Third Party & Independents: Archives

“Americans should be prudent in their use of energy during the course of the next few weeks. Don’t buy gas if you don’t need it.” —George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., Sept. 1, 2005

Another do as I say, not as I do, Bushism.

With all of the talk about high fuel costs, I am surprised nobody (especially the tax-hating Republicans) has lobbied to reduce the gas tax we all pay. I think he average is like 30-40 cents per gallon, but it varies from state to state.

Cameron, that would be tantamount to criticism! They don’t do that unless a liberal target is around. :-)

In my dreams of wishes, I envision millions of voting Republicans each sending the President an ink pen with a note designating it as a VETO pen from a tentatively loyal supporter. Apparently, everytime someone hands him one, he promptly loses it for another year. I knew some coke and pot heads like that.

Durned if he does, and durned if he don’t.

Bush initially said he wasn’t going to Louisiana after Katrina because he didn’t want to get in the way of the emergency operations. So of course he got hammered for not caring enough.

Then he decided that he’d better get down there anyway because of the spanking he took, and he got hammered for showing up late and hating black folks.

Now he’s been back to the Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi areas after Rita and gets hammered for wasting gas and tax dollars and only taking advantage of a photo-op.

Actually I agree that there’s no good reason for him to be down there, except that it might make some folks feel a little better.

Maybe having a president that just feels everyone’s pain is all that most people want. It doesn’t have to make any sense.

Poor George.

I guess this just goes to show that there’s no end to the fault-finding. Whatever Bush does, the left will demand the exact opposite—or even demand two totally condtradictory things.

A few weeks ago people were complaining because Bush flew over New Orleans and DIDN’T visit. And now they complain that he does visit? Typical.

Good idea David!

But then again, Bush’s money never matches the mouth. Supposedly he is a Republican sharing low government and traditional policies, which he’s proved false on.

The real problem here is with people who don’t want Bush to be President and so hate to see him carrying out the proper functions of his office—which happens to involve a lot of travel. We all remember, don’t we, how Bill Clinton and every other president insisted on traveling around the country by Greyhound Bus instead of Air Force 1? Right.

Bush’s money never matches his mouth?

Well, I can only assume then that all of our left wing friends have already given all their money and property (beyond what they need to live on) to those less advantaged than themselves. Instead of taking unnecessary and wasteful vacations, they spend their free time unloading bags of UN grain in third world countries.

After all, anything else would be hypocrisy.

Bush is really an idiot afterall.
I voted for this moron.
Sorry. All I can say are the choice sucked.

The heart of leadership, as anyone successfully trained in command in our military knows, is first and foremost by example. This is the point of this article. If this President were a leader, he would act in accordance with his words. Far too often, that is where the contradiction lies, not in the Left’s view, but, in the Administration’s behavior.

Since President Bush agrees with the Governor of Ga. about shutting down schools to save fuel, maybe it would be a good idea to shut the Federal Government for a few weeks to save alot of gas. Think anybody would know the difference?

Henry, Dem’s would lose focus and feel like they were sitting on an empty cannon!

Maybe John Kerry, Al Gore, Jesse Jackson, Ciny Sheehan, Hillary Clinton and Howard Dean ought to do their bit and cut down on the traveling and photo ops too.

That would not only save fuel, but cut down on the release of hot air contributing to global warming.

David,
It wouldn’t be just the Dem’s, but the Pub’s as well. And God only knows what the Media would do.

Sanger,
If President Bush was smart, he would be puhing for people to start requesting alternative fuel be added at their local gas stations. By doing that he would be helping use all the grain that can’t be shipped overseas.

Seems, Henry, that before we ask for it at the pumps we’d better ask for it at the automobile manufacturing plants.

sanger,
Go to your local ford dealership or online and ask for an EV Car. Although limited in models, President Bush could change all that with a single swipe of a pen. How fast do you think Chevy or Ford could replace half the Federal Government’s fleet with EV vehicles. The problem is that not every gas staion sells the alternative fuels.

Currently in Raleigh, NC I would have to drive across the county to obtain the fuel and that would only be during banking hours through the weekdays.

“Don’t buy gas if you don’t need it.”?
A little common sense Mr. President, please. Well maybe that is too much to ask but do you really think average Americans buy gas that they do not need? We fill the tank, we drive where we must go, we fill the tank again. We do not buy gas to set on the shelf to go to waste; we combine trips, we plan our routes, we drive responsibly and unlike the Fed, we try to make the most of what is left of our hard earned dollars after taxes.

