and Ed Markey, is H.R. 6578, the Consumer Energy Supply Act of 2008. The law would result in the release of up to 10 percent of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which then would be burnt up by Americans, and then would have to be replaced, thus bringing the supply problem right back to where it was in the first place.

So, as a result of this legislation, we’d have a temporary small reduction in the price of fossil fuels, followed by a later increase. We’d have greater pollution, and an acceleration of global warming, and the same old wasteful habits that got us into this predicament in the first place.

I don’t care whether gasoline policy pandering comes from Republicans or Democrats. It burns me up, just the same - hotter than a $4.50 gallon of gas.