Powering the Economic Engine of Freedom

Why didn’t the American Revolution happen in Ireland? The question warrants some thought.  The Irish were oppressed by the British in fact far more severely than were the colonies, they have a proud warrior tradition, a Judeo Christian heritage, access to the works of such men as Thomas Locke who was founder of many of the ideas of the American form of government. Yet it was half a world away that the Golden Age of American Freedom began. The answer is two fold: first is the proximity, it is reasonable to think that the Irish would have struggled to mount a successful campaign for freedom on the British home Isle at the heart of British power, but I think the second reason more compelling. You see the Irish population was decimated and in squalor. Little known to many modern historians a greater percent of the Irish population was sold into slavery than was the African, and those that remained were impoverished and dependent on the crown for what sustenance they could eek out. They simply lacked the strength and resource to mount a revolution of ideas.

In what would become the United States full political freedom was preceded by a measure of religious and economic freedom. Much of the tension that lead to the hostilities in the colonies sprung from British attempts to use the power of the tax to stifle and control the freedoms of the colonists. The American Revolution was in large part due to men who had been successful (i.e. the rich) risking ever thing to preserve economic opportunity for those still to come.

Two notes to public school teachers: slavery is a color blind evil and has oppressed people of all religious, ethnic and geographical boundaries, and the sustainability of religious and political freedom in the USA depends on the free enterprise system remaining strong, and the strength of the American economy rests on the ability to produce adequate energy. Energy equals oil.

Yes it would be good to replace fossil fuels with green energy and I believe that day will come but we are about as close to that as the farm tractor was to replacing the horse in1898.  

You will know when renewable energy has succeeded, the Liberals in congress will cease to want to subsidies it and complain that those accursed rich “big solar” execs don’t pay their fair share of taxes. When the free enterprise system creates and wants effective and affordable resources it will not need to be subsidized.

The Obama administration will point to our becoming an exporter of gasoline as proof of its leadership but remember the savings Obama plan for energy is similar to its plan for immigration, crate less demand through diminished economic activity. Not the plan I wish to support.

Here are some of the Republicans alternate plans.

Mitt Romney-   from Romney’s site As president, Mitt Romney will make every effort to safeguard the environment, but he will be mindful at every step of also protecting the jobs of American workers. This will require putting conservative principles into action.

Significant Regulatory Reform

The first step will be a rational and streamlined approach to regulation, which would facilitate rapid progress in the development of our domestic reserves of oil and natural gas and allow for further investment in nuclear power.

·                                 Establish fixed timetables for all resource development approvals

·                                 Create one-stop shop to streamline permitting process for approval of common activities

·                                 Implement fast-track procedures for companies with established safety records to conduct pre-approved activities in pre-approved areas

·                                 Ensure that environmental laws properly account for cost in regulatory process

·                                 Amend Clean Air Act to exclude carbon dioxide from its purview

·                                 Expand NRC capabilities for approval of additional nuclear reactor designs

·                                 Streamline NRC processes to ensure that licensing decisions for reactors on or adjacent to approved sites, using approved designs, are complete within two years

Increasing Production

The United States is blessed with a cornucopia of carbon-based energy resources. Developing them has been a pathway to prosperity for the nation in the past and offers similar promise for the future.

·                                 Conduct comprehensive survey of America’s energy reserves

·                                 Open America’s energy reserves for development

·                                 Expand opportunities for U.S. resource developers to forge partnerships with neighboring countries

·                                 Support construction of pipelines to bring Canadian oil to the United States

·                                 Prevent overregulation of shale gas development and extraction

Research and Development

Government has a role to play in innovation in the energy industry. History shows that the United States has moved forward in astonishing ways thanks to national investment in basic research and advanced technology. However, we should not be in the business of steering investment toward particular politically favored approaches. That is a recipe for both time and money wasted on projects that do not bring us dividends. The failure of windmills and solar plants to become economically viable or make a significant contribution to our energy supply is a prime example.

·                                 Concentrate alternative energy funding on basic research

·                                 Utilize long-term, apolitical funding mechanisms like ARPA-E for basic research

What I like best about the Romney plan is in italics. As a West Virginian I am further encouraged by these quotes from a key Romney adviser which I pulled from a pro cap and trade site “America has hundreds of years of coal reserves," writes Talent, a Republican and key Romney economic advisor, blaming government regulation for hampering domestic coal mining and other energy production.

“The problem is not that America does not have energy. The problem is that our government – alone among the governments of the world – will not allow its own people to recover the energy that they possess. http://www.grist.org/list/2011-09-14-mitt-romneys-energy-policy-crafted-by-coal-funded-shill

Rick Santorum- I just finished reviewing Sen. Santorum’s key votes on energy and environment and find his record flawless, he is pro-coal, pro-drilling, pro-nuke, and understands how many jobs these activities create. He is staunchly opposed to cap and trade and has favored repeal of CAFÉ standards that help create price and safety issues with vehicles.

Newt Gingrich- from http://www.newt.org/solutions/american-energy-plan

1.                             
Remove bureaucratic and legal obstacles to responsible oil and natural gas development in the United States, offshore and on land.

