The Game Of Gas

Oil, the oil industry, and the entire concept of energy independence has been nothing but a huge scam on the American consumers. For decades both Republicans and Democrats have promised energy independence and lofty goals of new sustainable energy. Let's look at some that Lawrence Dickerson from Offshore-mag.com recalls

Republican President Richard Nixon, January 1974, when our nation was importing 35% of our oil:

Let this be our national goal: At the end of the decade, in the year 1980, the United States will not be dependent on any other country for the energy we need to provide our jobs, to heat our homes, and to keep our transportation going.

Democrat President Jimmy "oil lines" Carter, 1979's Crisis of Confidence Speech, our nation importing over 48% of our oil:

I am tonight setting a clear goal for the energy policy of the United States. Beginning this moment, the nation will never use more foreign oil than we did in 1977 - never.

Republican President George H. W. Bush, 1991, in his National Energy Strategy:

When our administration developed our national energy strategy, three principles guided our policy: reducing our dependence on foreign oil, protecting our environment, and promoting economic growth.

By 1993, our oil imports reached 50%.

Democrat President William Clinton, June 2000 letter:

With so much attention focused on the recent spike in gasoline prices and OPEC's decision to increase production quotas, it is critical that we not lose sight of our nation's long-term energy needs. For seven years, my Administration has pursued a sound, comprehensive policy to address those needs.

Empty promises from both sides - and still these empty promises continue in the debates. Politicians lie about energy. Energy issues make for great political talk - and promises never kept. As far as gas goes, every government from local to federal makes huge amounts of money off of oil sales - do you really think politicians want to see that revenue stream dry up? (Oregon was the first with a gas tax).

My steps to energy independence:

1. Allow offshore drilling in American territories - much safer than transporting oil in ships. Once we even announced this expect OPEC to drop oil prices dramatically.
2. Assess a 10% requirement (NOT A TAX) on oil company gross profits that would be need be spent on new energy research and development. Anything new that generates energy or improvements to efficiency to current technologies. The energy R&D must be for non-combustible technologies.
3. Assess a "frivolous gas device" fee of 10% of the sales price for worthless gas devices where alternatives exist. At the top of the list would be gas blowers often used by landscape companies to blow leaves onto someone else's property.
4. Restart nuclear power plants. Safe, efficient, and cost-effective yet environmental extremists have kept such clean sources of power from being built for over 30 years.
   

Those are just a start, I'm sure you could think of many more. Just watch the candidates on both sides of the isle make promises about energy independence. My readers will be informed that it's just the same old BS.

To put JFK's space challenge into the goal of energy independence and new energy technologies:

We choose to discover new energy technologies in this decade, and do the other things -- not because they are easy; but because they are hard; because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills; because that challenge is one that we're willing to accept; one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win -- and the others, too.

So let's stop advancing more red tape, more bureaucracy, more taxes and let's set some hard-core technology goals to achieve. It will never be solved by BIG GOVERNMENT or by the UN.