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Thursday, April 1, 2010

Off Shore Exploration or a Prelude to Cap and Trade?

Yesterday, the President announced plans to open certain off-shore areas on the East Coast and Alaska for oil exploration. While that may sound like Mr. Obama is finally coming to his senses regarding energy independence, the actuality is that this is just another red herring to promote cap and trade. The plan would limit exploration for new sources of domestic oil to the East Coast in an area that spans from just south of New Jersey to the northern limits of Florida and in limited portions of the Alaskan coastline. This plan excludes the entire Pacific coast and the Gulf of Mexico where we know oil actually exists in qualities that make extraction financially viable. Additionally, only a few leases for drilling will actually be allowed under Obama’s plan and the bulk of his plan is limited to convincing oil companies to launch new exploration in permissible areas on a hope and promise that after spending millions to map the area for potential that they will actually be allowed to drill there when the dust settles.

We need to find new sources of fuel if we are ever going to marginalize the stranglehold that the oil producing Middle East nations and Venezuela have on us. If I thought the President were serious about exploiting the domestic reserves of oil and natural gas I would applaud Wednesday’s announcement, but he is not. This is merely a clever two pronged strategy to cultivate support for his energy bill otherwise known as cap and trade. He as much as admitted that by invoking the need for his comprehensive energy plan in the same speech that spoke of this new exploration initiative. The opening of these areas for exploration is meant to silence his critics by giving the media something with which they can counter the claims that Obama will cripple the domestic production of energy resources through his energy bill. After all, if he intended to shut down that entire industry why would he allow exploration?

Well, exploration is not development and actual development except for a very small area, is not in Obama’s plan. His intentions have been made very clear in the fourteen months since his inauguration and include massive taxes on energy and new restrictions on oil and coal development. The Obama administration recently nationalized another thirteen million acres of American land by Executive Order under the guise of a national monument imitative. Curiously, much of that land was in areas that are known or are suspected to be rich in oil shale and coal and would prevent the development of those resources for all time. This is on the heels of a push by Federal Wildlife officials to designate more than two-hundred additional species of minor fish, rodents and other worthless pests as endangered in a move to protect their habitats; habitats which also happen to be in areas that are potentially rich sources of fuel and coal. Does anyone see a pattern here?

Since the “comprehensive” Energy Bill the President is now aiming for would cripple industry by mandating caps on CO2 production unless costly CO2 credits are purchased, it is clear there will be no need to drill for any of that oil because America will no longer be able to afford to use it once the bill is passed into law. The Energy Bill does not just affect business but penalizes each and every household by exponentially raising home energy costs. A major component of the cap and trade initiative is the so-called “smart grid” and equally nefarious “smart meter”. For the first time in American history, a consumer will have no idea what the cost of something is before they purchase it. The meters can instantaneously report area usage and raise the cost of energy based on demand. There will be no more pre-determined peak and off-peak hours to base your home consumption of electricity on.

Don’t believe me? Well, certain areas of California have already installed these “smart” meters in a pilot program and residents were shocked by an immediate increase in energy costs of up to 25%. Let’s not forget that Obama had already admitted during the campaign that “electric prices would necessarily have to skyrocket under his energy proposal”. The President’s energy plans are about denial and not development. They are about directing consumption through punitive taxation and not at all about expanding the availability of low cost fuels and energy. They will force people to reduce the CO2 generated by electrical power plants by forcing a reduction in energy consumption. People will see a net increase in their electric bills of up to 65% nearly immediately and of more than 100% by 2015. That coupled with the damages wrought by our new healthcare legislation will spell a loss of no less than five million additional jobs in the United States as people scale back the purchase of their few remaining comfort items just to keep the lights and refrigerator on and as US industries scale back in kind.

So how can we predict a rise in household energy costs of 65% if the pilot program in California only showed a 25% rise? Simple, the pilot program was to test meter and smart grid technology and that test resulted in a 25% increase. It will not be until cap and trade passes before the effects of having to purchase carbon credits are added to the bill as well. One that has happened….Viola! 65%!

Don’t forget that these are the same people that recently announced that $7.00 a gallon gasoline prices would be a good thing for the country. Of course that was the recent finding of a Harvard University study and I am sure I don’t have to remind you that Harvard is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts; an area well serviced by mass transit. Cambridge is a far cry from the rural areas and industries that would be hit hardest by such a short sighted call for an energy policy based on forced conservation. Of course the government loves the idea because the revenues that could be collected under such a policy are just the sort of things that attracts the attention of Progressive ideologues bent on pursuing the Socialist platform of wealth redistribution.

Max Baucus waited until the Senate passed the Healthcare Reconciliation Act before admitting that a large portion of the Healthcare bill was designed to correct what he called the “maldistribution” of wealth that he claims has become problematic over the past few years. Simply, the “maldistribution” of wealth simply means that the people that actually earn money in this country have been allowed to keep way too much of it. It is the intention of every Progressive to introduce America to the Soviet Constitution piece by piece until they can arrive at a state of pure Socialism.

Progressives fought hard for the Healthcare Bill claiming that Healthcare was a right. Under our Constitution, the Federal government is merely shackled by the law to prevent it from interfering in the individual’s pursuit of their God given rights. The government can neither deny a citizen their rights nor can they create them. On the other hand, the Soviet Constitution clearly enunciates a right to healthcare, education, housing, a job, etc. Does that sound familiar? Of course what proponents of this “Nanny” State have failed to realize over the past hundred years is that government cannot provide anything for you unless you are willing to relinquish your right to make those choices for yourself. Where do you think the mandate to purchase healthcare came from? As part of the cost of the government provision of healthcare you are required to surrender your right to choose not to purchase health insurance.

The President’s energy proposal (cap and trade – cap and tax) is rife with additional redistributive programs that will take your money in the form of energy taxes and hand them out to their favorite group of domestic indigents. If you are already one of the bona-fide American welfare recipients, there is a program to help you offset any increase you may see in your energy costs. Of course, that doesn’t apply to the rest of us but hey, if you make more than the Federal poverty level you have plenty of money – right? There is also a “cash for clunkers” program for manufactured homes. If one of the qualified poor lives in a manufactured home built before 1976 they have a provision in the bill to use American tax dollars to help them trade up to a new “energy efficient” manufactured home! Nope, we don’t get that either.

This is not an Energy plan. This is a Federal mugging; the theft of even more of your hard earned dollars to keep as many people locked into Federal aid programs as possible. For now, it is merely aimed at keeping those “recipients” loyal to the Democratic Party. You know, the Party of “Here have some more….it’s free!” The problem is that it really isn’t free; it’s actually stolen property. These are dangerous years because 47% of America are either exempt from taxation or actually receive aid from the government already. Once the scales tip past 50%, there will never be another honest election in this country. There is no limit to the greed of the people that collect your money and that greed will have no boundaries once they represent the majority of the electorate.

Paul

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