America's Biggest Enemy
America's biggest enemy is the energy business and their co-conspirators are the Bush administration and Congress. And it is being accomplished by artificially manipulating supply and demand.American's are currently paying between double or triple the price for energy than they should be paying, and they should be angry with then energy business, President Bush, and Congress.
We are being promised more price of energy increase creep through the rest of the year and the next few years, at least. And I believe them if they get their way and American's don't get involved and fight back.
America was on track after experiencing high energy prices and shortages during the early 1970's and committed to President Jimmy Carter's energy program. Among other things it included conservation, alternative fuels and fuel sources, and CAFE standards where vehicles in America would be more fuel efficient. Not only was everything accomplished at that time rolled back, but the standards were eliminated and nobody is serious about conservation. The net effect is that America imports six times more foreign fuel that during the Carter administration in the 1970's.
This November 2006, the population of the United States will reach 300 million people, and increase of 100 million people since 1968 when the population was only 200 million. America's energy requirement increased 50% straight line with the 50% increase in population. But we know the energy requirement increase is much more because we are driving less efficient vehicles, our houses are bigger, we are using more appliances than we did (more air conditioners, computers, bigger TV's), we drive further to work, there are more cars per person now than then, and many more reasons.
The energy industry have forced shortages because they have not invested enough into the infrastructure from the source of fuels, transportation and storage of unprocessed fuels, to refineries, to the transportation to the market area, to the storage of processed fuels ready for shipment to the consumers. We have witnessed shortages in each of these supply chain areas and listened to excuses such as we have a problem in Nigeria, Iraq, its the hurricane, the Alaskan pipeline was not maintained properly and now leaks, at most we have a two week supply of processed fuels, we thought it best to import more and more foreign fuel instead of developing fuel sources in America, and more bull.
The United States has sufficient suitable known in ground supplies of unprocessed fuels which the energy industry owns but is holding it back by really stretching out development or is ignoring development of the fuel sources.
The energy industry fights with lies and exaggerations to eliminate competition, such as the California clean air effort with General Motors Saturn division EV1 vehicle, which was a success plug electric car that won many admirers.
They buy up competing technology in order to take it off the market such as advanced battery technology that would have increased the driving distance on a charge dramatically for the EV1 and other plug electric vehicles and make it even more desirable.
Most of the fuel supply that the energy industry owns was bought in America for pennies per gallon mostly from federal lands as they have throughout the world. They also hedge which is time their additional purchases optimally for the lowest price. It is not one energy market worldwide but they are market makers in more than 100 countries in the world where they can play off one country's market against another. Just look at their windfall profits and the huge payments to their management and you know what they say about market prices is phony.
Just like the war in Iraq which Bush has said will continue and be settled by the next president, the energy crises is being ignored by the federal government until someone else comes to office too. America cannot wait for more eco-energy in 10 years or the fuel cell in maybe 20 more years.
Each Congressman in Washington, D. C. has an average of 63 lobbyists banging on his or her door. I am sure there are honest Congressmen/women but many others give a lot of attention to the lobbyists. The lobbyists try to be friendly to the them and give them invitations to nice places and gifts. Some of the gifts amount to thousands of dollars worth of travel on corporate jets. Others include thousands of dollars of re-election donations. The most prominent group of lobbyists are the energy sector lobbyists. Many friendly Senators and Representatives find high paying jobs within the energy industry. Many are bought politicians by the energy industry.
The biggest laugh on the American consumer is the hybrid vehicle with two power engines: one for fossil fuel and the other electric. I guess that was satisfactory for big energy. But the all electric plug charged with distances of around a hundred miles between charges would have been better. Two engines put the hybrids out of the price range of average consumers, so they will continue to purchase fossil fuel burning vehicles, How do you like paying for something you really don't need?
The American consumer is bloody and bruised with the current cost of energy and it is still under $5.00 per gallon. If it reaches $5.00 per gallon most American consumers will be knocked out. As it reaches $10.00 per gallon many consumers will die.
The time to act and maintain the course was in the 1970's when we had the first price surges and shortages. The time to act is now. Have you contacted your representatives lately? What are you waiting for?
posted by God Bless America - Bob @ 12:55 PM
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