For First Time, Energy Trumps Hippies
by Bret JacobsonWhat happens in economic lean times? It helps clarify the mind on how we spend scarce resources and, in particular, it forces us to reconsider costly “feel good” environmentalist policies.
So it’s not entirely surprising to get the news from Gallup that “Americans are more likely to say the U.S. should prioritize development of energy supplies than to say it should prioritize protecting the environment, the first time more have favored energy production over environmental protection in this question’s 10-year history.”
Here’s the graphical evidence:
I’d argue conservatives need fight the urge to pit energy vs environment. Far-green activists look foolish for wanting to trash our economy for cap and trade or EPA regulation of carbon dioxide, and those who would completely ignore environmental quality may risk the same fate.
Instead, we should focus on ways that markets and innovation can continue to make our environment clean (it really is in pretty good shape) while battling hysteria over global warming. But until we begin addressing environmental quality in a meaningful way, it’s only command-and-control policies driven by anti-capitalists that will be driving the agenda.
There’s no greater story than American innovation through the free market. Now we know the environment is right to talk about it.
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105 Comments
regardless of the numbers/polls/ and public opinion they will RAM this bill down AMERICAS THROAT ANYWAY!!!!
This must drive the White House nuts. They're losing their built in supporters left and right.
They may succeed now. We WILL SUCCEED in November. We will defund the boondoogles and may have to stay in a stalemate due to the GREAT ONES Veto power. He will be gone in 2012.
I think renewables are the way to go. This reduces our trade deficit, dependence on other countries and is good for the environment. Granted they cost more, but job development in this area would probably offset the greater costs of these fuels. IMHO
http://www.PoliticalCentrist.com News and views for independent voters
GROOVY!
Fun to watch I might add!
The problem is that through all these polls none of the politicians are listening. The American people were against health care reform and the gubment pushed it thru, The American public is not buying into the whole "global warming" conspiracy and the gubment is going to push that forward. So long as the Democrats hold the White House, Senate and House they will rail every piece of trash policy regardless of the threat of losing their seat. All in the name of ideology.
The problem with renewables is that they don't exist. unless you are talking about polluting gasoline with a vegetable.
When you do that, you shorten the lifespan of the motor's gaskets and decrease the energy output of the fuel. Not to mention increasing the cost of the food supply. Also, it just doesn't create many jobs to watch corn grow.
Batteries may serve some purposes – but for those that don't want to travel in a scheduled and timed manner – in order to make it back to their homes to plug in – it just isn't going to cut it.
I have lived in Oklahoma and Texas during periods when oil drilling was allowed. My family members have been oilfield workers and pipline inspectors. My parents are in their 80's and my grand parents lived into their 90's. The wildlife is abundant. The water and air is good and always has been.
In short, I have not seen any devastation the greenies are blaming on the oil industry.
For those of you who will mention oil spills – yep, they happen. A penguin here, a duck there. But the lasting impact
is…..nothing. The oil settles back to the bottom of the ocean from whence it came.
Money, or the lack of it is an interesting thing, it has the power to change people's minds!
On a micro level, if it's more expensive, chances are, it's not green. Back in the 90s, the buzz words for saving the planet were "Reduce. Reuse. Recycle." We're pretty much ingrained to do the last one, but the first two haven't gotten as much air time. For example: take something as simple as paper towels. They're cheap, but disposable. You take an old, stained bath towel that you were thinking of throwing out, cut it into smaller pieces, and you've got your replacement reusable towels. And, you kept your money, kept the towel and all future paper towels out of a landfill.
Also, green energy is fine and good, but it can't be stored or output-adjusted to meet demand. I say put solar cells on every rooftop, small windmills everywhere (like they used to use to pump well water at farms), and throw some mini turbines in rain gutters. Find a way to make these cheap, and there won't be any outcry. But don't mandate a thing. If it really does save money, they'll be ubiquitous in no time.
This is the one upside to having leftist radicals in the White House… the American People are seeing just how bad leftist radicalism really is. Watch them continue to lose supporters.
