In an unusual admission today, the Obama Administration doubled down on support for higher gas prices. According to Press Secretary Jay Carney, the Administration became concerned after hearing reports of how Republican Presidential hopeful and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney had driven on a family vacation with the family dog in a cage strapped to the roof of the car. “Having a dog in a cage reduces vehicle fuel economy,” stated Carney. “With higher gas prices, people will think twice about reducing their mileage with that kind of aerodynamic drag. Our Nobel Prize-winning Energy Secretary showed us the calculations, and they blew us away. This could be the biggest thing since the President’s suggestion from the 2008 campaign to have everyone inflate their tires properly.”
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton joined the press briefing to add her own support to Administration policy. “Once Bill and I were in the car and I got mad at him for buying a dozen Big Macs. I hadn’t thrown more than three of them out the window before we got into an argument. The next thing I knew he had pulled this big cage out of the trunk, stuffed me into it, and strapped it to the roof. If you think being on a car roof while on a trip to Canada was bad enough, you should try being in Arkansas during the summer!
“All this time I was wondering why he kept that cage in the trunk among the payoff checks. I should have known better than to believe Bill when he winked and said it was for cigar boxes.”
Vice President Joe Biden, ever the one to be sensitive to Asian people, added that he had a practical solution to keep the dog occupied during long road trips. “In honor of the Secretary of Energy, we have provided stimulus money to one of our generous donors to develop a ‘Chu toy.’ Get it?”
Are you concerned about damage that ethanol may be doing to your car’s engine or to your gas-powered equipment? Want to make a political statement against this rent-seeking practice? Here is a useful site. It lists and maps stations that sell ethanol-free gasoline. Unfortunately, there are no ethanol-free gas stations in the DC metropolitan area, but we can only hope that this situation changes soon. Anyway, check out the site:
This past fall, my congregation hosted a debate between David Marsden and Kerry Bolognese for the 41st House of Delegates seat.The congregation I attend is much more liberal than conservative, politically speaking, though people of all political stripes are always given a gracious welcome.Little did Mr. Marsden know that this blogger was present.
During the debate, the candidates were asked several questions submitted by congregation members.I am not going to recount every question and answer here.However, given Delegate Marsden’s claim to being “moderate,” I think that the highlights of his responses in a recent forum should be shared with the public.
David Marsden attacked the idea of a tax cut.He said that programs such as schools and roads that compete for funding would get hurt.He wants to give better funding to community colleges when the economy recovers.Unlike Kerry Bolognese, Marsden made no commitment to monitoring how money is actually spent.
Marsden insists that as a low tax State, Virginia does not have the money to get work done.The fact that Northern Virginia gets back only 30% of its highway dollars did not seem to bother him.Rather, he said that the 17-cent per gallon gas tax does not buy what it used to (despite the fact that Northern Virginia has a lot more people paying this tax).
As far as public-private partnerships are concerned, David Marsden thinks that the “public” part is just not there.Apparently, Northern Virginia does not have a lot of “shovel-ready” projects.Apparently, extending Metro to FortBelvoir is a good idea in Marsden’s mind.(Ah, but aren’t we lacking in money?)
Marsden was most interesting when asked about waste that can be eliminated.When Kerry Bolognese recounted the Wilder Commission as well as specific items (and given the short time given for responses, no one can give a complete list), Marsden’s attitude was that it was like finding “$2.98 from couch cushions.” (his words)He thinks that we have reached a limit as far as cost savings are concerned while spending “needs” have been raised.
When asked about what pet project he would want to fund for the 41st District, Marsden responded that he had introduced three bills to help clean up the Chesapeake Bay.These bills could create jobs for watermen.Marsden did not mention how many Chesapeake Bay watermen lived in Burke and Springfield.
On card check issues, when Bolognese noted what a disaster it would be, Marsden insisted that card check was compatible with small businesses.Of course, he gave the usual union line about how we owe having weekends to unions.He claims that he would only apply card check to large employers, though he did not give a specific figure.
When asked about fighting crime and gangs, David Marsden did support prosecution.He also mentioned having gang prevention activities and outlawing pneumatic weapons.Kerry Bolognese pointed out that Marsden opposed HB 1626, which would allow homeowners to protect themselves.Also, on crime issues, Marsden supports closing “loopholes” at gun shows and supports legislation to mandate background checks.
Finally, Marsden was amusing on other energy and environmental issues.He supports environmental initiatives that are “fiscally sound’ (of course), but then he said he supported setting up windmills in an old Ford plant.Marsden came out opposing drilling off the coast of Virginia, giving the excuse that it would interfere with Navy bombing exercises.He must be glad that his opponent in the State Senate race knows a thing or two about the Navy!