David
Let’s see…Bush uses Air Force One to see first hand the devestation and he’s an energy pig…..on the other hand, if he sits on his hands in Washington you crucify him.

He’s screwed with you either way and always.

Wheater it’s Bush or the next Republician president,we Americans are the energy pigs and we have to face up to it.

It costs me (always) about $7 a gallon (2.29 euro per LITER) in Italy …has been that way for years.

Here,the SUVS and Hummers are all over the TV.

As a Republican I think Bush should say that in 5 years America will not import 1 drop of oil from the Aranian pennunsula.Not 1 drop.

We need hydro-power and windmills fast…like Holland.We need new technology on coal scrubbers fast….Coal alone could power America for centuries….We need efficient mass transport,not the union bloated system we presently have …Amtrak and state trasnport systems have been politicial dumping grounds for decades…We need solar power…cold fusion….
We need to explore HERE for fossil fuels.

We are wimps as a nation energy wise.

Every cent we send Saudi Arabia comes back to us in the form of a road side bomb…just like before the second world war when we sold our scrap metal to the Japanese who sent them back to us in the form of bullets and bombs.

Bush is bad..terrible on this…but the Dems have been unindited co-conspirators for years….the Kennedy family fortune,in part,comes from Atlantic Richfield..and both Kerry and Kennedy pull a NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) over a windmill farm off the Cape.

Until America has the guts to conserve and invest in alternative technologies…well …I think we deserve everything we get…and this is a conservative talking.

Everybody gets a big fat “F” in this department….everybody

David Remer,

Good piece. I think it is or should be common sense for people to begin a conservative (not a political term) approach to gas utilization. As well, IMO most people are already doing this.

The reference to Bush not following his own advice by using Air Force One, etc. can suggest that he is not following his own advice or, is unavoidable as part of his Presidential duties.

We both know that if he did not make an appearance at these disaster areas everybody would criticize him for not being close enough to the problem.

David,

I’m going to have to disagree with you on this one. The image of the President is VERY important to the American people — and not just to the shrinking percentage that votes. He’s more than just a government official; he’s a figurehead. It’s his job to be seen. Most of the work of the administration is done by people below the President. But the news media doesn’t spend every evening reporting who the Secretary of State had lunch with, or who the Secretary of Defense talked to on the phone. They focus on the President.

In a time of crisis, it’s the President’s job to draw the attention — and, if necessary, the blame — while the rest of his administration does the actual work.

That would not only save fuel, but cut down on the release of hot air contributing to global warming.

Compared to the hot air that comes from the White House press office, it pales in comparison. Politicians have a right to travel and most pay for it themselves. The difference here is that we, the taxpayers of America, are paying for the fuel in Air Force One, not Bush. If Bush ponied up the money for his AF1 trips out of his own pocket, well….

David:

Are you suggesting that the President of the United States should stay in the White House 24/7?

Is there any travel that should be allowed, or should he simply videoconference with national and world leaders?

For that matter, should members of Congress travel at all either? Or should they be required to maintain an office in Washington and stay there full time?

What about candidates for office? Should they be allowed to travel, or should they be forced to rely on advertising etc rather than personal visits?

Have you felt this way about all Presidents? We know that gas prices are up right now, but energy has been a concern during the Clinton, Bush I, Reagan and Carter presidencies. I havent heard you bring this travel ban up before—-just wondering if i missed it.

This thread is among the least thought out posts I’ve seen. It is simply a menial exercise caused by frustrated thinking….or more accurately, frustrated lack of thinking. It’s always easy to lash out at the cost of the Presidency, but we all understand that the security measures are there for a reason. We recognize that all Presidents act partially from a political perspective, and that sometimes its hard to discern the difference between politics and necessity. But this thread is simply based on either ignorance or frustration….little else.

“Don’t buy gas if you don’t need it.”

Yeah, I laughed over that one too. What an idiotic thing to say.

SE, Democrats have been trying to raise CAFE standards for over a decade now — still are — but they get outvoted by your Republicans. If you’re serious about energy independence, you should elect some more Democrats to Congress.

Every cent we send Saudi Arabia comes back to us in the form of a road side bomb

That’s exactly what Kerry said when he proposed concrete plans for energy independence. You guys decided that wasn’t important. Bush and Saudi Arabia won. Deal with it.

