When there’s a serious problem that hasn’t been fixed in this country, the first thing we must do is blame all the politicians. Not a bad source for a designated scapegoat. After all, that’s where many of the folks in a recent Consumer Reports survey placed the fault for the high oil prices. I’m not sure how exactly they came up with these numbers, since they have 77% for the politicians and 75% for oil companies. (If anyone can figure out these numbers, let me know. ) We do need a comprehensive energy policy. There are no quick fixes, but the American people understand that increasing domestic supply should be one of many ways we can decrease our dependence on foreign oil. I’m not convinced that the impact of offshore drilling would be reflected in the price of gas immediately, but it would increase supply while we continue to pursue alternative fuels and more efficient cars. For those who make the argument that it could take 10+ years to see the impact of offshore drilling on the oil market, I say why wait another minute to get started with it? In addition to that, do we have alternative fuels ready to replace gasoline right now? Or will that also take 10 years or more to develop? Right.
There is more to be done with energy policy. However, the right approach should always be geared toward free-market solutions, because government has never been known for its innovation or its efficiency. Most of the best inventions and innovations have come from the private sector. Oversight is fine, I guess, to make sure that the oil companies are following the rules, but nothing good can come from punishing production with a windfall profits tax. It won’t make gas cheaper — and that’s the goal, isn’t it? Democrats don’t have many solutions, just a long list of things that they won’t do. That’s great leadership right there.
Great leadership is the Bush administration’s complete incompetence towards an energy policy. Like you said, we need an energy policy; we needed one 8 years ago.
As far as the numbers go, CNN must have asked two separate questions about who to blame for prices. Or, weirdly enough, they refer to one set of respondents as “consumers” and the other as “drivers.” So maybe there are two polls. Without a link to the poll itself it’s hard to say.
Actually there is a quick fix to prices. That would be Democratic House bill that would stop speculative trading on oil. Even right wing hero, and extremely macho, Bill O’Reilly knows the quickest way to end high prices would be to make the speculators actually hold the oiling the are buying and selling, just like other traded commodities.
Offshore drilling is a good idea, but there is no way it would bring about an immediate impact. It wouldn’t even lower prices any time soon. And it certainly wouldn’t increase supply immediately. It would take decades to see the benefit of offshore drilling.
I really don’t know what you’re going to do when you can no longer blame Bush for mistakes made in the Oval Office.
I’m not opposed to stopping the speculative trading on oil, although to be honest I’m not all that familiar with the particulars of how that whole thing works. But Bill O’Reilly’s endorsement or non-endorsement doesn’t move me either way…he’s never been a conservative. He’s a populist and always has been. All this dividing classes of people into big bad evil corporations and the poor mistreated everyman strikes a false chord with me, no matter who’s saying it. That must be because I’m one of those heartless conservative types. 😉
I will have to look at the articles you linked to, since I don’t have any hard data to back up my belief that it won’t take ten years to see the impact of the offshore drilling. I’m not discounting the possibility that you could be right this time, but I need numbers to prove it. 🙂
Unfortunately for Republicans 8 years of Bush just can’t be swept under the rug 🙂
I’m hearing quite a bit Republicans discarding Bush like he was a hundred years ago or something. One of my good friends today tried the same argument with me. Jaz, on his site the other day tried to state Bush was irrelevant to current political discussion. The man is the current president and responsible for everything of the last 8 years. To debate his successor and the policies that have governed this country without being able to mention how we got where we are or why is impossible. It’s as if Republicans want to be able to say ‘oh never mind the last 8 years what’s important is that you give us another 4.’
If Bush was a successful president there is no doubt Republicans would be cramming to mention his name like they still do Reagan’s. But Bush has been a disaster and Republicans want a political dialog that forgets their Grand Leader.
Bush’s own government even states that it will take decades to see offshore drilling have any effect on prices. McCain even admits to such.
There’s no doubt we need to start drilling on our own soil and even offshore, but an honest discussion should come first. Since McCain is the largest recipient of Big Oil money, I don’t see him really wanting to campaign on the notion that more drilling will have little effect. And that it will take decades to see any results. And since Obama is a huge ethanol supporter I don’t see him saying that we should move away from biofuels, which to me is just as bad as drilling and does nothing to lick our addiction to foreign oil.
I’d be interested in seeing numbers that support offshore drilling would have an immediate to moderate impact on current prices, though.
I love when Democrats make the argument that we should not drill domestically because it won’t have an immediate impact. It’s like making the argument that one should not attend college because the overall impact will not be felt in the immediate future.
I have to give Chris credit though, as he essentially simultaneously debates myself, Kent, and Lisa.
Outgunned, I think he is.
And maybe he ought to actually watch Fox News once in a blue moon. Then maybe he would at least accurately be able comment upon the reportage that takes place there rather that swallowing wholesale the Moveon.org narrative that all those who bash Fox without ever watching are indoctrinated into believing.
“Give credit where credit is due”
-common sense Boston saying
Well Jaz it might help if you actually read the comments you are critiquing once in a blue moon, because nowhere do I say that we shouldn’t drill domestically. All I said was that we shouldn’t make the argument that we need to drill domestically and support it by saying that it will have an immediate impact. It will take decades to see any sort of impact from drilling domestically. And the impact probably wouldn’t be enough to bring down prices. Yet, we should drill domestically. By all means, drill everywhere we can.
If I’m indoctrinated into anything it’s having a honest debate. And saying that drilling domestically will have an immediate impact isn’t true. There isn’t any evidence to support such a statement. Unless Lisa can come up with her numbers supporting it, I’ll hold off before changing my mind.
I’ll also hold off on watching Fox News because it obviously motivates people not to read comments before replying and it obviously lends people to think that drilling domestically will have an immediate impact. Neither tendency bodes well for honest discussion.
Thanks, though, Jaz 🙂