Crude oil prices on March 6, 2008 rose to 105.97 per barrel. Fingers are being pointed and blamed assessed for this economy killing price. President Bush is being blamed by the liberals and yes, he is responsible for part of it. But so are the liberals in Congress, the jelly spined Republicans, and the whacko environmentalists who are playing the politicians like an off key fiddle. Their squeaking and squawking has been drowning out common sense for far too long. The ones yelling the loudest about the high prices are the ones who are causing the problem.

A bit of history is in order. James Earl “Peanut” Carter, the one term mistake called a President, imposed a windfall profits tax on the oil industry that drove up prices. Prior to that, Richard Nixon imposed price controls that resulted in long lines at stations that had limited supplies of fuel if they had any at all. All of this was done to insure that the motoring public wouldn’t be gouged by those terrible profit driven companies known as “big oil.” The plan worked in that we weren’t gouged. The fact is there wasn’t any gasoline available at any price so the government controls worked. Only fools believed that the remedy was good.

Along with the interference of the “Oh so smart politicians,” the environmental movement caught fire (must be an irony in that when the devastating fire are considered) due to Rachael Carson’s book, The Silent Spring. She knew as much about science as does Al Gore, but since the public is mostly scientifically illiterate, Carson (and now Gore) was able to sell a bill of goods about the dangers of DDT. Evidence since the banning of the product shows it is no more dangerous when used properly than any other chemical that is used properly.  Thus began a movement to ban anything that looked, smelled, or acted like crude oil. The politicians in Congress and in the states, ever eager to appease the loud mouthed, crowd began to impose stringent requirements on oil producing companies. The requirements resulted in such jumping through hoops exercises to explore for oil and to build refineries that production of crude and refinery building has come to a virtual halt. Thank the politicians in Congress for the foregoing and the resulting high prices.

However, the president shares the blame as was stated above.  Instead of standing firm on drilling in ANWAR, off the coast of Florida in the Gulf, and off the other coastal areas, and using his bully pulpit to take the issue to the public, he went whimpering into the night, allowing the anti-drilling contingent in Congress (that also includes whimpy, politically correct Republicans) to rule the day. Then to make it worse, he has begged and cajoled OPEC to increase the output so we can have relief from high prices. (He even sent Vice-President Cheney to see the Saudis about the oil situation.) The leader of the mightiest nation on earth has been reduced to a beggar because of the stupidity of Congress and his refusal to fight tooth and toenails to force them to accept exploration and production of our natural resources. And to the loud mouths who oppose all things necessary for energy dependence, a “Shut up and get out of the way,” wouldn’t hurt a thing except their feelings.

The nation is now dependent on foreign oil, much of which comes from nations that can become our enemies in a heartbeat. Can not the dolts in Congress, the President and the wackos, understand what will happen if the oil is cut off? They ignore the danger and offer the solution to the dependence by promoting alternative energy that won’t be viable for many years. We need energy independence now, not pie in the sky wishful ideas that aren’t reducing dependence, but are raising the cost of food stuffs, other commodities, and goods and services.

What we are experiencing is the result when politicians through their government power attempt to run private endeavors. The wisdom of the founders limiting government becomes more apparent all the time as the fools in Washington commit blunder after blunder to appease the wacko crowd, pandering for votes. All the while, the energy situation becomes worse and worse.

Unless the people wake up to the menace of the strangle hold that has wrapped around our collective necks, we are going to fall without the enemy firing a shot.  In Sorting It Out, that is the crude truth we are facing.

© 03-06-2008 DEC