The Quiet Conservative June 8, 2008
Energy Insecurity/Energy Insanity
Hyperion is building the first US refinery in thirty years. At least that is their plan. Although South
Dakota gave approval and the county where it will be located did too, radical environmentalists are
hinting at a long court fight to prevent this.
Kansas isn't building a refinery. There isn't any indication Kansas officials wanted to compete for
the ten billion dollar Hyperion refinery at all. Kansas officials also aren't allowing the 3.6 billion
dollar Sunflower power plant expansions. Kansas officials aren't doing much of anything except
planning to pass higher taxes and obstructing abortion reform laws.
But enough about how the Kansas State Democratic Party has led the way in discouraging private
enterprise and affordable energy along with the rule of law and lower taxes. Let’s examine how the
national Democratic record has been on our need for affordable energy. The following stats were
compiled by Congressman Roy Blunt from Missouri and were copied from the blog Power Line:
- Drilling for oil in ANWR which would have increased our oil supplies:
Republicans 97% for Democrats 89% against
- Converting coal to liquid for use as a fuel
Republicans 97% for Democrats 78% against
Republicans 90% for Democrats 86% against
- Outer Continental Shelf exploration
Republicans 81% for Democrats 83% against
- Increasing Refinery Capacity
Republicans 97% for Democrats 96% against
It seems our local Democrats are right in line with their national party view that Americans do not
need any more conventional energy. Your wallet may indicate otherwise. This lack of increased oil
production is directly related to the price of just about everything. More people wanting the same
limited product drives up the price. So, you pay more. You are paying more right now at the
pump.
This seems to have finally gotten your attention. But, have you noticed that everything else
petroleum related has also gone up? You are paying more for food because it costs more to grow
and ship. You are paying more for manufactured items because they cost more to make and ship.
You are just paying more all around. It is called the law of supply and demand.
Oh, but you say, there is the morality of it. That must be considered. We have to save the
planet! America leads the world in greenhouse gas emissions and rest of the world is reducing their
emissions and becoming green. We have to also. We want the world to like us. We really do. With
the election of a Democratic executive in November to match a Democratic led legislature and a
future Democratic judiciary, everyone will like us again. After all, the most important thing of all is
to be popular. If we all give up private property, Christianity, capitalism, prosperity, individualism,
gender roles, morality, and free speech, we can be the most popular people in the world. Everyone
will acclaim our standing in the world once again as is desired by Howard Dean, Nancy Pelosi, and
Harry Reid. That standing is the one where the rest of the world calls us “Suckers!”
While refusing to allow any domestic access to our resources in favor of a mythical future
technology, the rest of the world is moving ahead to secure future real sources of energy. They
quickly saw the light. At the UN all those European Countries we want to like us are busy filing
extensions to their off shore sea boundaries out to 350 miles to claim undersea oil and gas deposits.
Russia is sending nine nuclear powered ice breakers to patrol in the arctic ocean as they lay claim to
the sea bed. It seems all the Kyoto folks have never met their goals and are not likely to. Instead they
are going all out to drill for oil!
Meanwhile Canada is starting to come out of their ‘socialism is great’ coma and has found they
really don’t have any way of preventing the Russians from drilling right up to their hockey rinks.
They are trying to rebuild a military decimated by the left’s neglect while we here in the US mull
electing our own new socialists and committing economic suicide. We don’t have to worry about the
deposits in the waters off of Alaska, we don’t want to drill off shore there. We don’t even want to
drill on shore in ANWAR.
So, while everybody from the Dutch to the Aussies are planning to drill in the ocean we here in
America are planning to watch the Chinese and Cubans drill off of Florida. Maybe they will sell us
some. You won’t mind buying it from them will you? Maybe the Russians really can have all that
oil off of Alaska along with the oil they will get off of Canada too. You won’t mind. After all, you
won’t be able to afford to drive a car anymore in the new group government housing.
Attempting to compound this idiocy of refusing to use our own resources was the recent cap and
trade Ponzi scheme floated in Congress as the “Climate Security Act”. This would have limited the
amount of carbon emitted in the air by businesses and utilities. Go over you state allotted amount and
you get taxed. Go under and you can sell your credits to someone else. In other words it was a huge
new tax and money laundering scheme that would crippled businesses, ruined manufacturing, shot
energy prices through the roof, and created an immense slush fund for Congress to mismanage.
What is horrifying is that both Presidential candidates approved of the bill.
Thankfully, it died a quick and ugly death as Senators realized that flushing the economy down the
toilet while people were noticing the temperature stopped rising and the oceans weren't warming
might make them unpopular with a looming election. Senator Reid tried to force it through quickly
by not allowing discussion or amendments but that failed as Republicans demanded the reading of the
entire bill and gave every indication they would fight it tooth and nail. Perhaps the greens can get it
done after the election in November when people have gone back to sleep.
Perhaps not. With gas reaching four dollars a gallon in some parts of the country there isn't a lot
of sleeping going on. The economy is getting shaky from all these progressive advances since
Congresswoman Pelosi and Senator Reid took over the legislature. Gas went from about $2.35 to
$3.95+ on oil speculation and a weakening dollar. Unemployment shot up with employers not hiring
the young summer seasonal workers after the minimum wage hike the left got passed. The housing
market slumped dangerously after the aggressive lending mandates for at risk home owners the left
demanded. All in all it is shaping up to be the perfect storm for socialism destroying the economy in
an election year.
How it all plays out has yet to be seen. On one hand you have the Democratic Congress calling
for OPEC nations to pump more oil onto the market to depress prices. They even passed a bill to
allow the Justice Department to investigate the lack of supply by foreign nations- at once both
laughable and damning. The Democratic Leadership has admitted that increasing the supply of oil
in the market will drive down prices.
On the other hand President Bush has called for Congress to allow drilling off of our shores where
85% is now off limits. He has also called for drilling in Alaska. There is a bill in Congress
introduced by Republicans to allow this. With the Democratic leaders now admitting the law of
supply and demand does exist, to prevent drilling of our own resources means they, and only they,
are responsible for high gas prices. It’s not the oil companies, it’s not how you drive, it is not even
the speculators, it is how the Democratic Party in Congress has stopped you from having affordable
energy. Remember this every time you see the dial at the gas pump turn. Remember this in
November in the voting booth.