Do Democrats Care About the Gas Crisis?

August 5, 2008 · Filed Under Energy & Environment, News ·  

Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi say they want change - they want to fix the energy crisis.

But if that’s the case, I think Obama out to interrupt Nancy’s R&R to hell her to bring Congress back to begin a process of getting an off-shore drilling bill across the floor of the House.

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, that’s because the media ignored it.

Basically, Republicans wanted to get things moving on an off-shore drilling bill, and Nancy Pelosi abruptly closed down the House of Representatives for summer break.

They won’t be back until September 8.

I guess Nancy has more pressing issues like her tanking book sales.

Obama - don’t you hold any sway with the Speaker of the House? We need help.

Democrats Refuse to Help Lower Gas Prices

July 17, 2008 · Filed Under Energy & Environment ·  

President Bush took a step to deal with soaring gas prices Monday when he lifted an executive ban on offshore drilling that his stood since his father was president.

Since then, the price of a barrel of oil has continually dropped. This is seen by many as a market response for the over-inflated oil.

Quite simply, if we don’t rely as much on foreign oil, they have less leverage in driving up prices.

Anyhow, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stands firmly against offshore drilling, and unfortunately, the move by Bush will do nothing unless Congress acts as well.

Pelosi and other Democrats are refusing to budge on the grounds that offshore drilling is environmentally unsafe.

However, the Oil in the Water report from the National Academy of Sciences contradicts the environmental argument against drilling offshore.

According to the report, the following factors result in oil seepage into the oceans:

  • 1% off shore platforms
  • 32% consumers (boats, jet skis, etc.)
  • 4% transportation (oil tankers)
  • 63% natural seepage – cracks in the earth

Therefore, 99% of seepage is “natural” or essentially unavoidable, and the off shore platforms are not the problem.

Additionally, the U.S. Coast Guard reports the following volumes of U.S. Offshore Oil Spills in the past 38 years:

  • 3.6 million barrels from 1970-1980
  • 440,000 barrels from 1990-2000
  • 1,000 barrels from 2000-2004

What can we infer from this? I’d say it’s safer to drill offshore and pipe it on shore versus having tankers sail all over the world.

By the way, for anybody who is keeping score, Pelosi stated back in April 2006:

“Democrats have a commonsense plan to help bring down skyrocketing gas prices by cracking down on price gouging, rolling back the billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies, tax breaks and royalty relief given to big oil and gas companies, and increasing production of alternative fuels.”

More than two years later, this “commonsense plan” hasn’t been shared.

Meanwhile, gas prices continue to rise. When the Democrats took control of congress in January 2007, the average price per gallon of gas was $2.33.

Now the average is more than $4.00 per gallon.

Is there any wonder that the Congressional approval ratings are at an historic low of 14%?

Why I am a Republican in 2008

July 16, 2008 · Filed Under Economy, Energy & Environment, Opinion ·  

I explain in a video on YouTube why I will be voting Republican in 2008.

As a family man with four kids and a small business owner, my focus is on the economy and how we must reduce spending, rather than raise taxes.

I also touch on working towards being energy independent by following a number of paths, including oil and natural gas exploration and production, clean coal technologies, building nuclear power plants, and harnessing wind power.

It’s time to stop mortgaging our future, and to start investing in it.

Obama Drives a Gas Guzzler

May 19, 2008 · Filed Under Energy & Environment ·  

Barack Obama was stumping in Oregon over the weekend and he lectured to the crowd, “We can’t drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times … and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK.”

Fair enough. And consistent with a quote on his site about automakers in Detroit:

“Well, I don’t believe that climate change is just an issue that’s convenient to bring up during a campaign. I believe it’s one of the greatest moral challenges of our generation. That’s why I’ve fought successfully in the Senate to increase our investment in renewable fuels. That’s why I reached across the aisle to come up with a plan to raise our fuel standards… And I didn’t just give a speech about it in front of some environmental audience in California. I went to Detroit, I stood in front of a group of automakers, and I told them that when I am president, there will be no more excuses — we will help them retool their factories, but they will have to make cars that use less oil.”

— Barack Obama, Speech in Des Moines, IA, October 14, 2007

So Barack, which hybrid do you drive?

Oh wait, Senator Obama rolls in a gas guzzling Chrysler 300C.

Yes, that’s his car of choice, according to Car and Driver.

Take that, bitter Americans.

17 MPG in the city. Save the Earth. Yay!