Topic: Energy
How Dare You Mr. Durbin! Mr. Durbin, Mr. Shumer, and Mr. Leahy. Any glimmer of respect I had for you was extinguished with your behavior at the Great Oil Inquisition.by Chuck Angier
(libertarian)
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Any glimmer of respect I might have had for our lawmakers was extinguished with their condescending and "holier-than-thou" treatment of the big five oil executives at the "Oil Inquisition" on Wednesday.
The abuse cannot be portrayed well in print, but the session began with Chairman Patrick Leahy of Vermont asking "How much money did you make last year?"
Charles Shumer of New York grilled Vice Chairman Peter Robertson of Chevron regarding Chevron's activities in Burma. When Robertson admitted that Chevron had committed $2 million in aid to the cyclone victims, Shumer had the audacity to respond, "Do you think they could use a lot more than $2 million?"
OK Comrade Shumer, how much do you want us to give? How much will you MAKE us give? But wait a minute. Then it's not "giving" is it? How much have YOU given? How much has the government been successful in giving? How dare you Mr. Shumer!
The corker was Dick Durbin, D-IL who asked "Is there anybody here that has any concerns about what you're doing to this country with the prices that you're charging and the profits that you're taking?"
I wish the insult had been directed at me. My reply would have been:
"Excuse me sir! How dare you address any American in that manner! Is this the humble servitude envisioned and practiced by the founding fathers? The real question is, 'Do YOU have any concern what YOU are doing to this country?' Let me give you just a few examples:"
"You and those before you have accumulated a Federal debt of over $9 trillion so that each child born in America is born with a debt of $30,000. Unfunded entitlements may increase that amount by a factor of 4 or better. Some independent organizations place the total burden of public debt and unfunded entitlements at around $500,000 per person".
"At the behest of the special interests that line your pockets, you have been successful in foiling any hope of a comprehensive energy policy, and at great cost to the National Treasury I might add. This has resulted in the annual export of $700- $800 billion out of our economy in oil purchases, with a substantial part of it going to our enemies, only to be spent purchasing our own assets right out from under our noses, further weakening our currency, our economy and our position in the world."
"You have stolen a fine education system from the hands of parents and communities, only to indoctrinate students in a moral vacuum, teaching that life is fair (which it's not) and that they are entitled to the American Dream' (which they're not). The result is a system where drop-out rates of 25% are common and the graduate is ill equipped to become a productive, compassionate adult. To add insult to injury, as always, you use the dismal failure of this system to justify more funding and poor results."
"Those who have been indoctrinated to believe that 'life is fair' and that they are entitled to the 'American Dream' have persuaded you to legislate a labor environment that has resulted in the loss of our manufacturing capacity, the backbone of any vibrant economy, to overseas competitors for obvious reasons."
"You have oppressed the productive and subsidized the slovenly in a great war on poverty accomplishing absolutely nothing other than providing employment to legions of bureaucrats who add no value to the economy. Poverty rates are unchanged from the start of this 'great war' indicating that maybe there are some that just can't or won't be lifted from poverty. Again, this dismal failure is used as justification for more funding."
"Health care up until about 1950 consumed a small part of our resources. Under your direction it has grown to be our greatest expenditure, consuming 20% of our personal spending while providing declining quality and availability of care. Yet another dismal failure used to justify more funding."
"You have created a false economy through deficit spending and while wishing to ensure that 'life is fair' you have created an environment where the citizens have done the same. The result is an economy where many own their home ('The American Dream') but have little or no equity in it. We have a stock market bloated not by value but by an abundance of cash created by, among other things, tax deferred investments and those 700 billion or so annual petro-dollars returning to roost".
Mr. Durbin, Mr. Shumer, Mr. Leahy. Talk about the "pot calling the kettle black"! Please awaken and understand what YOU are doing to this country.
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The views expressed in this
article are those of Chuck Angier only and do not represent
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That would be about as good of a response an oil company could give. Wouldn't dare mention the war in Iraq which is a major contributer to the high prices. Oil was around $25-$30/barrel when the war began 5 years ago. It went on a sickly incline ever since. How convenient that now with oil prices about 5 times the amount when the war started, that those who speak for the war are also demanding drilling in the Anwar. Anyone want to convince me the war isn't about oil?
If oil companies are to blame in any way, where was Haliburton in this questioning? Do they have immunity? Since I know little about the oil business, is Haliburton a supplier for the oil companies that were grilled before those lawmakers? However, there's this one problem I have. It can't be coincidence that at the same time the oil prices go up, the oil companies' profits expand into record numbers. Can it?
Any advocation for drilling in Alaska and such, I will oppose as long as we're in Iraq as I believe that makes up for at least 50% of the gas prices. I refuse to accept the Iraq war as the only reason, just the major one. I believe there are other factors. My basis for that stems from witnessing gas prices break $2/gal for the first time in personal memory during the Clinton administration.
Anyone else find it "convenient" that the oil prices are skyrocketing during election year? Did I mention yet that this comment is placing additionals to Angier's post, not debating them? Felt compelled to clarify in case anyone got confuzzled.
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