Monthly Archives: June 2011

Strategic Petroleum Reserve to be Renamed “The Hope and Change Re-Election PAC”

Posted on June 29, 2011 by Steve Maley

You heard it here first. The International Energy Agency, a body whose membership parallels the G-20 and which is dominated by members of the EU, announced that it may consider releasing more oil from “its stockpile” (1.6 billion barrels, nearly … Continue reading →

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The New York Times Says Shale Gas is a Giant Ponzi Scheme. Erm, No.

Posted on June 28, 2011 by Steve Maley

The New York Times really hates natural gas. Just in the last year, the Times has run scaremongering articles on the dangers of hydrofracking and Gasland-inspired tales of groundwater contamination in the “shale plays”, the unconventional sources of natural gas … Continue reading →

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Why Did Obama Open the Strategic Petroleum Reserve?

Posted on June 26, 2011 by Steve Maley

On Thursday, the Department of Energy announced a release of thirty million barrels of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the nation’s stockpile supposedly set aside for emergency supply disruptions. Washington, DC – U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced … Continue reading →

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The New York Times’ Crackpot Tax Analysis

Posted on June 22, 2011 by Steve Maley

The latest dispatch in the New York Times‘ ongoing editorial series “Those Mean and Ignorant Republicans” comes from Bruce Bartlett, who served in the Reagan and Bush I administrations and on the staffs of Jack Kemp and Ron Paul. Bartlett … Continue reading →

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ThinkProgress and Lee Fang vs the Evil Koch Brothers

Posted on June 19, 2011 by Steve Maley

While I claim no expertise, I do have a general understanding of how the oil market works, which is more than can be said for ThinkProgress “investigative journalist” Lee Fang. A series of articles (notably here and here) has convinced … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Energy | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Republican Leadership Conference, Day 1

Posted on June 17, 2011 by Steve Maley

The speakers for Day 1 of the Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans included luminaries such as Mike Huckabee, Michael Williams, and Ted Cruz, along with our own Erick Erickson. I’ll confine my remarks to the presidential candidates. Newt Gingrich … Continue reading →

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Of ATMs, Mousetraps and Watches

Posted on June 15, 2011 by Steve Maley

“If you build a better mousetrap, the world will beat a path to your door.” Judging from his comments regarding ATMs and unemployment, President Obama blames the better mousetrap for 400,000 out-of-work cats. Cats who are starving for the lack … Continue reading →

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Dispatches from the Gulf … of Mexico

Posted on June 10, 2011 by Steve Maley

ExxonMobil hits large Keathley Canyon discovery (Oil and Gas Journal, June 8, 2011). XOM announces the discovery of 700 million barrels equivalent (BOE) of oil and gas in 7,000 feet of water, 250 miles offshore Louisiana. Shell’s Cardamom to come … Continue reading →

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What’s Your Political IQ? Results and Discussion

Posted on June 5, 2011 by Steve Maley

Yes, it was an easy quiz. Elementary, even. Yes, several of the questions are hardly “political”. They had to include certain questions (“Mark Zuckerberg”?) so that certain segments of the population would register with a pulse. But the results of … Continue reading →

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What’s Your Political IQ?

Posted on June 4, 2011 by Steve Maley

There’s an online quiz at the Pew Research Center’s website: 11 questions to rate your political IQ. The quiz should take just a few minutes to complete. You can take the poll here: http://pewresearch.org/politicalquiz/ Record your score below. You’re welcome … Continue reading →

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