Kimberley Strassel wrote an excellent piece in the November 19 Wall Street Journal. She points out that although Republicans in the House are ready to fight against Obamacare, financial regulation, tax hikes, cap and trade, and unspent stimulus dollars, they are tongue-tied when it comes to Obama's stated ambition of "transforming" America's economy! No one of prominence (except Rush Limbaugh) has had the guts to speak out against Obama's "green" economy, which Strassel alleges will result in high costs and low jobs. I agree with her as to those results.
A good portion of the American people seem really to have been brainwashed on this "green" stuff. People actually think they are saving the environment when they bring their not-very-clean cloth bags back to the grocery store time and again, then drive away in their SUVs. Republicans are afraid to lose the votes of these suburban Americans. They don't want to be seen as anti-environment. So they have adopted what Strassel in her excellent article terms an "all of the above" strategy, meaning that they are for oil drilling and also for government-funded renewable energy subsidies. As Strassel notes, "Europe has already proven these subsidies destroy traditional employment, are permanent drains on state funds, and raise energy prices."
Republicans claim to believe in smaller government, freer markets, but gee, guys, it's "green!" Obama is way, way out in front of them on this issue.
Good sharing Bob. As a "thoughtful conservative" we have some heavy lifting to do in energy policy. I deplore both the "drill only" crowd, and the left and their "no incremental steps that include carbon burning of any kind". We must be beyond an "either/or" approach and include a "both/and". There are some good green ideas. But China holding 95% of the rare earth minerals needed for much of the green energy ideas is a brutal death blow to green energy. I do think "electricity" is the future including transportation, but I would if I were dictator for a day move America to a "diesel" fleet as you can make diesel out of anything from oil to natural gas to coal to algae to dead trees, even garbage and old tires. You would also clean the environment because clean diesel is a lot cleaner than gasoline, and all you would have to do is retrofit our existing refineries which would creat jobs. Also diesel engines get 15-30% better gas mileage. But hey, who is listening to me?
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