I have gas.

This is written in response to an editorial which appeared in the Daily Iowan on 6/23/08 and in the Daily Universe on 7/22/08. For the original article, click here.

This is in response to the op-ed piece “Offshore drilling: Not a quick fix” from July 22^nd. This farcical essay was yet another attempt by the liberal machine to dissuade the public from believing in those pesky laws of economics.

Of course, why would drilling for more oil bring the cost of oil down? That kind of thinking will get people hurt. The guest author from Iowa rehashes the tired rhetoric that we have been hearing since the seventies. “Even if the project began today…blah, blah, blah. Notice that the amount of time that it will take for drilling to have an effect on gas prices is about the same length of time that Al Gore says it will take for the earth to burn up. The Democrats insist that we can’t wait to take action with respect to global warming, but then they tell us that it would be pointless for us to address the energy crisis because 10 years is such a long time to wait.

Let’s have a look at some facts. The latest scapegoat for high gas prices is the demonic “speculator”. Notice that the very same day Bush ended the presidential moratorium on offshore drilling (and encouraged Congress to do the same) the price of crude dropped by over $5 a barrel. Coincidence? Now, pay attention. Speculators are gambling on what they think the market will do in the future. If they get the crazy idea that oil production will increase (thus decreasing the price of oil) then they will try to sell their shares while the price is still high which will cause the price of oil to decrease, just as it did last week. So, if something else happened that would shake the market, say for example, a massive increase of domestic oil production, what do you think the speculators would do?

The Democrat-led senate is fighting tooth and nail to convince the public that it is “Bush’s failed policies” that have caused the increase in gas prices. Let us not forget that our current energy policy is the Democrat’s brainchild. Domestic oil production is minimal, no new oil refineries have been built in decades. The Republicans have been crying for years to increase drilling, while the Democrats issue the same tired rhetoric. “Stop using, stop driving, stop eating, and stop growing!” Is it any surprise that the net result of an energy policy that refuses to produce energy has resulted in exorbitantly high energy prices?

Now, how about a real solution? We remove the moratoriums, the restrictions and the red tape surrounding domestic oil production. We take advantage of new technologies like oil shale and coal gasification. We build nuclear power plants to generate cheap, clean, virtually limitless energy. Then, while the lower energy costs are busy helping to stimulate the economy, thus allowing companies to expand and create jobs (good) as opposed to downsize and eliminate jobs (bad), we can focus on implementing new technologies and solutions that will help to further decrease our dependence on fossil fuels.

The best thing about these technologies will be that they will succeed or fail based on their merits. Notice that hybrids have started to catch on, not because the government is forcing them on us, but because the technology is finally making them attractive. Notice again how ethanol, which has been subsidized by the government for decades, has yet to have any effect on our oil dependence. If anything, the government subsidy has caused the technology to stagnate. If money is coming in despite how well the product actually works, then there is no incentive to improve the product. Ha! Capitalism wins again!

No more sitting on the sidelines

If you are still reading my blog, then that must mean that you are serious about conservatism. You must realize that conservatism is the only remedy for our nation's ills. The left wants you to belive that the government can solve all of your problems if you will only hand over all of your freedoms. Liberalism is equality at the expense of freedom. Liberals spout off about free health care, free higher education, guaranteed jobs, etc. but in return you must give up your right to spend and donate your income the way you see fit, your right to oppose social measures that you do not agree with, your right to make decisions about your life, from what kind of car to drive, to what doctor you want to see, to what you want to do as a career. Equality always comes at the expense of freedom.

Sound extreme? These things are already happening in Europe, the liberal "land of equality". If the government pays for your healthcare, then shouldn't they be able to say what doctor you go to? If the government pays for your school, then shouldn't they be able to dictate what you do with that degree? See where I am going with this?

Liberals talk about things like houses, cars, jobs, as rights, rather than things that have to be earned. They think that the government should be given absolute power to ensure that everybody has exactly the same things, of course the only way to do that is to take the wealth away from those that earn it, and give it to those who do not.