In summary, while Marsden has done a lot of admirable work in the juvenile justice field, has a long record of public service, and isn’t as radically pro-abortion as some of his Democratic colleagues, he is still very much out of touch with voters of the 37th District and rather uncurious about government accountability.You would think someone with the long public service record he claims would understand where to look for cost savings, but perhaps David Marsden has grown comfortable in the fact that government runs on someone else’s money.Perhaps, in front of an audience he perceives as more liberal, he could be more candid about the kind of person he is.Voters of the 37th District will be well-served by electing Steve Hunt as the next State Senator to get quality representation in Richmond.
Now, I am not against proper tire inflation. Yes, I know it is a good thing and helps extend the life of tires. But doesn’t just about everyone who owns a vehicle (motorized or not) know that? Is CARB going to have an army of enforcement agents now walking around with tire pressure gauges? Better still, if you get mad at someone who cut you off in traffic, can you report such a person for underinflated tires? I see that the possibilities are endless.
Maybe the Revolutionary War patriots had the wrong symbol when they came up with their famous flag. Is it time to replace the snake?
Clearly, any opponent to the regulations can be characterized as “rolling resistance!”
According to an account by State Senator Ken Cuccinelli (R) (as recounted in his “Cuccinelli Compass”), Chap Petersen (D-Fairfax) displayed an astounding lack of knowledge of energy and economic issues. Here is Senator Cuccinelli’s account:
... while debating new, higher, 'voluntary' renewable energy requirements and the effect on higher prices, Chap said something to the effect of "this bill will both raise prices and help the environment." And he said it with this air of unveiling a pleasant surprise...
When I was asked earlier about the issue of coal…under my plan of a cap and trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket…even regardless of what I say about whether coal is good or bad, because I’m capping greenhouse gasses, coal power plants, natural gas…you name it…whatever the plants were, whatever the industry was, they would have to retro-fit their operations.
[Emphasis mine]
Now this kind of cluelessness when it comes to energy policy will certainly lead to higher prices without any benefit to the environment. After all, the earth has been on a cooling trend for the past ten or more years, and “global warming” climate modeling has been shown to be quite error prone. Forcing people to spend more on energy will not help anyone.
In addition, look at countries in which their populations cannot afford the forms of energy that we enjoy. Is the environment any better when people have to cut down trees and light fire from dung? Maybe Senator Petersen needs to step out of Fairfax and live in such paradises.
And with three kids, my guess is that Mr. Petersen owns at least one vehicle that is not tops in fuel economy. Cramming three kids in the back of a Toyota Yaris? I DOUBT IT!
It’s not hard to figure out that the holes in Chap Petersen’s logic are bigger than those in Joe (“I opposed the Alaska Pipeline”) Biden’s doughnuts. In fact, it’s a piece of “cake.”
Virginia Governor Tim Kaine (D) wrote to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar on February 19, 2009 asking him to delay the sale of oil and gas exploration lease rights. Kaine’s reasoning was that he wanted the delays to be in keeping with Secretary Salazar’s 180-day extension of the comment period on the proposed development of oil and gas resources on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf. The sales were scheduled to take place in 2011. Governor Kaine also wants to avoid “singling out a particular state for a lease sale.”
Now wait – aren’t we facing a budget deficit in Virginia? Wouldn’t development of oil and gas result in more high-paying jobs and an expanded tax base? Does anyone really think that these “green jobs” could really be an effective substitute for energy development? I am not saying that all green jobs (even the government-funded ones) are worthless, but they can’t be to the exclusion of private sector energy development.
The American Petroleum Institute had some interesting things to say on February 25. They noted that this is part of “a pattern” of delay, especially after the Secretary extended the comment period on other oil and gas leasing proposals. Note this interesting passage from API President Jack Girard:
Americans support expanded development of our domestic resources. Even as oil and gasoline prices have plummeted in recent months, 61 percent say they want to see development of our resources in off-limits federal waters. A full 70 percent of Virginians in a July poll supported increased offshore development. It is time to start listening to the wisdom of the American people and stop putting off until tomorrow what we should be doing today.
Now that Tim Kaine is Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, he works for people who are much more important than mere constituents. He has probably learned all kinds of interesting technological things from his Hollywood donor base, like how you don’t need all that drilling when you can just get energy from the plug!
Back in August I commented on how Russia was damaging its economy because of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s Bonapartist adventures. So given how the Russian markets had sunk at that point, did any of you buy? I sure hope not! Here is the latest performance chart for the Russia Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) RSX:
Bloomberg reports that trading on Russia’s stock exchanges had to be halted due to back-to-back double digit percentage losses. Interest rates are also double digit. Credit has dried up in Russia in part due to bank shares dropping and in part to the Lehman Brothers collapse.
