Posted by Tina
The American Spectator has an article filled with information and facts that show the President is not being straight with the American people about oil, drilling, profits and taxes. So what would happen if we could drill baby drill? Lower prices at the pump, jobs for Americans, less pressure on the rising prices of goods and services and some certainty about the future.
I hope you will read the article; here are a few excerpts of interest:
But here is the biggest revelation of all. Because of the boom in natural gas production and supplies we have already enjoyed, over the past 3 years natural gas prices have declined 70%! The same result for oil prices would drive down gas prices below $2.50 a gallon, all the way down to $1.13 a gallon. “That is easy to remember,” Gingrich says, “because that was the price of gas when I was Speaker.”
Moreover, because of the evil “speculators,” just a change in policy now will start to produce a drop in prices today, as the change in future supplies is anticipated in the market.
Even the Obama Administration admits this will work. That is why Vice President Joe Biden, Anti-energy Secretary Chu, and Sen. Chuck Schumer are so desperately calling on Saudi Arabia to increase their oil production.
What about taxes and subsidies?
Obama concluded his Largo Laugh-In by raising the question of “whether we should keep giving $4 billion in taxpayer subsidies to the oil industry.” He complained, “The oil industry has been subsidized by you, the taxpayer, for about a hundred years.”
But this is more Obama perversion of the truth. The federal government does not subsidize oil companies. Oil companies subsidize Obama.
As the Wall Street Journal reported on March 14, “the oil industry paid some $35.7 billion in corporate income taxes in 2009…. That alone is about 10% of non-defense discretionary spending.” Yet, “that figure doesn’t count excise taxes, state taxes and rents, royalties, fees and bonus payments.”
As a result, “The Tax Foundation estimates that, between 1981 and 2008, oil and gas companies sent more dollars to Washington and state capitols than they earned in profits for shareholders.” In the case of Exxon Mobile, for example, “for every dollar of net U.S. profits between 2006 and 2010, the company paid $1.45 in taxes. Exxon’s 2010 tax bill was three times larger than its domestic profits.”
The American Petroleum Institute “estimates that the average effective tax rate for oil and gas companies is 41.1%,” compared to 26.5% for other manufacturers on the S&P Industrial Index. (emphasis mine)
The green agenda is more important to Barack Obama than the economic hardship his policies place on the American people.
This administration will ask us to pay any price and bear any burden for his grand utopian scheme…for his green pet projects…his unrealistic expectations of their value as alternative sources and return on investment. America is dying a slow painful death and this guy just doesn’t care. He’s not out of touch; he’s right on schedule.
(And please, Mr. President, quit taking credit for things you had no part in making happen.)
Just Drill baby drill!
I don’t think this is correct. First of all the President cannot determine the price of gas. Also, drilling is not going to lower gas prices.
The President does not have a green agenda. He has no agenda at all because he is incompetent. If he had a green agenda it would at least be something he was doing that might be better for America in the long run.
I don’t know when Republicans decided we were going to start defending big companies that are ruining the environment that we all have to live in, but it sure isn’t smart. Why should we allow fracking? It is ruining the environment for people that have to live in states like New York, Pennsylvania and even in Wyoming. People who have made lives on farms are having those lives destroyed because of fracking. That is wrong. If they were fracking in the north valley, I don’t think we would be huge supporters of it.
Look at the Gulf Oil spill. Republicans in our government apologized to BP. Screw BP. They messed up and polluted an area that people depended on for their livelihood. When did it become “Republican” to defend these guys? Pollution is bad for America. Period. No one wants to live in disgusting places full of smog, bad water and filth. Take a nice trip to LA if you think pollution is so great.
Obviously the Democrats have taken “green” to insane levels of craziness, but Republicans have gone so far the other way it is crazy.
Everyone in America, Democrat or Republican or any party wants clean air to breathe and clean water to drink.
Princess to the degree that President Obama has almost zero executive or business experience and grounding I would agree that he is incompetent. However he has shown us through words and action that he is all in in what he describes as the technology of the future regarding energy. Of course the future could be 100 years from now or more but he’s not concerned with you and me right now…so yes he has an agenda.
He said before he was elected that energy prices (gas, oil, coal) would necessarily have to go up in order to bring alternatives into the energy picture. He said that coal companies should be prepared to go out of business if they couldn’t comply with expensive upgrades to their equipment (And several plants have). He closed federal land to exploration, he has refused to issue permits in the Gulf and he will not open Alaska. He denied the XL pipe line. At the same time he has given billions in subsidies or loans to green energy companies, some of them out of the country.