Most of us agree that we want clean air, clean water to drink and play in, safe pesticide free food, economical transportation, etc. It's the manner in which we want to achieve that goal that is always the problem.
I grew up in California where hippies and the left ruled and reeked havoc with every piece of legislative freedom extinguishing law they pass(ed). Never do they listen, mostly because they are so busy spouting off their mouths they can’t hear us. Unfortunately they have made full industries of regulating everything, just look at the annual budget of the EPA!
"I think renewables are the way to go."
Dude, renewabl;es are a JOKE. Windmills and solar panels are no0t economically viable, nor will they ever be barring some unexpected miracle technology.
The ONLY viable 'renewable' is hydroelectric- which of course the ecofascists hate like the plague.
This admin has already imposed its preposterous new CAFE standards on us- by 2016, the average American car will be a subcompact.
If the Democrats think the TEA Parties are scary, just wait until the next global economic upturn – and it's coming, whether the US is part of it or not. Demand for petroleum products will again skyrocket, and gasoline and diesel will be back up over $4.00 per gallon in a heartbeat. At that point, real anger will erupt and everybody will be talking about what a sham Obama's delay-drilling here, delay-drilling now program was. Not to mention the missed opportunity factor of it all. I'm talking serious social cohesion problems here, not a bunch of happy warriors like you see at TEA Party gatherings now.
Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) are proposing an energy and climate bill set to be introduced on April 15, Tax Day. It would require a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions 17 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050.
Their gas tax comes in the form of a direct carbon tax on every gallon of gasoline purchased by consumers at the pump. The tax would be linked to the price of carbon emissions bought and traded in the market.
"But until we begin addressing environmental quality in a meaningful way, it’s only command-and-control policies driven by anti-capitalists that will be driving the agenda."
Pro Gaia environmentalists are not interested in the economy. Their vision for our country is vastly different than our ideas of environmentalism. They desire a reduction in population, living in grass huts, hunting and gathering….no cars, no electricity….but a desire to take us back to a third world country.
My thinking is we should set aside a fairly hospitable region of our country and ship them there. Then they can set up their own little government and run it into the ground as they wish…my guess, they will probably die because they will never live up to their utopia either….because they would be so busy trying to control each other they would never get anything done.
I wish I knew how to put all that on a bumper sticker! That's really reasonable, practical thinking of the kind that made America great in the first place. Sadly, making America great is not on the agenda of this particular naked emperor.
Around 1,000 more death per year driving small cars. The EPA is not about safety and protection.
The worst car is the little PT Cruiser built by Obamamotors. It needs handles on the side so you don't need to cough up 3 grand for a casket..
There is absolutely no reason why we can't produce our own energy in a clean and safe environment. When oil spills cost more than safety precautions, oil spills will be exceedingly rare. I remember when oil fields (at least around here) were smelly and slick and nothing could grow there for years. It happened because it was allowed to happen. I've also seen how wells can operate in the midst of a clean and productive pasture, or a fishery, with far less impact than many of our current farms and dairies produce.
Sure, we need to develop renewable energy sources. That's common sense. But in the meantime we need oil, and we can either depend on people who want to kill us, or we can produce our own. Why is this a difficult decision?
[...] » For First Time, Energy Trumps Hippies – Big Government [...]
Sheriff Joe here in AZ has a great idea about renewables. If a prisoner wants to watch TV they have to pedal a stationary bike attached to a generator. I think the idea should be expanded to all prisons in the USA. I also think the idea of prisoners being required to pay for their incarceration and food.
MAKE CRIME PAY!!
Sheriff Joe should head homeland security. He never ceases to amaze me.
How's driving your car on renewables?
LOL…What do you use? Mr. Fusion?
Oil settles tot he bottom of the ocean? What physics does your world have?
[...] » For First Time, Energy Trumps Hippies – Big Government [...]
I will personally burn everything I can in my backyard if I get hosed on a carbon tax at the fuel pump.
Plastic makes an awesome fire and lovely black smoke. too.
