So I know lots of outrageous claims are made against the President. However, we shouldn’t let that distract us from claims that are pretty straight forward. For example, a commenter asks
where in the world did you get the idea that have an administration which is openly hostile to fossil fuels and wants to promote industry which will put fossil fuel extractors out of business?
I understand that the language of “putting fossil fuel extractors out of business” sounds harsh but is there really another way of interpreting this:
Clearly the Administration is promoting stricter standards on fossil fuel usage and increased investment in Green Energy which is a direct competitor to fossil fuel extraction.
Our government is openly against fossil fuel extraction as the future for American energy and has a website devoted to it. Now, they are not absolute zealots who want to put oil and gas extractors out of business tomorrow, but there is clear an effort to make business more difficult for oil and gas and less difficult for green energy.
Indeed, this is what must happen if the US is to reduce its carbon footprint.
My only point is that this clear, stated open hostility to the oil and gas industry has not stopped investment.
In the same way I should note that there is clear open hostility from all segments of the American governing establishment against the tobacco industry. Yet, that industry is growing.
File this under both: Politicians generally tell you what they plan to do and Federal efforts to stop industries they intend to drive into the ground typically don’t work.
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Friday ~ October 21st, 2011 at 2:36 pm
Blackadder
“If someone wants to build a coal plant they can, it’s just that [my plan] will bankrupt them, because they are going to be charged a huge sum for all that greenhouse gas that’s being emitted.” – Barack Obama, January 2008.
Friday ~ October 21st, 2011 at 5:21 pm
Wonks Anonymous
With the tobacco industry there was a bootleggers & baptists phenomenon where Big Tobacco screwed over it’s smaller competitors and some lawyers made a lot of money. The states were supposed to get some money to cover medical expenses, but a number of them used it on things like golf courses.
http://mercatus.org/publication/bootleggers-baptists-and-televangelists-regulating-tobacco-litigation
Smokers are the last acceptable minority to push around though. They get kicked outside even when the weather’s terrible, and some companies are starting requiring their employees to be healthy and firing smokers.
Friday ~ October 21st, 2011 at 5:45 pm
rjs
you’ll still have a hard time convincing my friends of that; he’s far worse than bush ever was…every one of us plans to stay home in 2012…
at least if perry wins, we’ll know who the enemy is…
Friday ~ October 21st, 2011 at 7:19 pm
Benny Lava
I am guessing by your statement on Perry that you are a liberal. It seems like this attitude is exactly why liberals fail to win elections like conservatives do. You think the guy who signed the ACA is more conservative than the guy who tried to privatize Social security. You think the guy who started one war in Libya and won it is worse than the guy who started two wars and did not win either.
There are many reasons to dislike Obama (can we get recess appointments already!). I just don’t understand why the liberals and progressives are so upset with him.
Saturday ~ October 22nd, 2011 at 12:19 pm
Lord
The way to interpret it is the extractive industries are a net drain on the country and would continue to be even if we promoted them so we need to move away from them as fast as possible. That we need not put them out of business, they are rapidly doing that themselves and we must prepare for that. That the only reason they are as large as they currently are, is a lot of unrecompensed externalities.