Posted on 06/08/2008 10:15:16 AM PDT by TennTuxedo
Saturday, June 07, 2008 Who in the hell is behind $5 gas?
For several decades, the Democratic Party has pursued policies designed to drive up the cost of petroleum, and therefore gas at the pump. Remarkably, the Democrats don't seem to have taken much of a political hit from the current spike in gas prices. Probably that's because most people don't realize how different the two parties' energy policies have been.
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You want the RNC to expose their truly treasured GOP members who voted right along with the Democrats the way the Envirowhackos wanted for the 6 yrs. when the Republicans controlled both Houses of Congress and the WH? Sorry, but the RINOs sold out along with the Democrats and in case you haven't noticed all RNC $ goes to support them.
Once they get past this election and GOP numbers are even punier than after '06, they'll start party switching just like the Democrats did after '94.
I think we would have 50 coal to liquid plants by now if we had begun to build them 30 years ago. Dept of Energy has had $5 billion a year to do something along those lines and it should be done no problem.
That’s right. They are all wrong.
Sure, the Dims are largely culpable by stifling drilling, refinement, and nuclear. But the GOP has its share of sins, too.
Until we realize this and fix those, we will lose to the Dims.
We need to relabel ourselves as the FULL package for energy independence:
* Hearken back to the personal courage we all had in WWII, and embrace conserving energy. What exactly is the rationale for letting the liberals own this? A major mistake from Bush and Cheney is the failure to call for national will and sacrifice in the wake of 9/11. What’s more conservative than the “waste not want not” of our Dads and Grandads, “is this trip necessary”. Less demand equals more supply.
* Incentivize energy innovation, from the new, safe nuclear plants, to the great new car technologies, to alternative fuels and sources. Enlist Dean Kamen to head up an energy innovation task force to jump-start the process.
* Use the global warming hysteria to beat back the envirowhackos on land-use for geo-thermal and hydro power. The concerns of the purple-spotted stink beetle are pretty trivial in comparison to The Fate of The Planet[tm]. If we played this one smart, we could start to dismantle a huge part of needlessly restrictive land-use laws.
* A concept: The New Victory Gardens. Solar panel and wind aerial tax credits for each home where it is viable to do so. Popularizing and removing ridiculous restrictions on fryer grease re-use for vehicles kit-built to take it (did you know that do to idiotic laws restaurants CANNOT give away the grease to those who want it for fuel but must instead throw it away).
* On top of this, our core issues: increased drilling, refinement. With all of the other initiatives in tow, the Dims will be exposed as the party of energy slavery, and we will be the solution.
What do you think?
YES! We're going to see formerly middle class people living on fixed incomes choosing between heating and eating, but nobody will even notice because they are the WRONG kind of voters and therefore, expendable.
That is correct. Same here in Alaska. Most everybody is on oil heat.
I think you may be right. Unfortunately.
That dovetails with something a colleague of mine told me, a geologist who worked in Montana on synfuels back in the late 1970s. He says they reached a point by 1980 when they knew they could make the US energy independent by 2000. He was one of the last guys there when the energy industry crashed and they shut the program down.
Does it make you feel better that in 2006 or thereabouts, the coal liquification grant from DOE that ran for 30 yrs. in Greene Co., PA, was ended and a new grant (for the next 30?) given to some coal co. in KY?
Plenty of blame to go around. Democrats by deed, Republicans by lack of conviction and cojones when they were in power.
Rhetorical thoughts for discussion however:
Should not the free marketeers amongst us be cheering for $5.00 a gallon gasoline and higher?
Will not the invisible hand of supply and demand force America to be weaned from petroleum energy dependence?
Would this not make America more secure and open economic growth in alternate energy resources and technology?
The transistion would be painful for all and cruel to many, but is our current energy price crisis a blessing in disguise?
Your opinions and flames are welcome!
Could have been. But, can still be done, and we are going to have the 25 years of pain no matter what. It would not have been so painful if it had been done when it could have been done. Painless, actually.
Exactly right. The GOP energy policy remains what it always was: "CHEAP OIL." That isn't working out so good, but that is where we are.
DoE has been into pilot plants but they could have actually built some functional production plants. However, they were redirected by our favorite politicians in Congress and in the White House.
All those yearsand all those politicians, which includes the good, the bad, and the ugly.
I thought it took 60 votes to filibuster. How are the dems doing that without help?
BTW, you should have (I'm not surprised you didn't) noticed that I referenced to when the GOP was in power. The predictions for the coming energy squeeze were abundant six years ago. How did the dems stop them then?
To the best of my knowledge the DOE grant in Greene Co. never produced anything except for a 30 yr. stream of revenue for a major coal co.
Well, Bush put forward a program to expand nuclear energy, but OMB wouldn't endorse the funding for it. Wait. OMB serves at the pleasure of the president. Who's in charge again.
“GOP bad, Democrats good”
Seem Conservative are not going to be happy until they whine themselves into a 60 seat Democrat Senate.
Coal to liquid plants are amazing things. It’s like an oil refinery on steroids. Lots of steel. Pipes everywhere. A thing of beauty.
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