Graham might as well run as a democrat. I sure wish i could flood his place with burned plastic egg carton smell. I'll show you greenhouse gases you chumps.
I like a car you can be buried in…for other people to drive.
I wish Joe would run in Pima County. Our sheriff, Clarence Dupnik is about as useless as tits on a boar and makes more money than the POTUS.
When it hits peoples pocketbooks the leftist theorhetical non sense goes out the window.
Someday I hope to see Obama begging for nickels on a street corner so I can tell him that he and his family must starve for the greater good.
Complete fantasy, but a really nice one.
I wish we could do that with the politicians, a realy pay-go system
I read a a really interesting article the other day about BP and Chevron building some massive deep drilling rigs 200 miles out in the Gulf of Mexico. The technology is amazing, and I hope they can really get the production output up and make it a viable business model.
Having said that, with China and India industrializing at an increaing rate, with a corresponding massive increase in energy demand, I think the days of driving V8 body-on-frame SUVs that get 14 City / 17 Highway are long over. Gas will never drop below 2 bucks a gallon, I don't care where you drill.
i think we should be exporting coal. We should build a huge facility on the west and one on the east coast that could fill a big ship full of coal in 2-3 hours. Our reservers could sustain $100 billion/ year in exports for decades. This would create great jobs and would be fantastic for my rail road stocks.
I kinda rambled there. I should have proofread.
re: Green energy meeting the demands of its users–With coal or natural gas or nuclear, during peak hours the power plant can fire up more turbines to increase electrical output. With wind and solar, you're stuck with what you've got. Unless there are advances in battery technology that I'm not familiar with, no battery is capable of storing energy without it draining by itself over time. Take a look at those solar yard stakes. They work great the first week. But by the middle of summer, you're lucky if you get the usable light half an hour after sunset.
That being said, let's reduce our reliance on non-renewable energy instead of concentrating on getting rid of it outright. We're always going to need fossil fuels–airplanes can't run on batteries, for example. Use green energy where available, and make it available everywhere. But fossil fuels have to fill the gap between green energy output and actual demand.
they wont be cost affective. if they were we would have them.
nothing is cheaper than coal. rail is very cheap transportation, just burn it, make steam and spin the turbines. you get 100Mwatts real easy.
the Chinese credit card has kept us in a dream land for too long.
I think youtube says it best:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtxqtBq0uVw
lol
high cost of energy will make everyting we do more expensive and less competative in the world economy. what you want has been done in spain. large amounts of subisdies for green energy has crushed there economy.
I seen a report recently on German TV that the are getting 2% of ther electricity from solar now. The high cost of this energy is starting to really hurt the comunites that use it and they are starting to complain.
I am becoming afraid—-very afraid
lol
There are those who truly live it and those who pose….fear not my hippie friend! As a granola, I know I could live it if push came to shove….
SEE SPAIN. They did it and failed miserably. Something they are trying to hide from people in the USA.
For every job created they lost 2.4.
Best news I read today "He will be gone in 2012"
Nathan, been a long time so I can't talk specifics, but starting the turbines requires the equi-
valent of a days output, I think. That may be an exaggeration but the point is, you can't just
start them to run a few hours & then shut them down, & then do it all over again the next day.
Also start-up & shut-down are the most likely times for break-downs. Where's Greg the Elec-
trician, he could tell us.
Spain is in the toilet. It would be nice if we could use renewable for things that renewable makes sense for. Solar Panels for electricity is not a bad thing, but of course that puts miners out of business, but what about an equal mix? I think if Americans didn't have so many 'regulations' our minds would open up like at the beginning of the industrial revolution, possibilities would be limitless smart people capitalizing on our needs. We have been too dumbed down by government control. There is an answer to the (future) energy crisis and it lays with each US citizen doing their part in thinking up ideas and putting them into motion.
AUT,………EPA??? wheres my soapbox? you're lucky today, I'm too tired to get fired up. I have been
known to write 1500 words in reply to their mention. Catchya next time :^D !
