Bob Connell of the KFFB radio station in Fairfield Bay, Arkansas interviewed Senator Mark Pryor on May 19, 2006. The main topic of discussion concerned the price of gasoline in particular and crude oil in general. If the topic was less serious, Pryor’s remarks would be silly and laughable for what they contained but wholly understandable since he is a member of the “let us control everything party because we have the answers.”

Pryor made three points about energy: One, there must be a decrease in dependence on foreign produced oil and that from a member of the party that won’t allow domestic exploration, drilling, and production; two, more energy efficient vehicles with government being the driving force; where in the Constitution is Congress given the instruction to tell auto companies what to build, how to build, and how to create efficiency? Of course, politicians know so much better about how vehicles should be constructed than do the experts in the automotive field. The third was how the environment must be protected against carbon dioxide, global warming, exhaust, fumes, congestion etc. Couple that with the first one and it gives new meaning to Forrest Gump’s “Stupid is as stupid does.” Change it to “Stupid is as stupid says” and that describes Pryor and his obstructionist party concerning oil. Will he please explain how dependence on foreign oil can be decreased when he and his ilk refuse to allow exploration in coastal waters and in other areas that have crude for the tapping?  

While on the subject, the President won’t lift the moratorium on coastal drilling and the House refused to pass a bill that would have allowed it. The fear the representatives hold is that drilling for oil would damage the multi-billion dollar tourist industry in coastal states. Here is a quote that reveals part of the environmental stupidity: "People don't go to visit the coasts of Florida or the coast of California to watch oil wells," Rep. Sam Farr, D-Calif., said. My my Mr. Farr, can’t despoil the visual environment though you and your kind are always yelling about dependence on foreign oil and our lack of production and associated high prices. Is it any wonder that the problem of energy exists, except the energy associated with stupidity, in this nation?    

The President, for whatever reason, won’t step to the plate and begin a program for energy independence. By honoring the moratorium on coastal drilling his words about ending foreign dependence are as much gibberish as Mark Pryor’s words. None of it makes any sense except that it is politics as usual.

In reality, there is a fourth point about energy: it is the idea that government should be involved in setting a national energy policy or involved in crude production in any manner. The best policy is for the government to get out of the way and allow oil companies to do what they know how to do, produce crude oil. But for Pryor and his kind, that can’t be allowed since that would take the hands of politicians out of the mix.

 It is best to save the worst for last. Pryor said he feels there is price gouging and although there isn’t any evidence of it yet, he knows there is a group of sinister people out there who are controlling the prices and keeping them from declining. (A report released on 05-22-2006 by the FTC says that no price gouging has taken place or that there is any proof that an oil pricing conspiracy exists. Maybe it is indigestion of the brain Pryor feels.) If the Senator would look at a picture of the liberals in Congress he would know who the sinister people are keeping prices high.

 All that is heard from Pryor is more of the same about how Congress is working to make things better by their efforts to cure all. In Sorting It Out, the real answer is for Mark Pryor, along with the rest of the politicians, to step aside and let the people decide what needs to be done. The problems will be solved without all the typical political gibberish of the liberal crowd.

© 05-19-2006 DEC