Ben Lieberman writes the Truth. Finally, someone in the written MSM “gets it.”
From the New York Post:
President Obama has a solution to the Gulf oil spill: $7-a-gallon gas.
That’s a Harvard University study’s estimate of the per-gallon price of the president’s global-warming agenda. And Obama made clear this week that this agenda is a part of his plan for addressing the Gulf mess.
So what does global-warming legislation have to do with the oil spill?
Good question, because such measures wouldn’t do a thing to clean up the oil or fix the problems that led to the leak.
The answer can be found in Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel’s now-famous words, “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste — and what I mean by that is it’s an opportunity to do things that you think you could not do before.”
But, as I keep hammering home, that is precisely the point of the current crisis and the point of Mr Obama’s under-reaction. It’s time to sacrifice our southern coasts on behalf of an agenda.
Continuing, from Mr Lieberman:
Now the president is repackaging cap-and-trade — again — as a long-term solution to the oil spill. But it’s the same old agenda, a huge energy tax that will raise the cost of gasoline and electricity high enough so that we’re forced to use less.
The logic linking cap-and-trade to the spill in the Gulf should frighten anyone who owns a car or truck. Such measures force up the price at the pump — Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs thinks it “may require gas prices greater than $7 a gallon by 2020” to meet Obama’s stated goal of reducing emissions 14 percent from the transportation sector.
Of course, doing so would reduce gasoline use and also raise market share for hugely expensive alternative fuels and vehicles that could never compete otherwise. Less gasoline demand means less need for drilling and thus a slightly reduced chance of a repeat of the Deepwater Horizon spill — but only slightly. Oil will still be a vital part of America’s energy mix.
Oil must be a major part of American energy. There is no viable alternative. There are smaller chunks of the plan but any one of those parts — or even the conglomerate — isn’t remotely sufficient to step in as a fossil fuel replacement.
Sadly, the bulk of Americans and youth think of oil solely in association with cars and trucks on the freeway. They are told they “want” electric cars. We are not equipped to handle the demand of electric vehicles. You remember, don’t you, when a barrel of oil peaked at $147 in July of 2008?
When was the last time we built a refinery? When was the last time we built an electrical generation station?
To the Obama Administration:
If you really want to bring America to a complete standstill, you just bring on the $7 a gallon gas.
I dare you.
BZ
the Greens will LOVE $7 gas…people will stay out of their cars…BIG WIN FOR THE WH. The economy will be even more shut down, just the way they like it so those prosperous types with good jobs can suffer like they’ve felt America’s poor has for all these generations (!), cars off the road saving us from pollution; Don’t say “Bring it on” too loudly, BZ, this is their dream. 🙁
$7 a gallon gas, or even $5, will get people off their butts and vote the bastards out.
I also read this and this man will fall by the end of the year when the gas companies start gouging us to get their money back. And they will, that’s the big joke about this “BP” money.
These dumb liberals don’t realize their GAS money is our money, just like the government’s money is ours since so little obviously work and pay taxes. So we’ll pay higher taxes and higher gas prices to pay for the spill . That’s Obama’s boot on their neck. It’s more like Boot on our throats.
BZ,
Wow. Scary stuff. I only have to drive to work. What happens to the truckers? By extension, what happens to us? We need to bring some sanity back to our country.
$7 a gallon? Ye, gods!
And let us not forget what would happen to the cost of heating oil! The Northeast would go under economically during cold weather.
Furthermore, the cost of transporting food would skyrocket, and that increased cost would be passed along to consumers.
So much for BHO’s helping “the little people.”
LOT: here’s what happens: everything STOPS. Because all our consumables are transported by major carriers that depend primarily on DIESEL.
That would include common carriers such as:
– UPS, FedEx, DHL, etc.
– All forms of commercial trucking
– All railroads
– Container ships
– Car carrier ships
– VLCC & ULCC ships
Then all forms of vehicular land traffic stops.
A partial list of products made from Petroleum (144 of 6000 items):
One 42-gallon barrel of oil creates 19.4 gallons of gasoline. The rest (over half) is used to make things like:
Solvents
Diesel fuel
Motor Oil
Bearing Grease
Ink
Floor Wax
Ballpoint Pens
Football Cleats
Upholstery
Sweaters
Boats
Insecticides
Bicycle Tires
Sports Car Bodies
Nail Polish
Fishing lures
Dresses
Tires
Golf Bags
Perfumes
Cassettes
Dishwasher parts
Tool Boxes
Shoe Polish
Motorcycle Helmet
Caulking
Petroleum Jelly
Transparent Tape
CD Player
Faucet Washers
Antiseptics
Clothesline
Curtains
Food Preservatives
Basketballs
Soap
Vitamin Capsules
Antihistamines
Purses
Shoes
Dashboards
Cortisone
Deodorant
Footballs
Putty
Dyes
Panty Hose
Refrigerant
Percolators
Life Jackets
Rubbing Alcohol
Linings
Skis
TV Cabinets
Shag Rugs
Electrician’s Tape
Tool Racks
Car Battery Cases
Epoxy
Paint
Mops
Slacks
Insect Repellent
Oil Filters
Umbrellas
Yarn
Fertilizers
Hair Coloring
Roofing
Toilet Seats
Fishing Rods
Lipstick
Denture Adhesive
Linoleum
Ice Cube Trays
Synthetic Rubber
Speakers
Plastic Wood
Electric Blankets
Glycerin
Tennis Rackets
Rubber Cement
Fishing Boots
Dice
Nylon Rope
Candles
Trash Bags
House Paint
Water Pipes
Hand Lotion
Roller Skates
Surf Boards
Shampoo
Wheels
Paint Rollers
Shower Curtains
Guitar Strings
Luggage
Aspirin
Safety Glasses
Antifreeze
Football Helmets
Awnings
Eyeglasses
Clothes
Toothbrushes
Ice Chests
Footballs
Combs
CD’s & DVD’s
Paint Brushes
Detergents
Vaporizers
Balloons
Sun Glasses
Tents
Heart Valves
Crayons
Parachutes
Telephones
Enamel
Pillows
Dishes
Cameras
Anesthetics
Artificial Turf
Artificial limbs
Bandages
Dentures
Model Cars
Folding Doors
Hair Curlers
Cold cream
Movie film
Soft Contact lenses
Drinking Cups
Fan Belts
Car Enamel
Shaving Cream
Ammonia
Refrigerators
Golf Balls
Toothpaste
Gasoline
BZ
And then comes the sea based traffic to take goods to and from this country… and aviation fuel as well. How many airlines would be left if ticket costs went through the roof? How many shipping companies?
Those goods from overseas must be able to get here to be distributed, so no matter how low cost the Chinese goods are, they go nowhere without ships. Thus goes China.
There are already hundreds of ships at anchor off coastlines in Oceania… and that will grow. No shipyards on this planet have new orders and the ones they have are being cancelled across the board. Ship building was already on a course for a hiatus globally… now it will be more than just that.
I do point out that green is also the color of mold and moss: those things that don’t look as appealing as grass and trees. When you stop, you gather moss and, thusly, become green… until the mold sets in.
Similar happened under FDR… which is why Fascism in Europe looked like a ‘way out’, while all it did was make the weapons of war to ‘stimulate’ economies. That would, decidedly, stimulate things… don’t mind the millions dead due to it.
AJ: the truth! Ouch!
BZ
BZ,
Point well taken. Really, excess gas prices, no problem, right?