After a nice long break…it’s heartwarming to see that Bush is still taking flack for every thing in the universe….ya know, my car broke down the other day…that SOB Bush, I’m quite sure it is his fault…maybe it was a conspiracy.

Do you all really believe that these tangens of hate are making people believe the other side is any better?
Remember…the first person kicked off the apprentice this season was fired because she did nothing but piss, bitch and groan but offered little help……the team and Trump said “C-Ya”! Nobody but nobody likes to sit around and listen to negativity all day long….I’m not saying you have to support or agree with others but the best solution will be to focus on your own party and their positive contributions….you draw more bees with honey!

Lee Raymond doesn’t care about black people.

Energy independence is in everybody’s (maybe not the Energy companies themselves) best interest. Perhaps the current situations will help everyone mitigate some of their personal consumption. I think the President needs to go visit folks touched by the storms, but the WAY he does it can say quite a lot in terms of the message you are talking about David. He doesn’t need to take AF1 nor MH1 nor the motorcades, etc. etc. He could hop a Lear Jet (The Air Force has plenty of them) for a 2 and a half hour flight to NO or Houston, then the same back to Washington. The image of economizing would be the same as showing up in a Prius versus a Suburban. The imagery would be worth thousands of words. They could use that for the next 10 elections and show some reality to “compassionate conservatism”. Instead, the current image is “Ya’ll stop drivin, but I’ll keep flyin…”

Just a thought on Bush’s statement…
Maybe he actually believes it will keep HUGE numbers of protesters from traveling from all over the country in order to stand outside the Whitehouse demanding an end to our soldier’s deaths and dismemberments over his utterly failed, totally disastrous, optional war based on lies?

Dennis, Exxon is making $110 million dollars a day off this. The last thing they (and their politicians) want is for America to get serious about conservation.

Look at all the Republican solutions for dealing with high oil/gas prices: taxpayer subsidies for more oil exploration, remove environmental regulations on fuel formulas, remove environmental regulations on refineries, taxpayer subsidies for refinery construction, drill the ANWR.

I haven’t seen any mention at all about increasing fuel efficiency standards or encouraging alternative fuel usage.

Don’t Get your shorts all rumpled, this will be my only post.

“Did you really think that “Emporer George II” would actually take his own advice?” What’s it been 10 days since he returned to Washington from Crawford” He Must be stressed having had to deal with the minions around him. I’ll bet he High-Tails it back to Tejas for a well earned rest before October begins.

As for the Alternative Fuels Freaks, The Big 3 had the chance during the oil crunch of 74’. Their response, even bigger gas eaters. Toyota, Datsun (Now Nissan), and Honda road out that storm on 4 cylender motors, and look where Toyota and Honda are now, “Light Years Ahead of The Competitors”. Go to your Local Ford or Chevrolet Dealer.(I won’t even mention Lincoln or Cadilac) Walk up to the “Biggest, Most Monsterous SUV on the lot, you know the ones I am talking about, Put your hands on the one you find that gets the “ABSOLUTE WORST EPA Mileage Ratings” and Announce at the Top of Your Lungs “I/We Like this one.” When the swarmy, snake-like, salesman slthers or sidles up to you, Still within earshot of all the other customers and salespeople on the lot Make the following announcement “I like this one, right here”, point to it, read the EPA Ratings aloud, then refer to him/her, still pointing at the sticker and ask/state this to him/her “This gets the worst Mileage of any vehicle on the lot! How much will you PAY me to take this “PIG”. Drive it around town Prominently and proudly displaying (advertising) the Dealers Information. I am sure that will get you invited for the next major holiday feast, aren’t you?

As Always,
Wayne

It’s simple if the Democrats had not bashed and criticized the president to begin with Bush would not have had to make so many trips and waste fuel. As I have said before. No matter what Bush does the Dems say it is wrong. It is all a political game.

A.P.

Our energy program needs to be multi pronged. One prong needs to be doing a better job of being less dependant on foreign sources of oil. We can do this by increasing our own production abilities, and by reducing our usage. Both are important measures.

In my opinion, the more important of the two is becoming more efficient in our usage. Fuel cell technology, alternate fuels, tax breaks for energy conserving vehicles, etc are all ideas that need to be implemented further. In the short run, production is the quicker fix to the problem, and since it takes time to develop new technologies and infrastructures, this cannot be discarded.

