Posted on 07/24/2008 3:48:43 PM PDT by kellynla
Liberals have done a U-turn on conservative billionaire oilman T. Boone Pickens.
Formerly reviled for funding the "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" campaign against Sen. John Kerry, he's now adored by the Left — unfortunately, for trying to gaslight the rest of us on energy policy.
This column recently spotlighted Pickens' proposed plan to get America off foreign oil by substituting wind-generated electricity for natural gas-generated electricity and then using the natural gas to replace gasoline.
Already having addressed the proposal's flaws — and Pickens' plan to profit at taxpayer expense from it — let's consider how Pickens' marketing shades the truth.
On his Web site and in TV commercials, Pickens tries to frighten Americans about being "addicted to foreign oil."
"In 1970, we imported 24 percent of our oil. Today, it's nearly 70 percent and growing," he intones.
Aside from the fact that the Department of Energy (DOE) puts the import figure at a more moderate 58 percent, Pickens gives the impression that imported oil is scary because it all comes from the unstable Mideast.
His TV commercials feature images of American soldiers fighting in Iraq and he likens the annual $700 billion cost of foreign oil to "four times the annual cost of the Iraq war."
But hold the phone. Only 16 percent of our imported oil comes from the Persian Gulf — barely up from 13.6 percent in 1973, according to the DOE. Imports from OPEC countries are actually down — from 47.8 percent in 1973 to 44.5 percent in 2007.
Contrary to Pickens' assertion that oil imports are growing, the DOE expects oil imports to decrease by 10 percent by 2030.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
I TRUST a SUCCESSFUL businessman like T Boone more than Barry who has NEVER made an HONEST dollar in business in his life. And I trust T Boone more than Juan who showed Kerry that it was politically wise to dump your first wife for a BEER BARONESS, and Kerry followed suit and married a PICKLE PRINCESS.
Pickens is absolutely correct that we are paying for the WOT on BOTH ENDS by buying oil from OPEC.
But windmills are NOT THE ANSWER!
It would cost BILLIONS to build the transmission lines for his windmills that “might” contribute to less than 2 percent of our energy needs.
We have enough coal, natural gas and crude oil to supply America’s energy needs for HUNDREDS OF YEARS! And that’s without building one more nuclear power plant!
My numbers only, its removed on average being conservative $.75 per gallon from our economy. I know there are people who ride around and can afford it, and they just don’t care. Well its not that way for everyone. There are good hard working American people that are caught in a bind because of fuel prices. And now they want to spend money to pay for bad mortgages that will be sold as soon as someone can turn a buck. At least power lines will make jobs and be around for a while. Pipelines charge for using there pipelines, charge for using the power lines to get the money back.
How much of that was Federal tax dollars?
“whine?”
so anyone who has a different opinion to yours is a “whiner?”
you can take that BS over to the DU;
‘cause that “dog won’t hunt” on my threads.
“Oil is dead?”
says who? you?
“Just ask the Democrats?”
“Democrats” don’t run this country, genius...and “Democrats” can be replaced as they have been in the past.
“You think Oil just pops up where you set a rig down?”
no, do you?
gezzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...
But he is chairman of the hedge fund BP Capital Management.
yitbos
Your threads?
Is #3 supposed to be coal to diesel?
“Your threads?”
that’s right, Windy...
if you check out this thread, you’ll see I posted it!
spend a little more time on reading comprehension and less time pushing windmills and you might learn something!
A person his age and financial stature does not spend millions on national advertising just to be a prophet of alternative energy for the good of humanity.........
Whiner.
punk
thx
Without knowing too many specifics about his plan, I agree, if his strategy is to use the spectrum of energy resources, i.e. renewable, nuclear, fossilized, that are available within the geoconstitutional boundary of the US to become nationally energy independent. For very fundamental reasons energy is the economy. Human capital could be, as in places like Japan, China, India, but who wants to compete, live, or have a society, like that?
The cynicism on this website is self defeating, for the conservative cause, for the long term prosperity of THIS nation (not the world).
If it weren’t for oil this country wouldn’t be the richest nation on earth. Tell me how oil has made Americans poorer when the oil companies make .08 cents per gal. on gasoline and the government makes .14+ cents per gal.?
Pickens' résumé as a corporate raider is a lot longer than as an "Oilman." I don't know about you, but when a corporate raider spends millions on a propaganda campaign saying he is out to save the planet, while asking the feds for tax subsidies and federal mandates, I grab for my wallet.
Who will be the next savior, Carl Icahn?
As I’ve said before, with all the oil, natural gas, coal and nuclear power that we can produce in America for hundreds of years; we don’t need Picken’s windmills & Gore’s carbon offsets.
He's 80+ yrs old. I met the man some 15 yrs ago... & I assure you he's an honorable & extremely intelligent man.
He doesn't need the money, he knows he can't take it to the grave.
I honestly believe he's trying to do the right thing for the country's future.
I'd question the efficacy of 'Wind Power', not the Man.
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