Freddie. They are paying for abortions and Hilary Clinton is encouraging them, hmmm do you really think they care if we die in a SMART car? News flash: They want us to die. There is even death panels in that health care bill. Abortion and Death Panels the only way they want you to live is if you are a criminal on death row or are someone who will gladly trade their identity for a steady government dole. Love the title Obama Motors, finally I am glad to say my parents always bought Fords.
SHERIFF JOE FOR PRESIDENT. Jimminy the Illegals hate him. Mexican prisons, they only give two small meals a day, if your family doesn't bring you food or money or if you're not willing to turn a trick, you will go hungry there. I've been in them. Oh that sounded bad, I have been there as a missionary. Children live in the co-ed prisons there. I don't think I should have to pay for a prisoner here in the US, they should all be pedaling for their electricity
Awesome fantasy. Obama has hardened my soul and seeing his smirking wife makes me ill. They P&M about spreading around the wealth, let's start with theirs. Let's have them donate their savings to an inner city shelter, then we will hear the whining of a life time.
R12, do you suppose that date was picked as an 'in your face TEA party' ploy? Wonder why McLaim
isn't in on the deal? I swear, I'm so glad South Carolina is a helluva long way from TX. If it was as
close to me as OK & NM are I'd just hafta go there to try & pick a fight with anybody who'd admit to
supporting that traitorous prissy sissy little twerp. He's on quite a power trip ain't he. What we need
to do is raise bloody hell & tell the R leadership we don't want Lindsey chairing ANY committee, after
we win in Nov. Bout time for the suave debonair over-tanned John Boehner to show up here with
another article, I'll inform him of my displeasure with Graham, when he does. Hope some of ya'll
will join me.
you & your buddy Buffet, aaee Rue !
'Hope you're right, Connie. Did you feel the earth move, under your feet, a few days ago?
Carole King
[...] » For First Time, Energy Trumps Hippies – Big Government [...]
Has anyone seen the new commercial for "cheaper energy"? They have a pitch man telling us that we depend on fossil fuel too much and most of it is from Iran. Thus we are depending on Iran, and Iran makes and ships weapons that can penetrate our servicemen and women's flack jackets. So if we vote for clean energy, we are voting to keep our military fighting personnel alive.
This is not verbatim ofcourse, but it is the gist.
To be sure, the Obama administration will promote its agenda even against the will of the people. They have shown their contempt for that. The poll trend for energy production since 2007 looks encouraging, though. I bet that it continues as the reality sets in that windmills and solar panels cannot realistically make a dent in the power needs of the US.
Tex, those werent hippies in California, you saw- they are Democrat bureaucrats, who sit around trying to create the perfect socialist utopia, which as we know will never work.
Sadly, this is why you have seen California's beautiful golden economy dry up and blow away.
Actually, we hippies just want the same things you describe in your first sentence- and FREEDOM!
Use every possible energy resource available wherever it is practical and lets return to being energy independent. The fact that other nations have influence over us due to our dependence on them is unconscionable.
[...] » For First Time, Energy Trumps Hippies – Big Government [...]
As much as I would love to agree with you, using the polls taken the day after the vote healthcare supporters won at Rasmussen by 9%. I am pissed, a lot of us are pissed, but not quite as many as I continually hear about from conservative columnists and the like. Before we can toss out the bums, we need a few more people to remove their heads from their "collective" asses…
http://www.gallup.com/poll/126929/Slim-Margin-Ame...
So true Lorben
so true
They are counting on us to sit back and do nothing, because they will push it through anyway. They are hoping for the same thing come November, that everybody will think; "what does it matter if I vote or not, they're going to do what they want to anyway ". Keep talking, keep spreading the word……… Don't be intimidated !!
The same as your world. I've done a little searching on the subject for you. I went to school when they still taught rational thinking. I have done a quick search for you. One can only hope that these first few links that appeared meet with your template for correctness:
http://www.instadv.ucsb.edu/pa/display.aspx?pkey=...
http://tomnelson.blogspot.com/2008/07/oil-seepage...
http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/kids/energy.cfm?page=oil...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/0809...