I’d like to see activity in both sectors. Any thoughts?

“It’s simple if the Democrats had not bashed and criticized the president to begin with Bush would not have had to make so many trips and waste fuel. As I have said before. No matter what Bush does the Dems say it is wrong. It is all a political game.”

Let me see if I understand this. Because Bush stayed on vacation while people died and didn’t show his face, he is now showing his face all he can to show how much he cares. And this is the fault of the democrats?

But you are right, if he had showed he cared right away, he wouldn’t have to be doing all these expensive photo ops now.

There is no need for the president to tour hurricane hit areas or take personal command of the effort. Everybody knows that he just gets in the way. But it is our own fault. We expect politicans to be there acting the part. Bush was blamed for not being there at Katrina. He was right not to get personally involved, but that didn’t matter. Now he is all over the situation. It is not the right thing, but that doesn’t matter either. The country is getting what it wants in a leader - a good show. Don’t pretend you want otherwise.

David

As for Bush doing as he says, you should know about this. His Texas ranch house is earth bermed and employs rain gardens to conserve water. He uses native plants that don’t require special treatment. He did all these this before he ran for president and as far as I know it didn’t come up in the campaign. It wasn’t a political move.

womanmarine, Bingo. You win the grand prize for succinct hitting of the nail squarely on the head.

Action speaks so much more truthfully than photo ops.

I’ll avoid uneccessary driving when Bush starts avoiding uneccessary wars.

David:

Thanks. I missed this place, I couldn’t get here for days!!!

I don’t post a lot, but I read everything!!

David:

Usually your posts are much more thought provoking and much more well thought out. This one…well, I’m wondering if someone else wrote it and posted it under your name.

Jack is correct. A President really doesn’t have much to offer on site that he couldn’t offer from a distance. But the people want the personal assurance. It might only help in a “warm and fuzzy” way, but that’s what people want.

What is frustrating is to see people argue both sides of the argument. First Bush is wrong for not being there, now he is wrong for being there. It’s becoming typical fare, and is a big part why a great percentage of America simply stops listening to the gripes.

In my opinion, its the same as the boy who cried wolf. By griping so incessantly, those who oppose Bush lose the opportunity to gripe when its legitimate. I know some will say all the gripes are legitimate, but that’s just insular thinking. If Democrats continue on this path, it will only hurt them and the country by not creating change. They will simply be a loud clanging gong which inevitably fades into the background noise of life.

JBOD, what is frustrating is to see polls and photo ops replace real leadership which walks its own talk.

JBOD, BTW, another frustration of mine with Bush is his contradictory BS. In the last 24 hours he has said both that we are winning the war in Iraq AND that everyone should expect an upsurge in insurgent violence in Iraq.

Leadership? No, just a puppet reading different scripts from different script writers. Not leadership at all.

Womenmarine

Get real the president is never REALLY on vacation. Would you be with all that resposibility? Get real again he does care. If the president has to have a hands on in every situation that does not say much for any leaders under him whether Dems or Reps. Team work is the key!!!!!!! Someone in the team failed and caused a domino effect. The mayor and governor at the local level could not agree. That’s where it started.

Lets see the prsidents duties are everything in leadership in this country. He is Mayor of all towns, Governor of all states. Whenever someones nose runs he is to hop on a plane and wipe it. Because they are not capable of handling anything. There is a chain of command you know. The chain was broken. I am not taking any disaster lightly because someone will bash me out there by saying that. SOMEONE or several SOMEONES failed to follow the plan causing overall failure.

Are you a REAL WOMENMARINE or just saying that?

If so why did you join?

So, given the more than $50,000 per trip and the enormous amount of fuel Air Force One, Helicopter One, and the motorcades use per Presidential trip, why isn’t the President taking his own advice?

And, don’t forget the $5000.00 for the gold embossed playing cards for Air Force One.

But, of course, you didn’t think that advice was supposed to apply to the superior VIPs in government, did you ?

This is a great example of the arrogance in government.

It may just be the times we live in. For example:

Vivian:

“Are you a REAL WOMENMARINE or just saying that?”

I served, and very proudly.

” Whenever someones nose runs he is to hop on a plane and wipe it. Because they are not capable of handling anything.”

Sorry, this is just so out of it, it doesn’t deserve an answer. Amazing.