In the meantime, London’s Daily Telegraph reports that Russia wants to make unilateral claims on the Arctic. Putin is also increasing his defense spending significantly. Does this guy not get it? We all know how well the Soviet Union performed. Does he think he can have it both ways with his restrictions on speech and press and still encourage a booming market economy?
Do you think that Obama and Biden are still going to say that the Alaska pipeline was a bad idea and should be shut down and dismantled? Despite all that enviro-whacko screaming about dire environmental consequences, the caribou and other animals in the Arctic environment have flourished.
Let's keep reminding the voters about the Democrats, the party of darkness and shortages.
Former Illinois State Senator Barack Hussein Obama Soetoro Jr. told a real whopper in Virginia:
Everybody’s watching what’s going on in Beijing right now with the Olympics. Think about the amount of money that China has spent on infrastructure. Their ports, their train systems, their airports are vastly the superior to us now, which means if you are a corporation deciding where to do business you’re starting to think, “Beijing looks like a pretty good option.”
Where do we begin? Let’s see, how about the fact that China has a reputation for using slave labor? I must say, this remark is, er, ironic given that Obama said this in antebellum plantation country!
And this coming from the same Barack Obama who decried foreign competition not too long before in other areas of Virginia. Oh, well, that, too, was ancient history.
Where does China get the energy to run all that fabulous infrastructure? If you are an Obamamoron, maybe you think it all comes from the plug!
Even more interestingly, as Q and O points out, a lot of what you see on the Olympics is just a bit of a façade. China still has a lot of people using bicycles. Then again, Chinese are making and buying lots of cars, which I thought the leftists opposed (except for themselves). The leftists also seem not to be able to assign responsibility for the resulting increase in fuel prices to demand in places like China; they would rather blame ExxonMobil.
If things are so great with the Chinese, maybe Obama would like to eat some fried cicadas and other delicacies. By the time we are all done with his tax hikes, that’s all the rest of us will be able to afford to eat!
Hey, as Lincoln Steffens (1866 – 1936) said, “I have seen the future, and it works.” That fits just right for someone like Obama who associates with unrepentant leftists. All the wrong history repeats itself with this guy, don’t you think?
Even more interestingly, Obama has to talk about transportation in front of Timmy! Kaine. Um, isn’t that the same Tim Kaine who has shown absolutely no leadership on the issue of transportation?
Electric cars and gas-electric hybrids are so quiet that they present a safety hazard for the visually-impaired. In response, the California legislature has passed a law requiring a minimum noise level. Cars have come a long way, haven’t they?
Is this a case of lawmakers run amok? Or is this the result of technology that various governments have pushed for really hard without considering all the drawbacks?
Once again, the superiority of the diesel engine is demonstrated, right? ;)
Fairfax Delegate Carmine “Chuck” Caputo (D-67) finally gave his constituents an explanation as to why he missed the General Assembly Special Session that had been called to deal with transportation. According to Caputo, he was on a site visit to examine the feasibility of biodiesel-based river transport at the invitation of former Vice President Al Gore. Caputo helpfully provided a picture of the vessel and says he plans to "float" this idea in the next General Assembly session.
“With this ship we can move hundreds, if not dozens of people monthly,” said Caputo. “It will take care of the need for outer crossings or burdening my constituents with additional lane miles of roads. Since Governor Kaine clearly has no interest in building new roads for Northern Virginia, I thought that Al Gore’s boat would be the logical alternative.”
Caputo heaped praise on Gore and the eponymously-named “BS-1.” “The BS-1 is even equipped with a jet ski that can take commuters on smaller bodies of water. With proper planning, I am confident that we can test it on Little Rocky Run. I am also confident that we can cut a few minutes off the carbon emissions from those pesky little Smart cars.”
Al Gore was a gracious host. “He gave me a few carbon credits for my birthday,” said Caputo. “I think he will also put in a good word for me with Ted Kennedy so I can research his environmentally-conscious marine transportation technology as well."
I’ve seen a couple of good editorials in the Wall Street Journal this week with back stories about Russia in the wake of its military action against the Republic of Georgia. In addition to Bonapartist ventures beyond its borders, the Russian government has been harassing domestic businesses again. Check out this editorial from the August 11 Wall Street Journal:
The story revolves around Russian coal and steel company Mechel, which is publicly listed on the New York Stock exchange. On Friday the firm said it was going to postpone a preferred share placement in the wake of a battering its shares took from the volatile Mr. Putin.
Late last month, Mr. Putin accused the company of price gouging and tax evasion and warned of investigations to follow. He also got personal after Mechel CEO Igor Zyuzin failed to show up to a meeting the prime minister was holding with business leaders. "The director has been invited, and he suddenly became ill," said Mr. Putin, according to the Moscow Times. "I think he should get well as soon as possible. Otherwise, we will have to send him a doctor and clean up all the problems." Mr. Zyuzin had been hospitalized a day earlier with heart problems.
