California Conservative

This morning, Sen. Obama delivered what was billed as a major policy speech on energy in Lansing, MI. After reading the transcript, I was wondering how this was different from Sen. Obama’s plan of 6 months ago. Here’s the opening to his speech:

We meet at a moment when this country is facing a set of challenges greater than any we’ve seen in generations. Right now, our brave men and women in uniform are fighting two different wars while terrorists plot their next attack. Our changing climate is placing our planet in peril. Our economy is in turmoil and our families are struggling with rising costs and falling incomes; with lost jobs and lost homes and lost faith in the American Dream. And for too long, our leaders in Washington have been unwilling or unable to do anything about it.

That opening is all about playing on people’s fears. There’s nothing in this opening that isn’t alarmist. What’s worse is that it’s either sloppily researched or blatantly dishonest.

Which thinking person thinks that our changing climate is imperiling the entire planet? I know that’s religion within the left but it isn’t a widely held belief elsewhere.

Here’s the portion of his speech where he sounds like Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats:

I also believe that in the short-term, as we transition to renewable energy, we can and should increase our domestic production of oil and natural gas. But we should start by telling the oil companies to drill on the 68 million acres they currently have access to but haven’t touched. And if they don’t, we should require them to give up their leases to someone who will. We should invest in the technology that can help us recover more from existing oil fields, and speed up the process of recovering oil and gas resources in shale formations in Montana and North Dakota; Texas and Arkansas and in parts of the West and Central Gulf of Mexico. We should sell 70 million barrels of oil from our Strategic Petroleum Reserve for less expensive crude, which in the past has lowered gas prices within two weeks. Over the next five years, we should also lease more of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska for oil and gas production. And we should also tap more of our substantial natural gas reserves and work with the Canadian government to finally build the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline, delivering clean natural gas and creating good jobs in the process.

This is the heart of the DRILL Act. Letting more leases in the NPR-A is part of the DRILL Act. Selling 70 million bbl. of oil is part of the Democrats’ plan, too. What’s interesting is that Sen. Obama just said he wants more use of natural gas.

The reason that’s interesting is because there’s vast natural gas reserves in ANWR and on the OCS. Both areas are currently offlimits. His staff will undoubtedly tell him that he’s just unintentionally endorsed opening those areas up.

Here’s the scariest part of the speech:

It is also a transformation that will require more than just a few government programs. Energy independence will require an all-hands-on-deck effort from America, effort from our scientists and entrepreneurs; from businesses and from every American citizen. Factories will have to re-tool and re-design. Businesses will need to find ways to emit less carbon dioxide. All of us will need to buy more of the fuel-efficient cars built by this state, and find new ways to improve efficiency and save energy in our own homes and businesses.

That opening sentence should scare every taxpayer. Let’s put this into context. We aren’t running out of oil and natural gas. We’re figuring out ways to use CTL technology that hold real promise. In other words, we’ve got the natural resources to us for a very long time, possibly well into the next century.

If that’s true, why the need for this major transformation involving “more than just a few government programs” that will spend our hard-earned tax dollars? Reagan’s way is the better way. Let’s just get out of the way and let these companies innovate like they’ve done all their lives.

Doesn’t this speech tell us that Sen. Obama doesn’t trust American ingenuity figuring things out on their own? Doesn’t it tell us that Sen. Obama is just like other Democrats in thinking that private enterprise isn’t capable of reviving this economy without “more than just a few government programs.”

This is an election about stark differences. I’m betting that more people will choose the lest costly option. I’m betting that they won’t pick the option that wants to massively expand government.

Technorati Tags: Gas Crisis, Barack Obama, DRILL Act, Nancy Pelosi, Democrats, John McCain, Nuclear Power, ANWR, OCS, Election 2008

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

This entry was posted on Monday, August 4th, 2008 at 11:46 am and is filed under Author: Gary Gross, Economy, Election 2008, Energy, McCain, Obama. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.