If you ever needed an example of our financial leaders selling out the United States, here it is. Let's not save this
immense resource treasure for our own long-term national need and benefit- oh no, lets make a quick buck and pimp it to anywhere else in the world that quick money can be made.
I'm sure that there will be some who think that my perspective is "anti-business", or "anti-capitalist". This would be the same crew that delights in wearing little American lapel flags to prove how loyal they are to our country.
Energy supply is every bit as vital to the future well-being of the United States as is our defense industry and armed forces. Most of the folks with those little lapel pins have never served in our military, either, now that I think about that.
Comments
Uh, yeah. Do we have any sort of grand plan for expanding natural gas use in this country? (much less a plan for the country as a whole, while we're at it) No? Okay, well sell it to more forward-thinking countries that do, then.
"Energy supply is every bit as vital to the future well-being of the United States as is our defense industry and armed forces"
That's why we have never had any sort of large-scale energy plan (whether one agreed with the details of the plan that T Boone Pickens offered or not, it's hard to argue that he wasn't completely ignored by government) in this country and whenever oil comes down off the highs, people pretty much abandon thoughts of trying to make substantial progress with alternatives.
"If you ever needed an example of our financial leaders selling out the United States, here it is. "
lol, as if it's the first example or only current example of the citizens of this country being sold out...
Questions:
1) Shouldn't our national energy industry be given the first chance to construct such plans, so as to give them the chance to make a few bucks along with taking care of the national interest? (Please note the definitely pro-capitalist bias here.)
2) In the event of lack of interest or outright failure on the part of those energy companies, shouldn't there be some mechanism to force the issue?
3) If more government "intrusion" into the marketplace in the form of dealing with the national interest ("Oh, NO! MORE REGULATIONS!!!") is not warranted at this point, can we please have some alternative suggestions?
"Energy supply is every bit as vital to the future well-being of the United States as is our defense industry and armed forces."
So is confidence from the rest of the world in the currency that goes to buy all the oil we use from other countries.
We're the Sears of countries. We've been neglecting the store and instead focusing on "buybacks" and other unproductive financial tactics. We don't have to sell assets (yet), but that's largely because many seem to have the philosophy that debt doesn't matter and we can turn on the printing presses.
Oil infrastructure? How about every other aspect of infrastructure in this country, much of which is dated or so old it's crumbling? I laughed when I read last year that we could expect cross country high speed rail in a few decades. Other countries are a tad ahead of us in that regard and not waiting around. Meanwhile, our transportation infrastructure has gotten worse, if anything.
How in the world are companies expected to do anything when you have a government that is so busy playing politics that there's absolutely no clarity?
There is no plan. And what's really sad and remarkable is that much of the country plays right into it. Rather than demanding our leaders stop with the BS, people have turned politics into an angry, almost religious-level battle between two sides. We don't have infrastructure because it's the other side's fault. This didn't happen because of the guy before this one, and the one before that. We can't get anything done because the other side is a bunch of meanies. You have people who are so completely and utterly convinced that their party is looking out for them and that the other party are the bad and evil ones. Anyone who believes that government will look after them and keep the multitude of promises that it has made over the years are going to be severely disappointed.
It's all a great way to get absolutely nothing done in this country (and divide it, too) and there is absolutely nothing that's going to be done about it because so many people are so caught up in the idea that it's all the other side's fault (which becomes a political game in itself - they can't do anything because the other side are a bunch of meanies) and allowing themselves to get riled up about how terrible the other side is that they're never going to ask why NEITHER side is getting anything accomplished (while at the same time cozying up to various special interests and big donors/money/etc)
"1) Shouldn't our national energy industry be given the first chance to construct such plans, so as to give them the chance to pass off the cost along with the fact that they really don't care all that much about the national interest, only where the next customer is? (Please note the definitely pro-cynicism/realism bias here.)"
- fixed.
"2) In the event of lack of interest or outright failure on the part of those energy companies, shouldn't there be some mechanism to force the issue?"
- See the whole passing cost off thing from #1, the idea that this government can get its act together to even come up with a plan in the first place, and the idea that this government (which is broken in its current form for the simple fact that politics has become so hateful and special interest-driven that we'll be lucky to get anything accomplished in the near future) would suddenly care about it is sort of like Eddie Lampert suddenly comparing anything at Sears to Apple after years of running the company further and further into the ground.
If we ever come up with some sort of coherent energy plan in this country it will be because we have reached the point where we absolutely, positively have to.
It's really that simple. We will never be forward thinking about such serious issues until the time comes when we're forced into a rushed solution.
("Oh, NO! MORE REGULATIONS!!!")"
Because we've done an excellent job applying regulations to the financial industry after the worst financial crisis in decades...
Special interest money, lobbying, politics continuing to be bought, companies that figure out ways around regulations and simply invest more overseas instead, yadda yadda yadda.