Coming from Mr. Putin, such talk is nothing short of terrifying: Consider the fate of former Yukos CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky, now in jail in Siberia while Yukos's assets were gobbled up by state-owned oil company Rosneft. Investors swiftly took note: Mechel's stock dropped by more than 33% in a day, while the Russian exchange fell by 9%.
Interestingly, exchange-traded funds related to Russia have plunged since the beginning of June. The Market Vectors Russia ETF Trust (NYSE: RSX) fund is down close to 30% since that time, with some deep declines in the past week or so. Harassment of the free market is never a good thing in any country!
Western governments and Western oil executives have played an unwise role in Mr. Putin's plan. No amount of contract abrogation, outright seizure of property or subsidiary mayhem by Russian authorities seems able to dissuade them from throwing good money after bad in pursuit of Russian resources. Western minority shareholders in Yukos were wiped out with nary a peep when the Russian government seized the oil company on tax charges. There's been virtually no official pushback as environmental offenses were alleged as a reason to squeeze Western partners out of various drilling and pipeline projects after billions of dollars were committed.
Indeed, with what breezy confidence Mr. Putin must have turned Western oil companies into his political punching bags, knowing that back home Western politicians (Nancy Pelosi, Byron Dorgan, Dick Durbin, etc.) were doing exactly the same in pursuit of their own narrow and shortsighted political quests.
Jenkins makes some devastating statements about the consequences of not standing up to this state-sponsored bullying as well as the vapid view on energy of Congressional Democrats (and their 2008 presumptive Presidential nominee).
There is a certain irony in the similarity of the Democrats’ and Putin’s worldview. In each case, government control and power grabs seem to be motivating factors. Both have strong opposition to assertiveness on behalf of freedom and free markets. And both are, in the end, quite destructive with their policies.
I am glad to read that President Bush is starting to take more assertive action against the Russians. From everything we have seen, John McCain understands this whole situation inside and out, while Barack Obama is still trying to figure out if the Florida, South Carolina, or Tennessee National Guards would be the most appropriate to send. The initial reaction of many Democrats, to engage in blame, or even open sympathy to the Russians, is very telling. Reminds me of another decade, say, 30 years ago.
Isn’t this pretty funny coming from the people who fund madrassas that teach budding young terrorists that Jews (and other non-Muslims) are pigs and monkeys? Maybe these clowns should try to cram their posteriors into one of these vehicles. While they are at it, they can work on obeying traffic laws, also. Hey, not everyone has access to the big, powerful Benzes and BMWs!
It is not known yet whether or not the Obama campaign is working on a scolding response.
We've all had a lot of fun at the expense of Democrat Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her adjournment of the House of Representatives. As we remember, she adjourned the House without allowing a vote on drilling and then had the lights shut off. She then went on a book tour, and ironically, the title of her book is Know Your Power: A Message to America's Daughters.
In honor of the speaker, I just wanted to dedicate this song to her. The last line is perfect:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) today put on display what she expects to be a modern energy plan for the country. As Republicans demanded debate and a vote on an energy plan that would open new domestic resources to exploration and drilling, the Democratic leadership adjourned Congress and shut off the lights.
“We are setting a good example with this sort of conservation,” said Speaker Pelosi. “We can cut the power bill in the House, and probably in the Senate also by shutting the lights and sound off every time the Republicans want to speak. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) is interested in doing the same thing to the Republicans and to Joe Lieberman (I-CT).”
When asked how she got the idea, Pelosi responded, “It’s quite simple. Many of my constituents in the San Francisco Bay area universities often keep those with a conservative point of view from speaking. Professors at San Francisco State and Cal-Berkeley were very helpful in designing this ingenious energy-saving plan. Besides, former Vice President Al Gore has promised us all kinds of carbon credits. Now I can take my grandchildren on more rides in the limos and airplanes. See, I told everyone I wanted to save the planet!”
Pelosi is looking at other energy-saving ideas. “Maybe I will cut off the electricity and phones in the Republicans’ offices,” she said.
1. Since he beat Hillary, he has felt that he was having a “Goodyear.” 2. He was going to deliver a “stem” winder but got lost. 3. He should “tread” lightly on the issue. 4. Obama is obviously not well-rounded. 5. Democrat policies always lead to inflationary pressures. 6. The Democrats have demonstrated how they are out of alignment and balance. 7. Attacks by Republicans have gotten Obama overly “torqued.” 8. Barack Obama will propose use of tire inflation for “carbon sequestration.” 9. Barack Hussein Obama, Sr. was none too good with “rubber” things, either. 10. Obama gets no rolls so he goes “pop.” (Inspired by my seven-year-old son.)
If you are not too “tired” of these bad jokes, feel free to add more in the comments section.