2.                              End the ban on oil shale development in the American West, where we have three times the amount of oil as Saudi Arabia.

3.                              Give coastal states federal royalty revenue sharing to give them an incentive to allow offshore development.

4.                              Reduce frivolous lawsuits that hold up energy production by enacting loser pays laws to force the losers in an environmental lawsuit to pay all legal costs for the other side.

5.                              Finance cleaner energy research and projects with new oil and gas royalties.

6.                              Replace the Environmental Protection Agency, which has become a job-killing regulatory engine of higher energy prices, with an Environmental Solutions Agency that would use incentives and work cooperatively with local government and industry to achieve better environmental outcomes while considering the impact of federal environmental policies on job creation and the cost of energy.

My favorite idea from Newt’s summary is replacing the EPA that is almost as good as eliminating it altogether. Point #4 is also extremely well taken.

Rick Perry- “We want to help you with the technology and support to develop these oil reserves safely, and when you’re ready to start selling, we want to be one of your best customers.”

-Barack Obama in Brazil, on America importing more offshore oil from Brazil, March 19, 2011, Business Week

Today, unstable countries in the Middle East have the potential to cut off the spigot and do great damage to our economy. Our continued reliance on unstable and hostile countries for energy is as unnecessary as it is dangerous.

My “Energizing American Jobs and Security” plan will commence or expand energy exploration from the Atlantic coast to the western seas off Alaska. We will end the bureaucratic foot-dragging that has reduced offshore drilling permits in the Gulf of Mexico by eighty percent. We will tap the full potential of the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia. We will unleash exploration in our Western states, which have the potential to produce more energy than what we import from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Venezuela, Columbia, Algeria, Nigeria and Russia combined.

If we do not act, and the Obama Administration’s job-killing bureaucratic rules take effect, America will lose 2.4 million jobs by 2020. With a renewed commitment to developing American energy resources and technology, we will create American jobs – 1.2 million based on various studies. The stark difference between the Perry vision and the Obama vision amounts to 3.6 million jobs in just one sector of our economy. But the ripple effect will impact all sectors of our economy. Manufacturers will benefit from more affordable electricity, in addition to new opportunities to provide goods to energy producers. All sectors of the economy will reap the benefits of a more stable and affordable supply of electricity.

I believe in an “all of the above” energy plan that encourages the development of all our conventional and renewable sources. I will not tolerate the federal bureaucracy’s war on natural gas and coal generation – which are responsible for two-thirds of American electricity generation – because America needs all forms of energy to keep prices stable and meet the demand of our growing population.

As we look to the future, we know developing American energy is vital to creating American jobs. It is vital to keeping the lights on and making electricity affordable for our families, manufacturers and employers.

I believe one of the quickest ways to create jobs and restore investor confidence in America is to expand energy production in America. It is time to end the overregulation, excess litigation and bureaucratic intimidation that has stalled our recovery. Let’s have a “Made in America” energy policy, and make America strong and prosperous again.

Perry’s website included the Obama quote which I found appropriate. His plan also is solid as shale coal.

Ron Paul- FREE MARKET SOLUTIONS

The free market – not government – is the solution to America’s energy needs.

Unfortunately, decades of misguided federal action have helped lead to skyrocketing fuel prices, making it even more difficult for hardworking families to make ends meet.

Washington’s bureaucratic regulations, corporate subsidies, and excessive taxation have distorted the market and resulted in government bureaucrats picking winners and losers.

In fact, much of the “pain at the pump” Americans are now feeling is due to federal policies designed by environmental alarmists to punish traditional energy production – like oil, coal, and natural gas – in hopes of making energy sources they favor more “economical.”

Sadly, even with $4.00 a gallon gasoline, many are attempting to make our energy crisis even worse by working to impose job-destroying carbon taxes, or a “Cap and Tax” system.

As long as we allow federal regulations and bureaucratic red tape to get in the way of energy exploration, our country will never solve its energy crisis, and Americans will continue to pay the price in high costs.

A PRO-ENERGY PRESIDENT

As President, Ron Paul will lead the fight to:

* Remove restrictions on drilling, so companies can tap into the vast amount of oil we have here at home.

* Repeal the federal tax on gasoline. Eliminating the federal gas tax would result in an 18 cents savings per gallon for American consumers.

* Lift government roadblocks to the use of coal and nuclear power.

* Eliminate the ineffective EPA. Polluters should answer directly to property owners in court for the damages they create – not to Washington.

* Make tax credits available for the purchase and production of alternative fuel technologies.

It’s time for a President that recognizes the free market’s power and innovative spirit by unleashing its full potential to produce affordable, environmentally sound, and reliable energy.

Finally after being very critical of many of Ron Paul’s positions, I am very impressed, (no surprise) with his position on energy, and quite honestly among very good plans his is likely the best. Perry and Santorum are also strong in that neither of them sat on a couch with Nancy Pelosi or told a New Hampshire audience they believed in global warming as being man-made. Still this is a winning issue for all our candidates if they should choose to do away with the Bain Capital tit for tat they seem engrossed in.

Until next time, (when we will put a bow on these long months of analyzing the candidates) keep on the firing line.