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,...
http://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/viewArticle.do?id=244...
If you are still interested – do your own searching.
True indeed!
Oh, my God. This is exactly what my dad tells me when I call home for a dose of sanity. Be it animal rights, enviro-statism, or what have you, he is quick to point out that in we can only afford to let our emotions rule when life is easy. When life is hard, survival takes precedence and all those feel good decisions are thrown out.
I like it make sure they take the nobama, pelosi and reid with them and we will need a security fence so they can't sneek back also one correction no hunting they don''t approve of killing anything other then people they are all probably vegan's anyway
Did these numbers turn once the "Global Warming" alarmist were 'outed'?
Maybe people are starting to wake up?
Nuclear is! And with uranium getting scarce, recycling/reprocessing will make us able to reuse the spent rods thus limiting storage problems/concerns, while still having fuel for the plants. But all aspects of our energy supplies should be used, until we evolve to that is is ultimately most sustainable/renewable.
When the effort to create the energy you consume consumes more energy than it creates, it's not a viable anything.
Solar power is something you use to offset your electric bill over several years, not power a civilization.
These enviro-cultists can come back to me when they figure out portable fusion technology. Other than that, I'll stick with nuclear, coal and fossil fuels.
I missed this report, rasmussen is usually on top so can't dismiss it entirely. sad to say that ignorance is winning out. If that is so, we all may be doomed and the past that we should be remembering is going to rear its ugly head to bite us in our "collective" asses. All I can say is get to the ballot box and make our voices count. It's becoming apparent that we may be doing so a little too late. Our forefathers are sad…
Never happen buddy, My favorite thing about this country has always been Driving my Ford truck V8 4 doors with A/C blowing full blast happily getting 10mpg alone. Especially when I see those joke of a cars like smart piece or stupid prius I love to ride up right on just before I blow them away. And if the time comes like you say that I can't do that then this is no longer the USA we all love, it will never happen you don't realize how great this country and it people are the only thing that can mped our progress is ourself. But good news
The people are finally awake, so look out world if you thought were good before get ready to be blown away once the shakels of these crazy lib's are broken. You ain't seen nothing yet
I saw it today, nice try I said but it is nice to see them care about our military for a change
Lindsey has to go – he's the poster-boy Rino
Sad? More like rolling over in their graves. It's a bit complicated to convince lazy people that getting free shit is a worse option than self-reliance. Between medicare/caid and social welfare programs, not to mention this healthshare debacle, enough opinions/votes have been bought that logic plays a bit smaller factor than it should. We can't sit down and shutup, and you are 110% correct that the ballot boxes are the way out. But it is a very long road ahead either way.
"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them."
- Thomas Jefferson
Check out one of my recent blog posts on the subject if you are interested
http://loddtom.blogspot.com/2010/04/lesson-from-j...
Agreed Mike – definately ain't seen nothing yet!
Even our most beloved 'gangster' and a one-time liberal, James Cagney, grew steadily wiser as he grew older. Seeing the danger in the nonsense of the sixties, he explained his ultimate leaning toward more politically conservative thinking as "a totally natural reaction once I began to see undisciplined elements in our country stimulating a breakdown of our system… Those functionless creatures, the hippies … just didn't appear out of a vacuum."
I appreciate his astute summary of the 'functionless hippie.' No fool was he. Unfortunately, today's liberals don't appear to show as much promise.
We have been talking about energy since the days of the gas lines in the 70's. And what's been done to address the issue? Instead of being energy self-sufficient, we are still dependent on foreign oil. And yet we have tons of gas reserves and plenty of oil that we can tap into. I read somewhere that we have hundreds of years of oil and gas reserves. The only thing holding up the show is red tape, EPA and the gaia worshippers. Whereas in the 70's we imported about 30% of oil from outside sources, today it is something like 60%, most of which comes from Canada. If Canada can tap their resources of fuel, then why can't we?
[...] » For First Time, Energy Trumps Hippies – Big Government [...]