Over the last thirty or so years the United States and the individual states have put in place very strict environmental laws and regulations that have prevented the further pollution of our country and cleaned up our air and water. It is inaccurate to say that big companies are “ruining the environment”. that is a sensationalized claim lacking credible evidence to support it. One of the so-called studies on a farm in Wyoming that found chemicals in the water was later discovered to have been false…the chemicals have always been in the water and are not in concentrations strong enough to harm anybody.
Regarding the BP oil spill the investigation found that that rig was not complying with certain safety provisions and there were other factors. These things take time to sort out. They eventually discovered who screwed up and they are paying for it. However, how smart is it to shut down all of the rigs in the area, causing the loss of thousands of jobs and impacting the entire economy? This was a rare, isolated event that was used as an excuse and politicized to further punish and shut down oil.
Republicans apologized for the demonizating of an entire company for the failures of a few employees. Republicans were outraged at how the spill was handled politically and it was handled very badly. It was an emergency situation that required immediate attention. It was given immediate attention by everyone except our government under Obama. It happened as a result of human failures that needed to be investigated, they were, and those responsible were held accountable. We did not have to shut down all drilling or delay, delay, delay when Republican governors were begging Obama for assistance. See here:
http://abcnews.go.com/WN/bp-oil-spill-louisiana-governor-bobby-jindal-asks/story?id=10731680#.T2ugkNmId8g
The president does not set oil prices. Oil companies don’t set prices either. Market speculators do and the price of oil goes up under certain conditions. Several of those conditions are either directly or indirectly under Obama’s control. Supply and demand affect oil prices. Demand in America and around the world is down because of the sluggish economy. Obama’s policies have not resulted in a booming economy; he is responsible. Obama has severely cut back on drilling and drilling permits and has made comments that signal he has no intention to change his policy (Except for those fibs he will tell to get re-elected); he is responsible. Obama decided to spend as a way to turn the economy around (It didn’t) but QE1 and QE2 meant that the fed printed money which causes inflation; Obama is responsible.
In January 2009, the month Obama took office, the average price of a gallon of regular gas was $1.85 a gallon. It had come down from a high of over $4.00 at the beginning of his second term. heritage reports:
http://blog.heritage.org/2011/03/04/in-pictures-bush-vs-obama-on-gas-prices/
When gas prices spiked under Bush democrats and the media were certain is was Bush’s fault and hammered him daily. Hhere’s an example (includes video):
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2012/02/23/flashback_wasserman_schultz_rails_against_high_gas_prices_under_bush.html
The truth about most republicans is they want reasonable regulation to both protect the environment and to ensure that energy companies can deliver the best products at the lowest possible price. Republicans want to pursue alternatives but also in a reasonable manner that does not create a lot of debt for future generations. Republicans don’t go for adopting pie in the sky policies.
Countries in Europe that plunged head first into the alternative dream are now finding they are saddled with enormous debt, high taxes and alternatives that are not delivering what was promised. Unfortunately many of those that support green technologies operate more on what they wish were true rather than what is actually true or possible.
What you see in the skies of LA is not all pollution; if it were there would be many more dangerous warnings to stay inside and people would be wearing gas masks all the time. Plants wouldn’t thrive as they do. the pollution that has been deemed dangerous is invisible to the eye and the changes that have been made to car engines have eliminated much of that pollution.
“…but Republicans have gone so far the other way it is crazy.”
What do you mean by this? Republicans favor pursuing all types of energy and energy research and we believe in reasonable regulation to protect the environment. What is extreme about that?
“Everyone in America, Democrat or Republican or any party wants clean air to breathe and clean water to drink.”
America has done a fantastic job of ensuring that we have both! Are you sure you aren’t just reacting to extremist claims by environmentalists that are exaggerated, false, or misleading?
Our government spends billions every year on the EPA. States and local communities also spend money on environmental concerns. Companies spend billions every year complying with regulations.
At some point one has to ask whether we haven’t reached a reasonable level of compliance to protect the environment and whether the money now being spent isn’t mostly bureaucratic waste!
All of this adds to our tax burden or debt and causes higher prices for all of us as consumers. If we can clean up the air and water by a measly 1% more than we already have is it worth the big fat price tag?
I think we Americans deserve proof, not just hype, that the dangers actually exist and that companies are actually polluting at dangerous levels before we are asked to finance programs and regulation to “clean up” the air and water.
The posts lately … if I told you you might be losing it … would you consider it? the possibility?
Losing it? Libs I’d be glad to consider but you are going to have to be more specific.
Refineries are closing in the north east and Oklahoma because their profit margins isnt enough to keep them open. Sure doesnt look like the oil companies are reaping in huge, above average profits. The closings are creating thousands of lost jobs not only for the refinery works but also for the local communities with the eventual loss of tax revenues to support schools and other services.
