With oil approaching $100 per barrel and the pundits predicting much higher rates, where are those who criticized President Bush II when we were experiencing the same during his administration? It appears as if they are political hacks who only complain about the other party.
I remember those news clips assailing Bush to "do something" about these high oil prices and the damage it was causing the American people. Bonnie Erbe reported on the cbsnews.com website on October 31, 2007 that seven Democratic Senators had written to Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman to cut the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Where are those Senators today? Painfully silent.
Larry Elder wrote an editorial in the Washington Examiner on December 30, 2010 which said in part "During President George W. Bush's administration, we constantly heard demands to hold the President accountable for "Big Oil's price gouging." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., just two years ago, knew exactly whom to blame for "skyrocketing" oil prices: "The price of oil is at the doorstep; $4-plus per gallon for oil is attributed to two oilmen in the White House and their protectors in the United States Senate." So where is Nancy now? And did I miss it that Obama is an oil man?
This is one of the reasons I really hate the way our government seems to work now. We have so many politicians and so few statesmen/stateswoman. If Nancy's statement were true in 2008, would it also be true in 2011? One would think so.
Instead we get the "let's bash the other guy now he is in power" syndrome. Why don't we INVESTIGATE the reasons for high oil prices, find out if there are culprits and correct the situation rather than grandstanding the issue. For that part, we don't investigate anything. We hold hearings which are about as constructive as letting your kindergartner drive your car. It may go somewhere, but you probably will not know how you got there and will not like the outcome.
So, we have $100 oil going to $150, $200, or $300 and what are we doing? Some would say nothing. Actually, that is not accurate. We have cut oil exploration in the Gulf, the East Coast, the West Coast, Alaska, and North Dakota. We have seen oil rigs move to South America. We have not seen any new refineries built in the past 40 years? Why should we drill when we can get cheap oil from politically stable areas like the Middle East or from dictators like Hugo Chavez? Yup, that makes a whole lot of sense.
Yet, our Congress and President are doing nothing to encourage drilling, encouraging refineries to be built, opening up Federal lands to exploration, or even looking at new ways to propel our vehicles, heat our homes and to make plastics. Why can't we have a Manhattan Project to solve this energy problem. Have you heard of such a proposal from either party, I have not.
However, in the meantime while Congress dithers, oil prices are going up at the pump some 20 cents in the past week. Why is there no concern now? Can we not expect a government response until the price gets above $5, $7 or more?
My guess is that they will not respond until it drives the economy into the ditch again and somehow it will be the other party's responsibility. Why not get responsive, now. If not, let's wholesale remove a bunch more of these "public servants" until we get their attention.
I remember those news clips assailing Bush to "do something" about these high oil prices and the damage it was causing the American people. Bonnie Erbe reported on the cbsnews.com website on October 31, 2007 that seven Democratic Senators had written to Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman to cut the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Where are those Senators today? Painfully silent.
Larry Elder wrote an editorial in the Washington Examiner on December 30, 2010 which said in part "During President George W. Bush's administration, we constantly heard demands to hold the President accountable for "Big Oil's price gouging." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., just two years ago, knew exactly whom to blame for "skyrocketing" oil prices: "The price of oil is at the doorstep; $4-plus per gallon for oil is attributed to two oilmen in the White House and their protectors in the United States Senate." So where is Nancy now? And did I miss it that Obama is an oil man?
This is one of the reasons I really hate the way our government seems to work now. We have so many politicians and so few statesmen/stateswoman. If Nancy's statement were true in 2008, would it also be true in 2011? One would think so.
Instead we get the "let's bash the other guy now he is in power" syndrome. Why don't we INVESTIGATE the reasons for high oil prices, find out if there are culprits and correct the situation rather than grandstanding the issue. For that part, we don't investigate anything. We hold hearings which are about as constructive as letting your kindergartner drive your car. It may go somewhere, but you probably will not know how you got there and will not like the outcome.
So, we have $100 oil going to $150, $200, or $300 and what are we doing? Some would say nothing. Actually, that is not accurate. We have cut oil exploration in the Gulf, the East Coast, the West Coast, Alaska, and North Dakota. We have seen oil rigs move to South America. We have not seen any new refineries built in the past 40 years? Why should we drill when we can get cheap oil from politically stable areas like the Middle East or from dictators like Hugo Chavez? Yup, that makes a whole lot of sense.
Yet, our Congress and President are doing nothing to encourage drilling, encouraging refineries to be built, opening up Federal lands to exploration, or even looking at new ways to propel our vehicles, heat our homes and to make plastics. Why can't we have a Manhattan Project to solve this energy problem. Have you heard of such a proposal from either party, I have not.
However, in the meantime while Congress dithers, oil prices are going up at the pump some 20 cents in the past week. Why is there no concern now? Can we not expect a government response until the price gets above $5, $7 or more?
My guess is that they will not respond until it drives the economy into the ditch again and somehow it will be the other party's responsibility. Why not get responsive, now. If not, let's wholesale remove a bunch more of these "public servants" until we get their attention.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for commenting. Your comments are needed for helping to improve the discussion.