David:

Its important to really listen to what people say….not just the words, but the context as well. From the beginning, the administration said the fight against terrorism would be long and hard. They’ve talked about the difference between terrorists killing wantonly and an entire war being lost—you don’t see or understand the difference, but its plain to see.

Had Roosevelt stated the day before D-day that we would see an upsurge in casualties, but that WWII would be improving, he would have been correct in both assertions. They are not necessarily any more contradictory today.

I am NOT saying that the war and the aftermath of the major combat operations has been run properly. There have been many mistakes. Some are simply a part of war—-others were just plain stupid mistakes. What I AM saying is that its easy to recognize those people who will complain incessantly about every single issue—-they get tuned out. And the end result is that they lose the credibility to complain even about those things that deserve complaint.

When there are complaint about a President NOT going to Louisiana, and then complaints about the President going to Louisiana, that pretty much defines “incessant complaining” to me. How would you define it, when there are two options available, and people complain about both of them.

Joebagodonuts:

When there are complaint about a President NOT going to Louisiana, and then complaints about the President going to Louisiana, that pretty much defines “incessant complaining” to me. How would you define it, when there are two options available, and people complain about both of them.

I know you were responding to David, but I would like to suggest this difference.

That Bush didn’t (by appearances) respond to Katrina’s existence, never mind the very visible problems, and then overreacts to the criticism by going so many times, it isn’t a case of “damned if you do and damned if you don’t”, at least from where I sit. It is so obvious a case of going from the extreme of no reaction to over-reaction based on the criticism that is the issue.

By that I mean, yes, the president should have made a couple of tours, most presidents do. But he has overdone it after the criticism.

Even to the point of Laura going on a reality show!

And remember Bush said he does not follow the polls. B.S. Why else the photo ops? Walking the talk is a virtual impossibility for this guy.

I reckon that if the government (Bush or anyone else) wants us to save gas, then they should start setting the example by buying smaller cars (like subcompacts) to run around in.
They act like they want us to buy these pieces of crap while they drive their SUVs, Limos, and give the cops Crown Victorias.
I drive 28 miles to work and back 5 to 6 days a week. I have a 6 cyliders 65 Falcon that gives me 28 mpg. Thats 10 to 12 gallons of gas a week.
My wife’s Town Car gets 24 mpg. I don’t think that Bush’s limo gets close to 24 mpg, much less 28 mpg. It most likely uses 10 to 12 gallons of gas in just one trip to Capital Hill. And I can garuntee those SUVs that run with him get only around 8 to 10 mpg.
So if they want me to start using less gas, I WANT TO SEE SOME CUTTING DOWN ON THE GAS THAT THEY USE!

And, I want to see some spending cuts, period.
Government is spending like there’s no tomorrow.
At this rate, that may come to pass.

I don’t remember anyone complaining that President Bush wasn’t in LA. The complaint was that while people were trapped and dying, he was hamming it up pretending to play the guitar.

The guy’s the chief executive, for cryin out loud. Just checking in once or twice a day while a Cat-5 hurricane is battering your fourth largest city doesn’t cut the mustard.

Nobody expected Bush to be cuttin brush in NOLA. But nobody expected him to abdicate his oversight role, either. He’s the boss. He should have been in the command center for Katrina, just like he was for Rita.

I’d like to see activity in both sectors. Any thoughts?

Of course, JBOD. :)

Obviously I agree with you about using less oil, but alternative energy doesn’t have to be a long-term solution. The technologies exist and can make significant dents in our oil usage within just a few years if the effort is made to commercialize them.

As for increasing production, that’s a chump choice. Even opening up the ANWR — the last great American field — will only reduce our dependence on foreign oil by 2% about ten years down the road.

Unless you want to roll back every environmental regulation and use the cheapest, dirtiest gas available, there is no short term solution.

That’s why we need to commercialize alternative energy sources to bring the prices down right now. Otherwise, we’ll be burning anything cheap and flammable — no matter how dirty and polluting — just to keep our refrigerators, heaters, and cars running. I live in SE Asia, and I see that happening all over here.

The last thing we want is to take a step backwards, yet we’re already sliding by waiving environmental fuel formulation regulations to see us through this “temporary spike” in gas prices. But it won’t be temporary, and domestic drilling won’t make any significant difference.

The era of cheap oil is over. Period.

Vivian, JBOD, and others:

I swore I wouldn’t comment, but this thread is severely testing my will power.

