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Back to National Security - Energy Independence The Energy Trap in American Government - a failure of leadership Two powerful forces have dominated the energy policy in Congress: the monopoly power of international oil conglomerates and the new age devotion to an environmental theology that burdens average Americans and thwarts the implementation and technological innovation needed to overcome dependency on foreign oil. The "earth first" environmentalists have become a strong voice in Washington in both the Democrat and Republican parties, with the Democratic Party being their stronghold. But instead of offering any practical solutions, the environmental extremists have assumed a contrarian posture of always being against ideas and innovation:
The "earth first" lobby is devoted to reducing America's consumption of gas and oil (called reducing our carbon footprint) by raising the price of gas and oil. By raising prices, Americans will be deterred from consuming as much fuel. Of course, this overlooks the fact that ordinary Americans rely on their cars to go to work, school, and the doctor, and that higher fuel prices impact average Americans far more severely than the elitists that promote this madness. Nevertheless, they set out to raise fuel prices in four ways: one, requiring gasoline to be remixed to suit the seasons of the years, which takes refineries off-line for retooling twice a year; two, prohibiting the construction of new gasoline refineries so supply remains limited driving prices higher; three, opposing off-shore drilling and drilling in Alaska to limit the supply of crude; forth, increase taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel. The oil cartels and conglomerates do not represent the interests of America's National Security either. To the contrary, they reap the profits of increased fuel prices and live in a sick and symbiotic relationship with the radical environmentalists in their joint opposition to the development and use of alternative forms of energy. In order to keep the oil flowing, the oil companies and their lobby put pressure on the government to accommodate islamist regimes such as Saudi Arabia in spite of the human rights abuses dealt out under Sharia law against women and non-muslims who are treated as quasi-humans known in islamic law as dhimmi. When the middle east flow of oil is threatened by muslim regimes that no longer wish to play ball with the American and European oil companies, then the international oil lobby cries for war, not total war, but a limited war designed to keep the oil exports coming, all in the matter of the vital national interests of America. Hence, the government is trapped into paying tribute to the powerful oil islamists that preach death to America and destruction to freedom, and when money fails, the government is left with little option other than military action to protect the flow of oil. Such a policy is neither wise nor sustainable in the long run.So long as America and its leaders serve these two forces, big oil and radical environmentalism, independence from foreign oil will remain a dream, and our National Security will remain compromised. For an independent approach to strengthening America by weaning us from the dependency of foreign oil, support Jim Rutledge for the US Senate in 2010.
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© 2010 Jim Rutledge for U.S. Senate |