The reason that they are in power is because the regular people are duped into believing that you can set up this kind of system without any lasting consequences. Ask anyone, "do you want health care for free?" What do you expect people to say? Liberals believe that they can use the government to force a utopia.

Conservatives, on the other hand, don' t necessarily disagree with the ends. Would it be nice for everyone to have free health care? Sure. What about a job? Absolutely. Money? Food? Cars? Boats? Would it be nice if everyone was rich, affluent, educated, and productive? Why not? Conservatives realize that freedom must come at the expense of equality. If you give over all the power to the government, you are no longer free. Republicans realize that you cannot have a state induced utopia without destroying the very elements of society that made this country great.

Rush Limbaugh often asks; "With all of the countries and civilizations around the globe, some of which have been around for thousands of years, how is it that America, in a mere 200 years has risen to the top, and become the dominant superpower in the world?" The answer is in one word. Freedom. People came to this country, and they worked. The knew that they were not owed anything and if they wanted to survive, they had to scratch it out with their fingernails. Imagine where we would be if the waves of immigrants that came to this country in the 1800's and early 1900's had arrived, looked around, and sat down and waited for their government check? Where would our country be now? Yet this is what the liberals want for our immigrants today.

Liberals salivate at the prospect of changing our society, government, and economy to model that of France. France? When has France been at the forefront of anything? Europe criticizes us for being a warmongering nation, but it is our warmongering that preserved their freedom in WWII and the Cold War. Do they think that the USSR stopped at the eastern bloc because they just "didn't feel like going any farther"? No, it was because Ronald Regan showed that he and the rest of America had the onions to stand up to the Evil Empire and play chicken. We won, and Europe is still free to talk about how horrible we are.

The basis of conservatism is to maintain an environment, where the individual can succeed. The government cannot (and should not) ensure success, all the government can do is set the stage. Conservatives realize that in order for people to climb out of poverty, their must be a strong economy that will provide jobs to unskilled workers. When the economy is weak, those jobs are the first to go. When poor people have jobs, and work, they are able to gradually work their way out of poverty. This process sometimes takes generations, but we know that it works. When the economy is strong, we see that poor people are gradually becoming less poor.

Lets look at the alternative. A poor person gets a government check. This check is substantial enough that this person to maintain a standard of living that he otherwise could not afford. Now, that person could go, get some job training, and get a better job, but then he would make too much to qualify for the government assistance, but not enough to maintain the lifestyle that he currently has. So what does he do? Stays where he is, not progressing, not moving forward. The tragedy is that his children learn that rather than work hard and try to be successful, you do the bare minimum and collect your check from the government. In the work that I do, I see this every day.

Liberals see a man who has his needs provided for, and they revel in the fact that this man is completely dependent on the state. Conservatives see a man who is crippled. A man who will never move past this pitiful stipend that he government has given him. A man who has sacrificed his freedom and is enslaved to the government that is paying his rent. Who will that man vote for in the election? Say that the party that supports increasing his stipend, also supports some atrocious act like say...killing unborn babies (this of course is entirely theoretical). Who will this man vote for? Thus his moral conscience is hindered by his dependence on the state. This is what the liberal wants.

Friends, this is a war. A culture war. If you think any less of it, you are deluding yourselves. The liberal movement has gotten where it is, because conservatives are too busy actually contributing to society to be much concerned with the direction society is headed. That time is past. If you agree with the things I say, then you must act. Notice that the first words in the Constitution are "WE THE PEOPLE." If you are tired of the way things are going, then you must get involved. I am not just talking about voting. I am talking about really getting involved. Write to your congressman, get involved in local elections, stay abreast of the issues, and most of all, run for office. I am coming to the realization that if I want something done right, I have to do it myself. The time is coming when you may see my name on a ballot, and even if you don't you can be sure that I will be putting my effort behind someone else who feels the way I do. The time for sitting on the sidelines is past. The coach has called us in. Is anyone going to sit this one out?

