The Gasoline “Crisis”

One thing should be clear by now; there is no shortage of oil.  Once again, speculators are driving up the price of crude, the outrageous costs being justified by whatever voodoo practices the international traders employ to “predict” the costs of future oil supplies.

It is no doubt purely co-incidental that the most recent surge in gasoline prices has occurred immediately following Barack Obama’s much-publicized decision to block (through inaction) the construction of a pipeline from Canada that would bring not only oil from our neighbor that might reduce our dependency on the whims of OPEC, but would also inject thousands of badly needed jobs into a staggering U.S. economy.

The President continues with his slavish devotion to “alternative energy” production, now insisting that growing algae for fuel is a beacon of light that will help America in its fight for energy independence, while ignoring that by a simple stroke of the pen he could institute huge improvements in refinery production by setting one and only one standard for gasoline content rather than the dozens of different mixtures that are insisted upon by California and some other states.  Not to mention the looming disaster that will be the result of increasing ethanol content that is demanded by legislators from the farming states.

And it does not help that there has not been a new oil refinery built in America for decades thanks to blocking actions introduced by the environmentalists (who seem to ignore the fact that any new additions would be much more environmentally friendly than the existing plants).

With such a cockamamie mishmash that passes for a national energy policy, it is no surprise that sporadic inflationary spikes have become the norm when it comes to gasoline prices.

There are enough proven resources of oil in North America to provide sufficient fuel for our nation’s needs, enabling us to detach ourselves from the Middle East providers altogether, if only we were allowed to utilize shale deposits, Alaskan sites and offshore drilling sites now open to foreign countries but banned to U.S. companies.  Not to mention the abundance of natural gas that technology could enable us to employ as an alternative to gasoline.

And yet we continue to struggle with the detrimental costs of road transportation fueled by foreign oil that influences the cost of living in so many ways.  A multitude of suggestions and solutions for improvement have been buried under the oppressive boots of bureaucrats, legislators and special interests, all intent on preserving their lucrative existence rather than looking after the public welfare as they were elected and appointed to do.

Once again we face a manufactured crisis that is all too eagerly embraced by an administration prepared to utilize any economic disadvantage to advance their destructive political goals.  “Business as usual” in Washington will not provide an answer to this problem that has been allowed to develop over decades.  We need leadership and innovation that is not going to be allowed under a ruling class that is more interested in creating subjugation than building a vibrant, growing economy.

If we, as a nation, want real change, then we are going to have to produce it by electing only officials with a proven record of success.  If we continue on our current path, that opportunity will vanish.

The Danger Increases

“When you see that trading is done, not by consent, but by compulsion – when you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing – when you see that money is flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favors – when you see that men get richer by graft and by pull than by work, and your laws don’t protect you against them, but protect them against you – when you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming self-sacrifice – you may know that your society is doomed.”  Ayn Rand, author

For the past three years I have been consistently baffled by what appeared to be a series of stupidly ineffective policies forced by the Obama administration, ranging from failed attempts to deal with the country’s economic issues to utterly incompetent foreign policy gaffes.  My reaction was to blame this unending string of bumbling inadequacies on a Chief Executive who was clearly out of his league when it came to making intelligent, informed decisions – but I have now come to realize that my perception was faulty.

I was, however, correct in one assumption; that our current President is a hidebound ideologue.  And therein lies the clear and present danger to America as we have known it, a shining example of equality of opportunity as opposed to the equality of result (a watered-down adaptation of Communism that has become the bete noir of many countries throughout the western world).

If one comes to regard the questionable and not infrequently un-Constitutional/illegal activities of Obama and his selected coterie of Marxist/Socialist assistants as a means to an end, then every failure, every restrictive new policy, every violation of American rights becomes understandable as part of Barack Obama’s plan to remake America to conform to the Marxist-inspired, Utopian future that has long been the dream of the Progressive Left and the dismal failure of that ideology in every attempt to enforce it.

Such a statement will surely inflame all Obama supporters, particularly those benefiting as either recipients or administrators of the greatly expanding welfare state.  But, if they can be honest with themselves, do not the words from Ayn Rand which opened this post accurately describe the current state of our society?

The failures of socialism are far too evident for many in those other countries who are beginning to reject its false and unachievable  promises.  Only in an environment in which the rule of law has been replaced by the rule of man, where independence and creativity is stifled, and where the economy has ground to a near-standstill can the siren songs featuring “equality”, “fair share”, and class envy present an attractive alternative.

Only when a previously vibrant, growing, productive society has been engineered to become an indebted, sputtering, resentful, weakened, increasingly isolationist ex-world power, can the restrictive, dictatorial, repressive environment imposed by the tyranny of Socialism become a tempting alternative.

