As “Vladimir”, I’ve written at length about the destructive energy policies of the Left and of the Obama Administration. Specifically, their hostility toward domestic producers and the producing states will inevitably lead to higher unemployment and a stagnant economy in the near term; long term, they imperil our national security.
What could possibly motivate them?
Some say that Obama is merely the puppet of an evil conspiracy which is bent on our destruction.
Others say that Obama thinks he is acting in the country’s best interest, but that his perspective is limited and his worldview is skewed.
It is important for us to act as if it is the latter, and here’s why.
If we act as if we believe that world events are under the control of evil masterminds (whether it be the Illuminati, Zionists, the Trilateral Commission or George Soros), we do three things: 1) we invest the opposition with unassailable power; 2) we confine ourselves to a fringe movement; and, perhaps most significantly, 3) we excuse our own inaction, because, after all, we’re powerless.
Occam’s razor dictates that the simplest explanation is usually the best one. If you have to connect too many dots, chances are you’re connecting them wrong. That’s where conspiracy theories usually fall apart.
We don’t need to figure out who Obama’s puppet master is, or if he has one. He has told us his strategy, and he is carrying it out.
President Obama said we should expect energy to become more expensive, and it has.
He said he would focus on green energy over conventional sources, and he has.
He said he would propose increased taxes on conventional energy producers (who, by the way, supply 82% of our daily energy needs), and he has.
He has used the opportunity afforded by the BP Spill to begin dismantling the infrastructure of the Gulf of Mexico, the source of 30% of domestic oil and 12% of natural gas.
He has canceled two Gulf of Mexico Lease Sales. 2011 will be the first year since 1967 without a Lease Sale in the Gulf. Future sales depend on completion of environmental reviews; who knows when that may happen?
He has unleashed the EPA on American industry.
The Department of the Interior no longer has a charge to support energy development. The pace of onshore leasing of public lands has decreased markedly.
President Obama does none of these things with evil intent. He reveals himself to be a product of his background and education, no more, no less. He is an Ivory Tower elitist who chooses only Ivory Tower elitists to advise him. His Administration is devoid of experience outside of public policy and academia. He and his advisers don’t even know what they don’t know. They are informed only by Leftist dogma, Keynesian crackpot economics, and Chicago-style street-thug tactics. The arrogance of power is what makes them dangerous.
It’s also what makes them vulnerable.
Over nine million American jobs depend on oil and gas. The unemployment rate in North Dakota, one of the hottest oil drilling plays in the country, stands at 3.8%. Drilling booms in the Louisiana, South Texas and Pennsylvania prove the potential of the petroleum economic engine, if only we would unleash it.
Stay active. Stay engaged. Stay involved. Especially readers in the non-producing states, your representatives need to hear from you.
Cross-posted at RedState.com.
Maley's Energy Blog 