THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Volume X, Issue # 170, July 13, 2008
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Government Committed to & Acting in Accord with Conservative Principles
Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity
ARE THESE PEOPLE STUPID, NUTS, OR BOTH?
By Alan Caruba
ENERGY PRICES & ENERGY POLICY IN THE U.S.A.: HOW DEMOCRATIC PARTY POLITICIANS ARE RESPONDING TO THE
PROBLEM OF ESCALATING FUEL PRICES -- OPPOSITION TO OIL EXPLORATION, DRILLING, & EXTRACTION OFF AMERICA'S
ATLANTIC & PACIFIC SHORES -- ADVOCACY OF "CONSERVATION" OF OUR OIL & NATURAL GAS RESERVES & GREATER
RELIANCE ON BIOFUELS, WIND-GENERATED ELECTRICITY, & OTHER "ALTERNATIVE" ENERGY SOURCES -- THE NEED FOR THE
VOTERS TO REMOVE FROM CONGRESS & THE STATE LEGISLATURES DEMOCRATIC PARTY POLITICIANS ALLIED WITH THE
ENVIRONMENTALIST MOVEMENT & SUPPORTING ITS RADICAL POLICY AGENDA
FULL STORY:
There are two states on opposite sides of the American nation, two states where, if something really stupid can be
proposed, they represent the most fertile ground. I speak, of course, of New Jersey and California.
I happen to know a lot more about New Jersey, since I was born and raised here, and, in my old age, am still residing in
the state, despite all the hype about retiring in Florida. I hold a degree from the University of Miami, Coral Gables, so I
have fulfilled my Florida quota, but if you want a front row seat to idiocy, there is no better place than my home state or
California.
In early July, some of the Democratic Party heavy hitters who run New Jersey joined U.S. Representative Frank Pallone,
Jr., in an event to lambaste the notion of actually permitting the exploration and extraction of oil way, way off the coast
of New Jersey. On the podium was Governor Jon Corzine and both of New Jersey’s U.S. Senators, Frank Lautenberg
and Robert Menendez. If mendacity has a particular odor to it, the stench of this event is probably still lingering over
Belmar.
“We are really talking about something that is irrelevant to the overall dependency on oil,” said Pallone. “What we need
to do is (to) be moving to alternative energies and most importantly (to) conservation.” Referring to the effort in Congress
to permit the use of our own national oil and natural gas resources from the continental shelf and elsewhere, Pallone said,
“I can’t think of an idea whose time is less appropriate than this one.”
Meanwhile, anyone filling up their automobile gas tank that day was paying out $4.00 per gallon for the privilege. In fact,
there was a rumor going around that quite a few Americans were upset over the failure of Congress to permit some — any
— degree of energy independence.
That might account for the historic single-digit disapproval rating for Congress that was announced shortly after Pallone
and his pals got through bloviating about the evils of oil.
How does one go about achieving “conservation” of oil if, at the same time, the entire nation depends on it to get
anywhere?
By conservation, one must assume that Pallone and the rest of the Democrats mean leaving it untapped and thus requiring
Americans to import it from other countries.
Pallone raised the tired bogyman of an offshore oil mishap that would harm the pristine beaches of New Jersey, but failed to
mention the many offshore oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico that withstood Hurricane Katrina without a single mishap. Indeed,
they fared much better than the City of New Orleans. Meanwhile, Senator Menendez raised the specter of California beaches
— he’s from Jersey City — allegedly destroyed by a spill long ago. I personally have been to the beach in Santa Monica
and all I saw was a lot of people enjoying it.
Senator Lautenberg, a man who, if reelected, will be 90 years old by the end of his next term, complained:
“A plan to drill here is no plan at all. It’s a handout, simply
a handout to the oil companies. It’s a terrible idea. And
drilling will do nothing to cut today’s gas prices.”
Apparently, like the entire Democratic Party, the Senator has never heard of the immutable law of supply and demand.
He’s also wrong about cutting today’s prices. If these morons had gathered to announce that leases had been granted to
explore and extract oil from offshore New Jersey, the price of oil in the world’s mercantile exchanges would definitely
respond. Every time a new reserve of oil is found, the price of this global commodity reflects the potential of a new
supply. The price per barrel drops.
The newspaper report of the event did not quote Governor Corzine, but he is so in the tank for “alternative” energy that
the prospect of offshore oil must keep the man up at night. Let’s assume he thinks the idea of oil rigs offshore (most
would be completely out of sight of land) is a very bad idea.
So, why is Governor Corzine a vocal proponent of vast fields of wind turbines whirling their blades around (but only
when the wind is blowing) in full sight of beachgoers? Corzine is positively crazed for wind farms, particularly if they are
located offshore.
One proposal in March of this year envisioned the construction of up to 118 wind turbines “rising hundreds of feet
above the water.” The project costs are estimated at more than $1 billion and, for the record, there are no offshore wind
farms operating in the United States. One such proposal that would have spoiled the view from the Kennedy compound
in Hyannisport, Massachusetts, was opposed by that famous family and a coalition of local residents.
So the Democratic Party political equation is: Oil rigs, bad; wind turbines, good. Only you can’t run your car on wind
power. In fact, wind and solar power combined provide less than 5% of all the electricity generated in America.
The issue facing Americans these days is oil, oil, oil. We would have lots of it, if Congress would just let the oil
companies explore and drill for it in desolate places like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) or difficult places
like the ocean deeps.
“Every time we try something to create energy independence,” said Pallone, “We are fought tooth and nail by these oil
guys.”
If you combined all the oil resources owned by the investor-owned oil companies, it would constitute about 4% of the
world’s known oil reserves. These are the same companies that pay billions in taxes to the federal and state governments
every year, and, so far as the Democrats are concerned, they are the problem.
The citizens of New Jersey actually have it in their power to replace Senator Lautenberg in the upcoming national
elections. Do you think they will do it? Do you think they are going to vote for Senator Obama for President? At least the
Governor of Florida, like John McCain, has decided offshore oil rigs are not such a bad thing after all. Oh, wait, I forgot.
Those guys are Republicans.
LINKS TO RELATED TOPICS:
Political Environmentalism Versus Human Progress & Prosperity:
Policy Issues Relating to Energy, Environment,
& Natural Resources
Political Economy -- Philosophies, Systems, & Public Policies:
Government, the Economy, & Economic Prosperity
Alan Caruba is a veteran business and science writer, a Public Relations Counselor, and Founder of the National Anxiety Center, a
clearinghouse for information about media-driven scare campaigns. Caruba writes a weekly commentary, "Warning Signs," posted
on the Internet website of the National Anxiety Center, which is located at
www.anxietycenter.com.
Caruba has a daily blog at http://factsnotfantasy.blogspot.com.
Caruba’s new book, Right Answers: Separating Fact from Fantasy, has been published by Merril Press.
© Alan Caruba 2008
Published with Permission of Alan Caruba
ACaruba@AOL.Com
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THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Conservative & Free-Market Analysis of Government, Politics & Public Policy, Covering Political, Legal, Constitutional, Economic,
Cultural, Military, International, Strategic, & Geopolitical Issues
Conservative Government Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity