“New Tone” Jettisoned
Only seven and a half years late…
It’s a tough time for our economy. Across our country, many Americans are understandably anxious about issues affecting their pocketbook, from gas and food prices to mortgage and tuition bills. They’re looking to their elected leaders in Congress for action. Unfortunately, on many of these issues, all they’re getting is delay.
I’ve repeatedly submitted proposals to help address these problems. Yet time after time Congress chose to block them.
According to an Investor’s Business Daily editorial,
One of the main reasons for high gas prices is that global oil production is not keeping up with growing demand. Members of Congress have been vocal about foreign governments increasing their oil production; yet Congress has been just as vocal in opposition to efforts to expand our production here at home.
They repeatedly blocked environmentally safe exploration in ANWR (the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge). The Department of Energy estimates that ANWR could allow America to produce about a million additional barrels of oil every day, which translates to about 27 millions of gallons of gasoline and diesel every day.
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Yet, this is a litmus-test issue for many in Congress. Somehow if you mention ANWR, it means you don’t care about the environment. I’m hoping that when people say “ANWR,” it means you don’t care about the gasoline prices that people are paying.
Wouldn’t it have been nice if the president showed this kind of passion prior to the 2006 elections?
April 30th, 2008 at 11:52 am
Wind power, solar, tidal, ocean waves, biofuels (including ethanol) are all wonderful ideas with tremendous support by that segment of my generation that supported all sorts of similar ideas back in the good old 60s and early 70s. They lived in communes, raised their own crops and were convinced they had a utopian existence.
Yep, I’m describing the Hippies. They eventually realized they were slowly going to starve and slowly drifted back into society, getting jobs, houses, mini vans, etc. Quite a few ended up in politics and supporters of these same causes which they are trying to thrust down everyone’s throats.
Forget about all the “new energy” solutions. If they are viable, a free economy will provide all of this energy we care to consume. Government dictates will not result in revolutionary technological breakthroughs which are needed to justify their continued development.
In the mean time we need nuclear, coal, nat gas and domestic oil production, in that order. If we have the lowest cost power grid in the world we will also have the lowest-cost manufacturing environment in the world.
Global warming?
Embrace the naturally occurring warming period we are now experiencing! It will continue to produce many benefits to the peoples of the world, including lots of food, presuming we stop burning the food for fuel.
Fear the next ice age! It could be upon us soon.
May 1st, 2008 at 8:05 am
It’s time to let the people of this nation know the real reason we’re not in ANWR, who’s votes are keeping us out, and why? Get tough, Mr. President. You don’t have to worry about getting re-elected.
May 7th, 2008 at 8:31 pm
One word: Bakken.
Northern 48, 100x as big as ANWR.