The the death from a thousand pin pricks a confluence of bad decisions on our energy future are converging to insure we may never recover from our economic woes.
There is no common sense in our current energy perspective. For comparison, look at what we have unconsciously done to our manufacturing in this country. Two groups have virtually put us out of the manufacturing business in America. First, the labor unions have priced us out of the market. Then, the environmentalists have finished the job by onerous regulations that added to our bloated cost basis. The government, bowing to both groups has been the concuit that finished the job. The final outcome of this work, high unemployment. But, since it happened over a long period of time, no one can connect the dots.
We are now replicating this in our energy strategy. BP has given this a big kick start. We are now considering giving up offshore drilling. At the same time we are letting the EPA run roughshod over coal fired power plants. The drooling idiot, Henry Waxman, wants us to stop the proposed pipeline that would double the amount of oil sand crude we could get from Canada. Why? he calls it the “dirtiest form of transportation fuel available”.
Our two biggest sources of oil today are offshore crude from the Gulf Coast and imported oil from Canada. Plans are to curtail one and limit the second. This is an example of what can happen when we let the Waxman’s of the world play politics with our energy stategy. They get the votes today and we get the pain down the road. But, it’s what we so richly deserve.
All you soccer moms out there who have been brainwashed by the green movement burn more fuel than most truckers. Yet, you buy into the idea that we need to stop offshore drilling and it would be wrong to use Canadian tar sand oil. When you can’t get or afford enough gasoline for your husband to get back and forth to the train station, you will look back on all this with regret. And, when your electric bill is higher than your mortgage you will say, why didn’t someone tell me?
This country has been working on alternative energy for 30 years. Billions have been spent. But, we can’t produce any that we can afford. Spain went broke blowing billions they didn’t have on alternative energy.
The are getting way ahead of ourselves on this strategy. Cutting off the taps before we drill the new well.
Bad decisions put us out of the manufacturing business here. We replaced it with finance. Then we attacked finance. We think we can replace those lost jobs with green jobs. In the interim we think we can stop every form of opportunity from fossil fuels because these green jobs will replace that lost energy. If you buy this idea your are truly a fool.
A few years ago I wrote about politicians and the Chicago Tribune delaying a project that BP had approved for their Whiting, Indiana refinery. A 120 year old refinery. They were going to spend $2 billion to be able to process the heavy Canadian oil from tar sands. At length, the project did begin and may be almost finished. Hard to support BP on anything today, but it was a big risk and BP will more than likely lose money for years on the investment.
But, no one ever considered the true reality of the Whiting refinery. If it closes Chicago and the surrounding area will get an immediate 40% cut in fuel. No options except barging from the Gulf Coast and not enough terminaling capacity to handle many barges. Soccer moms, you get 2015 immediately if that were to happen. Gasoline prices $8 a gallon. Not enough to go around. People mad and upset and near economic collapse. The same politicians who stopped the BP project yelling someone has to do something, where is Washington? The same soccer moms who protested the BP project stuck at home with the kids who can’t do anything.
That’s reality folks. And if enough of you don’t stop drinking the Kool Aid about alternative energy, you are going to get a strong dose of it very soon.