According to the below articles the long range affect of these closings looks very bad. And our president got hit with a contempt charge just a couple of weeks ago while claiming hes done more to supply oil than Bush. What a hypocrite!
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Refinery closings could affect 15,000 jobs, study says:
As of Jan. 31, ConocoPhillips had laid off 413 employees at its idled Trainer plant, with severance packages ranging from one to 60 weeks, the county said.
Sunoco has notified the state it planned to lay off 420 workers, probably by the end of the month. Negotiations on severance packages were continuing.
The county said it was trying to find work for the displaced refinery employees, adding that it had joined the state in applying for a $5 million federal grant to aid the workers.
The oil companies say they are getting out of the refinery business because it is unprofitable.
In addition to employees, the refiners’ decisions could have a significant impact on local governments and schools.
The refineries pay about $3.8 million annually in property taxes to the Chichester School District. Counting local wage levies, the refineries account for as much as half of the towns’ tax revenue.
But it will be some time before the full economic effects are measured.
Said Carey: “We aren’t going to know how bad the storm is for six months.”
Read more: http://articles.philly.com/2012-02-16/news/31067560_1_refinery-employees-job-losses-closings
Refineries closing in Oklahoma will have long term effect.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen (the business) this bad in the 20 years I’ve been in the business,” Troy Ahner, manager of Liberty Oil Company Inc., Port Carbon, said. “I wish the government would help out.”
Ahner said it makes more sense financially to keep the refineries open and it would be almost impossible to replace the production.
“The public can’t afford that right now,” he said. “If we have the facilities here, we need to utilize them. Any time a refinery shuts down and there is less productivity, it always offsets prices. Once a refinery closes, the chances of it reopening are slim to none.”
Read more: http://standardspeaker.com/news/experts-refinery-closings-shouldn-t-affect-gas-oil-prices-1.1259531#ixzz1pxL4Fh6s
OBAMA FOUND IN CONTEMPT OF COURT: Gulf Drilling Moratorium, U.S. Federal Judge Rules
Feb. 3, 2012 (Bloomberg) – The Obama Administration acted in contempt by continuing its deepwater drilling moratorium after the policy was struck down, a New Orleans judge ruled.
Interior Department regulators acted with determined disregard by lifting and reinstituting a series of policy changes that restricted offshore drilling, following the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history, U.S. District Judge, Martin Feldman of New Orleans ruled yesterday.
Each step the government took following the courts imposition of a preliminary injunction showcases its defiance, Feldman said in the ruling.
Such dismissive conduct, viewed in tandem with the re- imposition of a second blanket and substantively identical moratorium, and in light of the national importance of this case, provide this court with clear and convincing evidence of the governments contempt, Feldman said.
Read more: http://politicalvelcraft.org/2012/02/08/obama-found-in-contempt-of-court-gulf-drilling-moratorium-u-s-federal-judge-rules/
Great information Peggy. The President seems to want oil off the table no matter what it costs Americans. It is so arrogant and lacking in humility to expect us to endure high prices on everything and a lousy job market so he can push the green technology enviro agenda.
I looked at what President Bush did when gas prices were over $4.00 a gallon:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/07/11/us-energy-bush-idUSMOL15913820080711
WASHINGTON | Fri Jul 11, 2008 6:13pm EDT
According to consumerreports.org in July 2008 gas prices were on average $4.11.
Bush urged opening federal lands and offshore to exploration and drilling and according to consummerreports.org by August 2008 gas prices were at $3.69, by November 2008 gas prices averaged $2.07, and by January 2009 gas prices were at $1.84.
The president speaks and speculators listen!
(I googled gas prices at each given month for prices)
Wow, how soon we forget. What a huge drop in prices in just six months from $4.11 to $1.84. That’s a decrease of over half by the time Obama took office in Jan. 2009.
We’ve seen the MSM coverage, or rather the lack of it, on what is actually going on now and the future impact his decisions will have to our economy. What Obama says and is covered doesn’t come close to the truth of his actions.
As long as the MSM is an extenstion of the DNC and Obama’s biggest contributer, with all their free “campaign aids,” the majority of voters will have no idea what their future will be.
We are all owed the truth. Not reporting the truth is a lie by omission.
The 2008 election wasn’t won by the person best qualified to run this country. It was a popularity contest won by a completly unqualified individual who could give a great speech and who had lots of big money supports promoting him as a front man for their progressive agenda.
This election really is the most important in our country’s history. If Obama wins a second term, we can say good-bye to our Constitution and being governed by, “We the People” through our representatives in Congress. We will instead be on our way to a dictatorship along with total control taken over by appointed elites to regulatory agencies.
The foundation has been set during the past 3 1/2 years with Panneta, Holder and the rest of the adminstrative staff telling us what our future will be. November will determine if the walls will go up, or the foundation set by our founding fathers will be restored.
