Members of the allegedly Republican majority in the Senate have now introduced their plan for tackling the high gas prices that loom over the coming summer vacation season, and, well, we rather wish they hadn’t. There are some things to cheer in the proposal, to be sure. For example, they have included opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil exploration in their bill. If – if – that provision makes it through, the Gas Price Relief and Rebate Act of 2006 might almost be worthwhile. But only “almost.”

ANWR drilling, although a vital component of a real energy policy for the long term, isn’t going to do anything for motorists this summer. In respect of the immediate crunch, Republicans would offer taxpayers a $100 rebate check, which might just pay for one tank of gas for a sport-utility vehicle. The bill would then ensure that each subsequent fill-up remains expensive by rolling back tax cuts for oil companies. Funny, we thought it was the Democrats who had trouble understanding that when you tax something, it generally becomes more expensive.

Instead, Republicans introduced legislation rescinding $2 billion in tax breaks and royalty reductions that reward oil companies for exploration. The theoretically Republican chairman of the finance committee, Senator Grassley, requested tax records from big oil companies in preparation for an inquisition. The House and Senate appeared close to another deal that would effectively impose an additional $4.3 billion in windfall profits taxes on oil companies over the next five years.

Amid all the flailing on Capitol Hill only the Democrats, surprisingly enough, seemed to be anywhere close to a good idea with one proposal some of them bandied about to suspend for two months the 18.4 cents a gallon federal excise on each gallon of unleaded. Yet even that stumble into common sense was marred by the fact that they would pay for it not by revisiting last summer’s pork-laden highway bill but by increasing taxes on oil companies. Thus in the end they fall victim to the same sickness as the Republicans do in their proposal, by paying for a tax cut on consumers with a tax increase on oil companies. Is there something in the water in Washington that makes them think those tax increases won’t be passed on to motorists?

None of this Congressional action is going to do anything to reduce gas prices in the short term, and most of these proposals would make the problem even worse in the long term. But Americans do get at least one thing out of this display – a reminder of how we got into this mess in the first place. All we’re seeing, after all, is a hyperactive display of the same kind of machinations, ignorant of economics, contemptuous of markets, and immune to common sense, that have slowly and quietly dug us into this hole over the years. It was probably too much to expect that Congress would be able to get us out of it. Now we can only hope that, in trying, the solons won’t make things even worse.