Showing posts with label Energy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Energy. Show all posts
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Friday, March 2, 2012
Picking Winners and Losers
The Federal government has been granting subsidies to "green" energy companies, many of which have turned into absolute failures. At the same time, this administration has been pushing for taking away tax breaks from the oil companies. They also always refer to these tax breaks as subsidies. I happen to think these two terms are not the same. With a subsidy, money is given to a company. With a tax break, money is NOT taken from a company. The bottom line may be the same, but the terms are different.
At a time when gasoline prices are outrageously high and appear to be heading higher, it makes no sense to me that the solution is to punish the oil companies. The President simply does not want the oil industry to succeed. The threat to take away tax breaks is just one example to illustrate this. There are so many others as well.
What it boils down to is that President Obama feels he can be the one who determines who is going to succeed in this country and who is going to fail. I feel that if we are going to be in the business of subsidies or tax breaks, they ought to be made the same for all. This administration is always talking about being fair, but in some of its policies, it is attempting to do the opposite of being fair. The President's record at picking winners is also abysmal. Just look at how many "green" energy companies that received subsidies that are now going bankrupt. You could even make an argument that President Obama is attempting to make winners out of his cronies. "Crony Socialism" seems to be an accurate description of what is going on.
I would rather see our government stay out of trying to impact businesses altogether. Let the free market work. American would be better off for it.
Another BIG question would be this: Where in the Constitution does it say that the government should be determining winners and losers in the business world?
Oh, by the way, this is also part of President Obama's re-election campaign. His base is made up of people who like to think of themselves as victims who look to the government to take care of them. This requires the manufacturing of as many villains as possible. I certainly hope there are enough Americans who are wise enough to recognize this as something which is not good for America. America has never been about victim-hood, it's been about freedom and opportunities to succeed with hard work.
At a time when gasoline prices are outrageously high and appear to be heading higher, it makes no sense to me that the solution is to punish the oil companies. The President simply does not want the oil industry to succeed. The threat to take away tax breaks is just one example to illustrate this. There are so many others as well.
What it boils down to is that President Obama feels he can be the one who determines who is going to succeed in this country and who is going to fail. I feel that if we are going to be in the business of subsidies or tax breaks, they ought to be made the same for all. This administration is always talking about being fair, but in some of its policies, it is attempting to do the opposite of being fair. The President's record at picking winners is also abysmal. Just look at how many "green" energy companies that received subsidies that are now going bankrupt. You could even make an argument that President Obama is attempting to make winners out of his cronies. "Crony Socialism" seems to be an accurate description of what is going on.
I would rather see our government stay out of trying to impact businesses altogether. Let the free market work. American would be better off for it.
Another BIG question would be this: Where in the Constitution does it say that the government should be determining winners and losers in the business world?
Oh, by the way, this is also part of President Obama's re-election campaign. His base is made up of people who like to think of themselves as victims who look to the government to take care of them. This requires the manufacturing of as many villains as possible. I certainly hope there are enough Americans who are wise enough to recognize this as something which is not good for America. America has never been about victim-hood, it's been about freedom and opportunities to succeed with hard work.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Drill, Drill, and Drill Some More
President Obama said that the GOP energy plan is to drill, drill, and drill some more. That is not the Republican plan, but even if it were, it would be a better plan than the President's plan. His plan can be summarized as don't drill, don't drill, and never drill.
The President's plan relies heavily on "green" technology. At this point, green technology is either just potentially useful for the future or has to be highly subsidized by the Federal government. Electric cars are not selling, in large part to do with their high cost, even with tax breaks. Now we hear of another proposal to add another $10,000 in incentives to buy them. This means people who are NOT buying them are required to pay to help others buy them. Even then, the energy needed to charge them most likely comes from a coal-burning power plant. Another aspect of his plan is providing tax funds for "green" companies such as Solyndra, several which have gone bankrupt. This is another monumental waste of taxpayer money.
In the meantime, the President continues to obstruct anything that has to do with fossil fuels. The Keystone Pipeline has been rejected. Leases for off-shore drilling are rejected. Yet we encourage and subsidize Brazilian drilling. Drilling in ANWAR is rejected. In addition, the President is continually trying to punish oil companies through the tax code.
Ten years ago, Al Gore said it would be ten years before we could get gasoline from ANWAR. It was an excuse for not doing the drilling. Now we are expected to trust a President who thinks part of the answer to our energy problems is to get energy from pond scum. Do you think that this technology can be successful and marketable in less than ten years?
We are now experiencing higher gas prices, higher utility bills, and higher taxes that are paying for "green" subsidies. Conservatives say that the free market should drive the development of new technologies. American ingenuity has always accomplished great things without government help. Instead, we have an administration that wants to throw money at green companies. At the same time it obstructs the use of a technology that has already been used for decades. The result is that our economy suffers, and the American people suffer.
Yes, drill, drill, and drill some more sounds pretty good right now.
The President's plan relies heavily on "green" technology. At this point, green technology is either just potentially useful for the future or has to be highly subsidized by the Federal government. Electric cars are not selling, in large part to do with their high cost, even with tax breaks. Now we hear of another proposal to add another $10,000 in incentives to buy them. This means people who are NOT buying them are required to pay to help others buy them. Even then, the energy needed to charge them most likely comes from a coal-burning power plant. Another aspect of his plan is providing tax funds for "green" companies such as Solyndra, several which have gone bankrupt. This is another monumental waste of taxpayer money.
In the meantime, the President continues to obstruct anything that has to do with fossil fuels. The Keystone Pipeline has been rejected. Leases for off-shore drilling are rejected. Yet we encourage and subsidize Brazilian drilling. Drilling in ANWAR is rejected. In addition, the President is continually trying to punish oil companies through the tax code.
Ten years ago, Al Gore said it would be ten years before we could get gasoline from ANWAR. It was an excuse for not doing the drilling. Now we are expected to trust a President who thinks part of the answer to our energy problems is to get energy from pond scum. Do you think that this technology can be successful and marketable in less than ten years?
We are now experiencing higher gas prices, higher utility bills, and higher taxes that are paying for "green" subsidies. Conservatives say that the free market should drive the development of new technologies. American ingenuity has always accomplished great things without government help. Instead, we have an administration that wants to throw money at green companies. At the same time it obstructs the use of a technology that has already been used for decades. The result is that our economy suffers, and the American people suffer.
Yes, drill, drill, and drill some more sounds pretty good right now.
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