[...] » For First Time, Energy Trumps Hippies – Big Government [...]
Maobama is simply burning down the house as fast as a Marxist can. Best we can do is put on the brakes, hard, in November, then kick him to the curb in 2012. Eliminate the EPA, kill Obamacare, reindustrialize America. It will again be "dawn in america".
We produce a lot of our needed fuel in America already. Unfortunately, our oil is not "sweet" enough to meet our environmental standards. So what do we do? We ship American produced oil to Japan for their fuel needs, and we turn around and import oil from OPEC. It's completely insane. We all share the same planet. It it's good enough to use in Japan, it should be good enough to be used here, and stop lining the pockets of OPEC.
[...] » For First Time, Energy Trumps Hippies – Big Government [...]
Visit http://www.gtech-canada.com One of the great pros of solar energy is the ability to harness electricity in remote locations that are not linked to a national grid. A prime example of this is in space, where satellites are powered by high efficiency solar cells.
For years we have been so personally and collectively prosperous that the wacky things the left demanded were mostly inconsequential to our daily lives. We could pacify them by allowing them to have their way on this issue or that one, because frankly the fight was not worth it. Well, now it is worth it. The left earth pagans really do want us to return to circumstances they think will purify us, when everything is "organic, natural and sustainable". Most people realize this dream is a bucolic fiction that will only return us to the life our ancestors fought to escape from, when everyday life was brutal, short and painful. The raw truth is that the left offers us a collectivist hell. Once we give up our liberty and prosperity, we cannot get it back unless we have a civil war, because when the left seizes the government, they will not hesitate to use it to coerce the rest of us into compliance. And then what recourse do we have? We already had one civil war over state's rights. Unless we vote these people out, and smack them real good, I fear this is where we are headed. Serfs to the debt of the left, serfs to their nanny state, serfs to their policy dictates, serfs to their inane environmental policy, where you are free to run your air conditioner but won't be able to afford to buy the power and where the car you drive will be so light and flimsy that it will be a coffin on wheels, and where you will be happy to keep 30% of what you make after paying your fair share.
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[...] » For First Time, Energy Trumps Hippies – Big Government [...]
I don't know if they're caring for our military so much as they are trying to appeal to us from a different angle. A topic that we hold near and dear to our hearts. The go green meme didn't work very long, so now they want to play upon our patriotism?
Sorry, if I caused you undue stress…. Herbal tea works, although I think this administration will start a new tax on all stress reducing techniques and supplements, I think it's on page 1,756 of the new Healthcare Proclamation! Keep a smile on.
We get most of our oil from canada.
[...] » For First Time, Energy Trumps Hippies – Big Government [...]
[...] » For First Time, Energy Trumps Hippies – Big Government [...]
[...] the iPad Could Disrupt the Home Energy MarketWordPress Jobs » Blog Archive » Solar Energy Blogger» For First Time, Energy Trumps Hippies – Big GovernmentGreen Energy Act Arrogant and Offensive « Wind Concerns OntarioTurn energy pricing on its head and [...]
[...] » For First Time, Energy Trumps Hippies – Big Government [...]
on the money BW
[...] » For First Time, Energy Trumps Hippies – Big Government [...]
No undue stress experienced, just a hot-button issue for those of us in the farming business.
Not only that, Spain's climate is like Southern California with 300+days of sunshine per year. It is grossly uneconomical in the best of circumstances. The preposterous "green" investments made there for wind, solar and the like have devastated their economy. This is nothing more than economic policy based upon preening moral righteousness. Precisely what drives our President's every move.
& MX
[...] » For First Time, Energy Trumps Hippies – Big Government [...]
[...] » For First Time, Energy Trumps Hippies – Big Government [...]
So the school of rational thinking is teaching people that oil sinks to the bottom of the ocean?
Thanks for the laugh.
It helps clarify the mind on how we spend scarce resources and, in particular, it forces us to reconsider costly “feel good” environmentalist policies. So it’s not entirely surprising to get the news from Gallup that “Americans are more likely to say the U.S.
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