Not With a Bang But a Whimper

No, I’m not going all T.S. Eliot on you, nor even entering Nostradamus mode to predict the apocalypse. I’m talking about the implosion ongoing in the House of Representatives. Speaker Nancy Pelosi acknowledged that America seems somewhat upset that since her party wrested control of Congress two years ago not a damn thing has been done. Gas prices soared, the housing market crumbled, approval ratings for Congress set record lows, the damned President has somehow wrested success from the jaws of Middle-Eastern disaster, and strangely enough, America is beginning to awaken to awareness that doing nothing is not a policy. So, she coyly suggests that if she ever decides to return to Washington and do the job she was elected to do, she might allow (get that? ALLOW!) a vote in the legislature on becoming energy independent. She might allow limited, environmentally friendly, cautious, probably heavily regulated and definitely taxed drilling for America’s resources. How benevolent. How politically prudent. How pathetic that it has come to this.

Listen to the spin, the waffling, the stuttering, the simple BS as George Stephanopolous presses her. Is this leadership?



Sloganeering, “use it don’t lose it,” “a diversionary tactic,” “no reduction in price for ten years,” and simple stupidity. This isn’t about vilifying “Big Oil,” it is about wresting America’s wealth from the ground to let America succeed.

As she is saying this, has anyone noticed that simply because of the President’s suspension of the executive order against off-shore drilling and the gradual improvement of the situation in Iraq that the price of crude has dropped from $147/bbl to $113/bbl yesterday. The price of a gallon of regular gasoline has dropped from $4.20 to $3.49 and the dollar has risen against world currencies. In other words, the simple threat of drilling has impact. Imagine what actual drills in the ground might do.

I want the Speaker to tell me a few things. First, how will we achieve her goal of reducing dependence on foreign oil if we don’t increase production of domestic oil resources? We’ve got it. We know we’ve got it. The world knows we’ve got it. Who has more right to it than Americans?

Second, how will getting our own oil into pipelines fail to reduce costs to the consumer resultant from an increase in supply? Oil is a global commodity. Add to the global supply and the global price will come down. If we are part of the global community, Nancy darlin’, we come out ahead.

Third, what is wrong with making profit by companies that invest in production and delivery of a needed product? Remember that old capitalism business they used to teach in schools back in the days of Truman and Eisenhower?

Fourth, what would be the downside of putting thousands of Americans to work in exploration, transportation, refining, building new refineries and pipelines and then spending their wages in a bustling energy independent economy? You mean they wouldn’t be welfare (AKA Democratic Party) dependent any more?

Fifth, how will I power my car when you force a shift to wind and solar energy? Particularly, what will enable me to buy an electric car of dubious utility when I have no job because the economy has collapsed because of lack of fuel? Energy is not totally fungible.

Sixth, what makes you think that the miniscule population of the US can influence global climate change despite the flagrant pollution of Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe? Remember the significant difference between Chernobyl and Three-Mile Island?

Last, how does being the Speaker of the House allow you to circumvent the will of the people who have elected representatives to their government?

At least we have this to be thankful for:

First Do No Harm

If watching laws being made is as distasteful as seeing sausage produced, we aren’t going to be very offended by this Congress, but we might not have meat with our breakfast.

The whimper comes from folks like Pelosi. The bang that is missing so far is the slamming of voting booth doors by disgruntled Americans who want their voice to be heard in government. When the people wake up there will need to be some explosions under the butts of these politicians who are more involved with posturing than policy making.

Otherwise the world we know will be coming to a very quiet ending.