Ron Brown, Womanmarine Great posts, Keep it up.

As Always,
Wayne

Womanmarine:

Thanks for the perspective. It’s one I don’t necessarily disagree with. I think Bush was keeping tabs on Katrina, but was not doing so visibly. He then went on to make a show of keeping tabs by visiting often.

What is so frustrating to me, though, is the incessant badgering from some on the left. This particular thread about Bush using too much gas is a prime example. Never any complaints about Democrats—-just about Bush.

For instance, when Hillary ran for Senator in NY State, President Clinton just happened to take a vacation in upstate NY. Sheer coincidence, of course. The cost to tax payers was high, as it would be with any presidential travel. I’ll bet those on the left had no problem with THAT travel, but they do have a problem with Bush being driven in an gas guzzling limo
(hint: bulletproofing adds weight).

Should a President simply do away with the Secret Service detail? Should they fly commercial? Dennis actually suggests that Bush could simply charter a Lear jet (of course, no security concerns there!!) to fly to visit New Orleans.

Womanmarine, it is these kind of silly, ignorant and just plain stupid ideas that detract from the necessary ones. We need a better energy program. We need Bush to sign bills that produce better gas mileage vehicles, and that promote alternative energy sources. But to suggest that Bush fly in a Lear jet, rather than the necessary security of AF1….well, those kind of comments are just a waste.

AP:

Thanks for your response. I think I agree with you, though Im not certain what you mean by “commercializing” alternative energy sources.

Joebagodonuts:

Thanks for your reasoned response.

I certainly agree that a lot of silly, useless ideas and opinions get posted here, some pretty far both to the far left and the far right. I think both do all of us a disservice and only aggravate differences that otherwise might be more easily resolved. While we are all responsible for our own emotions and opinions, I firmly believe that the leadership of both parties bear a lot of responsibility. It saddens me.

And yes, we need many more energy options, and while you may disagree with the coming opinion, less support for the big oil companies, or any of the companies making record profits or involved in any Enron type activities.

Election reform - real reform - has to come before we will accomplish much of anything that will benefit the American people. Ideology be damned.

Again, thanks for your reasoned posts and ideas.

Election reform - real reform - has to come before we will accomplish much of anything that will benefit the American people. Ideology be damned.

I don’t know what everyone is complaining about. I’m doing great…making all kinds of money. I took risks and they are paying off big time. The only depression I see is what I read from this blog site. I’ve got two very important words for all of you…”Personal Responsibility.”

I am successful because of ME. If I fail, it is because of ME. If I live on the coast where hurricanes can reach me, it’s my fault. If I live in Tornado Alley in the Midwest, then I take that risk or move. Same with earthquakes in California. If everyone took personal responsibility, then every one of these ridiculous arguments could easily be resolved.

David,
You need to get a grip on life. I occasionally read your posts and all you do is gripe.
I hope our next President is a Democrat, just to see what you would write then. Probably would be filled love and rose petals.

This is my one and only post, because I have too many other things in life to enjoy than the dribble that comes from life hating, doomed, democrats.

Maybe Bush should start wearing a Cardigan and advising people to turn the thermostat to 65…

womanmarine:

For the record, I rail against the record profits of oil companies as much as the next person. (And also against the pharmaceutical companies) I do NOT rail against record costs or record revenues, but I do rail against record PROFITS.

But unlike some in these threads, I don’t place the blame solely on the shoulders of one party or one person. I recognize that the majority of Enron’s growth, for example, happened during a Democratic presidency. Logic has to be suspended to claim that George Bush was responsible, since Bush was in office not during Enron’s meteoric growth, but rather during its demise.

I have no problem with laws urging research into new energy sources, even if those laws provide money to the existing oil companies. Research costs a lot of money. But I want to see results.

I believe we need to increase our ability to produce oil in order to decrease our dependance on foreign sources. While some are willing to rail against drilling in ANWR, they fail to recognize that Canada is our largest importer of oil. So in reality, by not increasing US energy production, we rely more on Canada increasing its energy production. Guess where much of their drilling occurs??? You got it—-in regions very similar to ANWR.

Interesting how the big picture looks quite different from the small picture that many want to focus on. Without seeing the bigger picture, we can’t understand the issues. Without understanding the issues, we fall victim to the desire to point fingers at the most accessible and easy source, whether or not it is actually correct.