Chris Adamo
The Obama/ energy strangle-hold on America
By Chris Adamo
While the Obama Administration has worked tirelessly at minimizing the negative political fallout of its "green jobs" debacle (Solyndra being among the few that gained attention), the nation has yet to fully grasp just how devastating the Obama agenda has been to the overall condition of America's energy resources and reserves. In a perverse sense, the ongoing economic downturn, persisting as it has for three years and with no end in sight, acts as something of a "safety valve" on the cost of gasoline and heating oil. The sole reason that the price at the pumps is not currently in the stratosphere is because the Obama economy has severely suppressed its use. Otherwise any rise in consumption would quickly exceed available supplies.
Thus, for those prices to remain low, the economic prognosis must remain grim. As soon as manufacturing activity heats up and traffic on the nation's highways increases in response, the demand for fossil fuels will likewise increase, triggering an upswing in their cost. In a sane world, this rise would be shortly offset by an increased supply, thereby balancing out the situation. However, with Obama and his Democrat cohorts stifling every attempt at expanding production, and worse, placing entire regions such as the Gulf of Mexico off limits (at least to Americans), the lack of any new supply of crude oil to compensate for higher demand guarantees that even a tiny spark of resurgent economic life will immediately result in escalating fuel prices, which in turn chokes out the activity.
This is the essence of the malaise that has gripped our nation throughout Obama's term. He and his cohorts contrive a means of undercutting America, whether by constricting available sources of energy, overburdening the financial system with criminally irresponsible deficit spending, or suffocating the ability of business owners to enlarge their enterprises and hire new employees because of new and onerous regulations. The consequent business contractions and closures result in more layoffs which, we are told, cry out for government intervention to properly "take care of the little guy."
Real America is angry and frustrated with the deliberate stifling of its economic engine by Washington, appalled at the squalor and mindlessness of the "Occupy" movement, and ready to break free from the unwarranted shackles preventing its restoration to greatness. Business owners across the nation would gladly implement plans for growth and expansion, including new hiring of employees, if only they could be assured that any future successes would not be entirely leached from them in the name of "fairness," "compassion," or "environmental responsibility." Yet every astute entrepreneur knows that this trio of liberal specters lurks in the shadows, and what their effect will be the moment they are unleashed on productive society.
The latest debacle over the "Keystone Pipeline," and the ongoing games being played with it by a callous and indifferent White House, give ample proof that whatever his real intentions may be, Barack Obama is not interested in achieving real, workable solutions to the problems facing America. Rather, he views each ensuing catastrophe as a political opportunity. Consequently, when America needs reasoned leadership, it can count on another insipid and churlish Obama speech. Why open the floodgates of productivity and prosperity by allowing advanced oil exploration when the "crisis" of an energy shortage will present another occasion to castigate the opposition party?
It is therefore no surprise that the ongoing Keystone Pipeline controversy is not being addressed by the Obama White House from the perspective of its manifold benefits to the nation. For starters, pipeline construction alone would generate thousands of productive jobs. Once completed, the pipeline would boost available petroleum supplies to the nation, thereby easing the upward pressure on oil and gasoline prices. Were the real goals of Democrat leaders, including Barack Obama, the betterment of the nation, this situation would be a "no brainer." Yet in order to make any sense out of the seemingly inane decisions that regularly spew forth from this White House, something far more sinister must ultimately be driving them.
On more than one occasion since inauguration day 2009, Barack Obama stunned America with absurd condemnations of the business sector, accusing company owners of refusing to take on new employees for cold and self-serving reasons. His "fix" was to denigrate them for their callous indifference, and attempt to badger them into hiring new workers as a selfless deed undertaken for the sake of the nation. In his mind, excess unproductive workers in private business should be no more burdensome than excess unproductive workers in the public sector, which is standard practice inside the Beltway and throughout state and municipal bureaucracies across the nation.
No doubt, Barack Obama wants to see unemployment rates drop, at least for the next eleven months. Election year politics demands as much. But he cannot implement any program that might return the long-term power to direct the nation's future to its rightful bearers, the people. An increased availability of cheap, abundant energy would do just that. At the same time, the ready practicality of fossil fuels would solidify the growing realization among Americans of the folly of the "green energy" agenda, and the true nature of its very "red" guiding philosophy.
So, at least until January 2013 (assuming the people have had their eyes opened since elections of 2008), America can expect to struggle and travail against a noxious opponent within its own government which continually thwarts them at every turn, and always under some noble sounding premise. After that, it will face one of two starkly diverging fates, depending on who is at the helm. Under the stewardship of a true, unwavering conservative possessing the courage to stay on track, it might rebound significantly. The ponderous engine of modern technology, once it is lifted from the slough of overregulation and taxation, could come roaring back to life.
Or, if Obama retains his place, the remaining gasping breaths of a struggling nation will be summarily snuffed out. In sharp contrast to past presidential contests, the pretense of middle ground no longer exists.