Peggy I have a feeling we are about to get more truth than we can imagine even now. this election, once our candidate is chosen, will be all out. Obama wasn’t vetted the first go around and you’re right it will be the fight of our lives. A lot of people have been preparing for the fight in many ways and on many fronts…I hope you’ll be here front and center along with the rest of us. It is so important!
“… and by January 2009 gas prices were at $1.84.”
Indeed, how soon we do forget. Know what else was goin’ on in 2009. Lehman had crashed, AIG was tottering, the world’s banks had ceased trading commercial paper, and the global economy had come to a screeching halt.
That is, there weren’t no demand at all, and gas prices eased right up.
Go ahead, put that dimwit, Romney, into to White House. We can have our depression after all, and them as are wealthy can have their $2.00 gas back. The rest of us will be walking.
Libby: “We can have our depression after all…”
Libby your loyalty to the cause of socialism is noted. But these three failed years belong to you…own them for cripes sake!
“them as are wealthy can have their $2.00 gas back. The rest of us will be walking.”
No Libby they will finally be working!!!
Libby, I really wish you and the rest of the libs would wake up and take the blindfolds off and ear plugs out. With almost zero interest rates, printing more money creating hyper-inflation and the rising cost of everything necessary to sustain life from food, clothes, gas, etc. we are in a DEPRESSION.
You keep believing the lies Obama and the DNC are telling you to get Obama elected again and youll see gas going to $8 a gallon, just like it is in Europe, and the cost of everything else increasing while more jobs are lost because employers increased cost will force them to close their doors.
I dont care who is our president after November, as long as its not Obama.
WAKE UP!!!
“But these three failed years belong to you….”
What? The Great Recession is not receding? I think it is … for the moment. And I don’t think we’re gonna risk muddying the waters with some oblivious Repug, i.e., Romney.
“But these three failed years belong to you….”
What? The Great Recession is not receding? I think it is … for the moment. And I don’t think we’re gonna risk muddying the waters with some oblivious Repug, i.e., Romney.
Sorry sweetie but “oblivious” has reached an all time new low over the last three years under Obama and his pack of dumocRAT tinkering control freaks. Incompetent, divisive, clueless, and nutty have likewise reached new lows.
They belong to you…you said they would fix it and make it and it isn’t working…you can run but you cannot hide. The dumocRAT fix has been a total disaster…period!
“I think it is … for the moment.”
Covering your butt at both ends…perfect…and so predictable.
Hey Libby, Here’s a shocker for you. ABC and Yahoo News reported Obama showing his true self by actually reporting what he said.
I’m seeing a ray of hope that Obama will be vetted this year after not being in 2008…The comments in the link are even interesting.
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President Obama Asks Medvedev for ‘Space’ on Missile Defense – ‘After My Election I Have More Flexibility’
SEOUL, South Korea – At the tail end of his 90 minute meeting with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev Monday, President Obama said that he would have “more flexibility” to deal with controversial issues such as missile defense, but incoming Russian President Vladimir Putin needs to give him “space.”
The exchange was picked up by microphones as reporters were let into the room for remarks by the two leaders.
The exchange:
President Obama: On all these issues, but particularly missile defense, this, this can be solved but it’s important for him to give me space.
President Medvedev: Yeah, I understand. I understand your message about space. Space for you
President Obama: This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility.
President Medvedev: I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir.
http://news.yahoo.com/president-obama-asks-medvedev-space-missile-defense-election-101729176–abc-news.html
Peggy: “Libby, I really wish you and the rest of the libs” … blah, blah, blah ….
But nobody wants to refute my summary of the state of affairs in 2009 and its effect on gas prices? Some of the citizens do remember.
Tina: “Incompetent, divisive, clueless, and nutty have likewise reached new lows.”
Yes, and that’s a lovely string of adjectives, but unemployment claims are still down … and what lovely string of adjectives is going to refute that.
I have to say, I found it quite refreshing. I’m sick and tired of the bogus blather, myself.
Tell me Peggy, after you’ve thought on it some, if we unleash our 1800 and they unleash likewise, just how comfortable do you think you are going to be?
Doofus girl.
Unemployment claims are down but no where near the numbers needed on a month to month basis over an extended period to make any real difference. People are still losing their jobs and others have given up looking for work. Still others are working part time when they would rather work full or as “hamburger flippers” when they just earned a degree!
ROBUST job growth is what is needed. Robust is not in Obamas vocabulary…maybe not even in his universe.
You still don’t understand what it takes to create jobs and neither does he.
Hey Libs, this is the one thing I agree with BO on. He said, If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun.
I’d just make sure my 1800 were bigger then theirs. Game over before it got started.