WSJ: “Why is Randy Forbes all alone out there?”
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In today’s Capital Journal by Gerald Seib of the Wall Street Journal, he features Rep. Randy Forbes efforts to unite Congress behind his efforts to create a “New Manhattan Project” - seven prize-winning challenges placed before the scientific, business and engineering community to make the U.S. energy independent in the next twenty years. Seib laments the fact that more in Congress are not following Forbes’ lead.
The surprising thing is that there aren’t 100 Randy Forbes out there, issuing similar calls to arms to seize this moment and finally cure the country’s oil addiction. As it happens, Rep. Forbes says he went roaming the Capitol looking for partners — and found no takers.
“We scoured the halls of Congress because we wanted to join up with somebody else who’s thought about these issues and who’s come up with some ideas, and we kept coming up empty,” he says.
Here, then, is the real energy shortage in America. The stunning part of Washington’s reaction to $4-a-gallon gasoline is that there has been so little reaction at all. This is as close as the country has been to a genuine energy crisis in 30 years, yet there has been no unifying cry to mount the ramparts as a nation, to rally together to rid America of the curse of oil addiction, to rise to this challenge as America has to others in its history.
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This timidity in the face of challenge troubles Rep. Forbes. “Maybe one of the reasons we’ve developed some of the mediocrity we have is that we aren’t thinking bigger,” he says. “I really hope for once we can lay aside the partisan bickering, and we can lay aside the posturing.”
I don’t know anyone would find it surprising that no one in Washington is interested in breaking the oil industry’s strangle hold on America’s oil dependence.
Apart from the fact that all those congress-things have received oil money for their election war chests, NO ONE in congress is being hurt by $4 or even $5 a gallon gas.
Oh contraire… With in their little circle of friends the current price of oil is the best think that’s ever happened.
Everyone they know is getting rich. Not just a little bit rich, but grotesquely rich.
I know you guys all think that the goal of all good conservatives is to amass wealth, and I don’t nessasarly disagree.
But how much is enough? The people who’ve bought and paid for Washington obviously feel that there is no limit; and what they do to the country and the American public is of no concern to them as long as they can walk with billions.
Most of the posts I’ve read on this blog are fairly intelligent well though out. But too many of you still fail to look past labels.
America is at war. Apart from those in uniform and thier families, where is the sacrifice? Why can’t the oil industry be taxed on their windfall profits?
Pentagon studies have sited our dependence on oil as a major national security concern. Why aren’t any of those good conservative congressmen demanding a Manhattan Project on energy?
Simple. The American governmental system is broken. It doesn’t matter who you vote for, or which party. We’re going down in flames and all we’re doing is calling each other names.
We deserve every thing that happens to us.
“Why can’t the oil industry be taxed on their windfall profits?”
Because it was a horrible thing last time there was one (1980-1988)
It generated 79 billion in total revenue, but since it was deductible against corporate income, its net revenue was a scant 40 billion. The IRS spent 15 million a year to collect it, and the oil industry spent 40 million a year just to comply with it, which also was deductible. How much are you gonna buy with negative revenue?
While the windfall profits tax was in place, domestic oil production slowed to its lowest point in 20 years, as reliance on foreign oil rose from 32% in 1980 to 38% in 1988.
When Huey Long former populist Governor and Senator from Louisiana tried to tax Standard Oil, they had him assassinated.
I have never met a Congressman who didn’t understand a slap in the mouth or a slug from a .45.
Only when the government fears the People, is there Liberty.
Vote against every incumbent who does not advocate U.S. energy independence by 2020.