Everyone is talking energy
June 20, 2008
There’s a saying, “Losers fix the blame, winners fix what caused the problem.” That would describe congress as LOSERS! Today’s Glenn Beck newsletter contained several links to stories about the oil crisis. The first was entitled Congress at Work and reads:
Oil prices are sky rocketing. Heated debates over drilling here at home are raging. The American people are ready to grab pitchforks and torches and head to Washington DC. So what are the geniuses in DC doing today to ease oil prices? Listening to the testimony of Scott McClellan. Gas prices are dropping everywhere now that Scott McClellan is talking about his Bush bashing book on Capital Hill!
Secretary The second article is an interview with our Secretary of the Interior, Dirk Kempthorne who recently put polar bears on the threatened species list, even though their numbers have increased from about 5,000 to 25,000, only because their “habitat” (ice) is shrinking. NOT because of any negative effects of oil exploration. He said:
…much of that is based on hunting has been restricted. In this ruling we found oil and gas activity has no effect on the polar bear and since 1972 we have been operating under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which is more stringent than the Endangered Species Act. So on this ruling I simply married the two together so that the activities of those that have been operating for 30-plus years under Marine Mammal Protection Act, they understand how it works and so it doesn’t change how they operate.
Secretary Kempthorne went on to say that just lifing the executive order that makes off shore drilling off-limits would not be enough. Congress has to get into the act. So who is holding up our drilling? Surely not the environmentalists. In fact, not one thing they are proposing will put one more drop of oil into the economy.
Sean Hannity’s guest host was talking about oil too. I believe the guest was from the Heritage Foundation (don’t quote us), but in essence, the discussion came around to ethanol and the SCAM that has been perpetrated on the US Citizens. We have been paying for (in the way of subsidies) turning food (corn and other grains) into ethanol as a substitute for gasoline. We’ve discussed this before, but several points we did not make are listed here:
- Whether you burn oil or ethanol, the output (thanks to catalytic converters) is carbon dioxide. How does that help decrease green house gas emissions?
- By plowing up pasture to plant grains for ethanol production, studies show there is a net increase in green house gas emissions.
If it were viable in the market place, it would not need to be subsidized. In fact, we would not be able to keep all the investment money out! There would be a boom. It has not happened because it is more expensive to produce than the money it earns in return from the market. It should be able to make a profit by now. It can not. Other than the government, how may businesses would survive operating at a loss for years at a time? Yet we continue to bail out the farmers who are producing corn and grains for ethanol… and the number is rising because everyone wants to get on the gravy train! We know this because there is an increase in the budget line item every year.
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