Things are not better than when Obama gathered up the reins of power.  Those who are dependent upon government intervention and largesse are no better off than they were before and have far less opportunity to improve their lives.

But I believe that imminent failure is a necessary component of the design that Barack Obama intends to install.

This November’s election will truly be a vehicle for “change” and will influence the course of America for generations to come.  And at this point, there are only two choices: freedom or an ever-growing repressive and stultifying offshoot of Communism.

From where I sit, it looks like a 50-50 proposition.  Unless there is more backbone left to America than I have counted on.

 

Going Along to Get Along

Last election cycle many of the people in Maine decided that they had enough of the despotic Democratic rule that has mired Maine in economic and social distress for over three decades.  Accordingly, they voted in a Republican Governor, House and Senate for the state.  As a popular saying goes, “And how is that goin’ for ya?”

To our continued misfortune, not all that well.  The Governor, no matter how much the (now-minority) Democrats denigrate him for his supposed lack of intelligence, disingenuousness, dishonesty, and any other derogatory concept their industrious collective mindset can manufacture, has remained true to his promise to approach the state’s financial problems from a conservative perspective.  And what is wrong with this strategy, you might ask?

Well, if you pay attention to the howls of protest from the assorted special interests groups that the Democrats have showered massive amounts of state aid upon over the years, the Governor is determined to collapse Maine’s entire health care system so that he can shovel money to his favored constituents.  Sound familiar?  It should, since this is exactly what our so-called President is doing on a national basis and has been the favored tactic of the Democrats for increasing their voter base.  Liberals, you see, are always accusing their opponents of employing the tactics that they themselves use on a constant basis (it’s called projection and is a political tactic as well as a behavioral aberration).

But most important, this is budget-constructing time here in Maine and the Democrats are fanatically determined that no current programs will be cut or reduced in order to balance the budget – a requirement of Maine’s Constitution.  No matter that there is simply not enough money to pay for greatly expanded programs.  After all, the problem has been resolved under past Democratic leadership through a variety of accounting manipulations including a simple refusal to pay hundreds of millions of dollars owed to hospitals and other medical facilities that have treated Medicaid patients.

There are somewhere in the neighborhood (Department of Health and Human Services here in Maine has never been known for supplying accurate figures) of 18,000 adults not eligible for Medicare, all without dependent children, who have swollen the ranks of Medicaid to the point of overwhelming available funding and it is the Governor’s proposal to drop these individuals from the Medicaid program that has stirred up the hornet’s nest that is delaying the structuring of the next budget for Maine.

You see, Maine lawmakers do not have the luxury possessed by the Democrats in the U.S. Senate, who have blocked the preparation of a U.S. government budget for over three years now.  Interesting what effect a balanced budget requirement might bring to our nation, eh?

But the truly disappointing thing to have emerged from the brouhaha in Augusta, Maine is the number of politicians who wear the label of “Republican” but who have broken ranks to side with the Democrats in their fight against cuts in Medicaid services to balance the budget.  These are people who were elected by Maine voters in hopes that fiscal sanity might finally be brought to our state and the number of people enjoying the ride in the wagon might someday be reduced to below the number of those pulling it.

Fat chance, apparently.  Obviously, being a “Republican” no longer guarantees a conservative approach to stewardship of the public’s funds.  This has long been the case at the Federal level and the endemic corruption has worked its way down through the bureaucracy to state legislatures.  The main purpose of the majority of elected officials appears to be to ensure their own reelection and the consequences of profligate and careless overspending be damned.

This is perhaps easily understood when you look at our elected officials at the Federal level; after all, their perks and unlimited opportunities to enrich themselves at the public’s expense have become overwhelmingly entrenched and seemingly endless.  One might argue that here in Maine a legislator’s salary for a two-year term is meager – well under $5,000 for a “part-time” position.  But the dirty little secret that the moguls of Maine government would like to keep well-hidden is that members of any legislative committee are in Augusta most of the time that the Legislature is not in session and are compensated handsomely through mileage and per diem payments.  They make a lot of money that way, folks.  Not to mention the opportunities to connect with the “movers and shakers” that run Maine State Government and line their own pockets while doing so (Maine Turnpike authority, anyone?).

The only way I can see to make an effective change is (a) term limits at all elected levels (Maine does have this restriction: 4 terms and out – but that does not prevent a House member from running for the Senate or vice versa), and/or (b) keeping a close eye on an official’s voting record and refusing to vote for someone who does not keep their promises.

Yeah, I know that is a lot to ask.  But freedom ain’t free and if we keep on avoiding the cost we are going to find out in November just how much we are giving up.