© Chris Adamo
December 15, 2011
While the Obama Administration has worked tirelessly at minimizing the negative political fallout of its "green jobs" debacle (Solyndra being among the few that gained attention), the nation has yet to fully grasp just how devastating the Obama agenda has been to the overall condition of America's energy resources and reserves. In a perverse sense, the ongoing economic downturn, persisting as it has for three years and with no end in sight, acts as something of a "safety valve" on the cost of gasoline and heating oil. The sole reason that the price at the pumps is not currently in the stratosphere is because the Obama economy has severely suppressed its use. Otherwise any rise in consumption would quickly exceed available supplies.
Thus, for those prices to remain low, the economic prognosis must remain grim. As soon as manufacturing activity heats up and traffic on the nation's highways increases in response, the demand for fossil fuels will likewise increase, triggering an upswing in their cost. In a sane world, this rise would be shortly offset by an increased supply, thereby balancing out the situation. However, with Obama and his Democrat cohorts stifling every attempt at expanding production, and worse, placing entire regions such as the Gulf of Mexico off limits (at least to Americans), the lack of any new supply of crude oil to compensate for higher demand guarantees that even a tiny spark of resurgent economic life will immediately result in escalating fuel prices, which in turn chokes out the activity.
This is the essence of the malaise that has gripped our nation throughout Obama's term. He and his cohorts contrive a means of undercutting America, whether by constricting available sources of energy, overburdening the financial system with criminally irresponsible deficit spending, or suffocating the ability of business owners to enlarge their enterprises and hire new employees because of new and onerous regulations. The consequent business contractions and closures result in more layoffs which, we are told, cry out for government intervention to properly "take care of the little guy."
Real America is angry and frustrated with the deliberate stifling of its economic engine by Washington, appalled at the squalor and mindlessness of the "Occupy" movement, and ready to break free from the unwarranted shackles preventing its restoration to greatness. Business owners across the nation would gladly implement plans for growth and expansion, including new hiring of employees, if only they could be assured that any future successes would not be entirely leached from them in the name of "fairness," "compassion," or "environmental responsibility." Yet every astute entrepreneur knows that this trio of liberal specters lurks in the shadows, and what their effect will be the moment they are unleashed on productive society.
The latest debacle over the "Keystone Pipeline," and the ongoing games being played with it by a callous and indifferent White House, give ample proof that whatever his real intentions may be, Barack Obama is not interested in achieving real, workable solutions to the problems facing America. Rather, he views each ensuing catastrophe as a political opportunity. Consequently, when America needs reasoned leadership, it can count on another insipid and churlish Obama speech. Why open the floodgates of productivity and prosperity by allowing advanced oil exploration when the "crisis" of an energy shortage will present another occasion to castigate the opposition party?
It is therefore no surprise that the ongoing Keystone Pipeline controversy is not being addressed by the Obama White House from the perspective of its manifold benefits to the nation. For starters, pipeline construction alone would generate thousands of productive jobs. Once completed, the pipeline would boost available petroleum supplies to the nation, thereby easing the upward pressure on oil and gasoline prices. Were the real goals of Democrat leaders, including Barack Obama, the betterment of the nation, this situation would be a "no brainer." Yet in order to make any sense out of the seemingly inane decisions that regularly spew forth from this White House, something far more sinister must ultimately be driving them.
On more than one occasion since inauguration day 2009, Barack Obama stunned America with absurd condemnations of the business sector, accusing company owners of refusing to take on new employees for cold and self-serving reasons. His "fix" was to denigrate them for their callous indifference, and attempt to badger them into hiring new workers as a selfless deed undertaken for the sake of the nation. In his mind, excess unproductive workers in private business should be no more burdensome than excess unproductive workers in the public sector, which is standard practice inside the Beltway and throughout state and municipal bureaucracies across the nation.
No doubt, Barack Obama wants to see unemployment rates drop, at least for the next eleven months. Election year politics demands as much. But he cannot implement any program that might return the long-term power to direct the nation's future to its rightful bearers, the people. An increased availability of cheap, abundant energy would do just that. At the same time, the ready practicality of fossil fuels would solidify the growing realization among Americans of the folly of the "green energy" agenda, and the true nature of its very "red" guiding philosophy.
So, at least until January 2013 (assuming the people have had their eyes opened since elections of 2008), America can expect to struggle and travail against a noxious opponent within its own government which continually thwarts them at every turn, and always under some noble sounding premise. After that, it will face one of two starkly diverging fates, depending on who is at the helm. Under the stewardship of a true, unwavering conservative possessing the courage to stay on track, it might rebound significantly. The ponderous engine of modern technology, once it is lifted from the slough of overregulation and taxation, could come roaring back to life.
Or, if Obama retains his place, the remaining gasping breaths of a struggling nation will be summarily snuffed out. In sharp contrast to past presidential contests, the pretense of middle ground no longer exists.
© Chris Adamo
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