Petition to Increase Offshore Drilling

Click here to sign a petition to support the Gas Price Reduction Act which is being spear headed by Senator Mitch McConnell. It addresses the need to increase offshore drilling, as well as Oil Shale exploration, electric cars, and the stemming of speculation. For more info about this act, click here.

Read This Article:

My last few posts have been about the current oil crisis. The Senate Republican Leader, Mitch McConnell spoke on the Senate floor Tuesday and did a bang-up job of setting the record straight. Read this article, and write your local congressman, demanding that the moratorium on off-shore drilling be lifted.

Your Move America.

This week President Bush has lifted a Presidential ban on drilling for oil and natural gas on the U.S. Continental Shelf.

"Today I've taken every step within my power to allow offshore exploration of the OCS," Bush said.

Now, this act is largely symbolic. No change can really happen with the domestic oil situation until Congress lifts its ban on offshore drilling. Bush has just racked up a few more points in my book. What he has done is remove all doubt as to who is responsible for the high gas prices. He has drawn line in the sand and dared Congress to show their true colors and demonstrate if all their talk about "being for the little guy" is just that, talk.

Of course, the democrats are not about to let Bush push them around, and Democratic leaders have already rejected his call to end the moratorium, stating that it would have no effect on prices, and that better options are available.

Once again, I would like to see those better options. Please, please, please, Pelosi and Reid. Tell me. What will have an effect on prices? Taxing the Oil companies? Outlawing SUV's? Subsidizing ethanol? These are the ideas that you have pushed on us for decades, so much that many of the Republicans are finally buying them. There is only one flaw. None of these have had any effect on gas prices except to raise them. And unlike your slick rhetoric, mine is actually based on fact.

Wake up America! The democrats have absolutely no desire to help you out. They are not at all interested in lowering the gas prices. If you elect a democratic congress in the upcoming election, you can only expect more of the same.

The Democratic solution to the energy crisis is this. Stop Consuming! Stop Driving! Stop Breathing! Stop Eating! Obama has said that the only problem that he has with the high gas price is how fast it has risen. The democrats want to impose even heavier taxes on the oil companies to "punish" them for forcing these high prices on the poor American consumer. Of course anyone with half a brain can see that this will only force the oil companies to pass these extra costs onto the consumer in the form of even higher prices. But that is exactly what the Dems want! They want the prices to increase. That is why they refuse to boost energy production. Their plan is to artificially jack up the price so high that Dwight and Duane from the Ozarks won't be able to fill up their pick-up, and thus be prevented from clogging the road.

Of course neither Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid nor any of their other teammates are concerned about the gas prices, none of them have to worry about making a choice between paying for gas and paying rent. Their main tool is class envy, to trick the average American to hate the rich. They thrive on the illusion that all the rich have gotten their money through devious means, and that all the poor are honest hard working people who can't get ahead because of the "BIG EVIL RICH". That is why they spend so much time trying to make Americans hate big companies, executives, CEO's, and rich people in general, hoping that the public will forget that it is the rich people, the CEO's, the big companies, that keep our economy moving, that create more jobs, that motivate innovation.

The key to solving our energy crisis is simple.

1. Boost domestic oil, natural gas, and coal production by opening the continental shelf, and giving States the right to drill on their own lands.

2. Allow the construction new refineries and coal gassification plants to process the raw materials into usable fuels and other products

3. Stop buying oil from the Middle East the second that we are able to meet our own needs.

4. Allow the construction of Nuclear Power plants

5. Focus efforts on innovation and ways that we can reduce our need on gasoline. If the economy is thriving, this innovation will come from the free market.

6. Eliminate ethanol subsidation. Any alternative energy source will have to stand on its own feet if it is to work.

Once again notice, that none of the democrat plans involve producing more energy.

Wake up USA. You have a chance to fix things. It isn't with the presidential election either. If you want lower gas prices, if you want to eliminate our dependence on the Middle East, then you have to vote conservatives into office this election. The democrats have wasted enough of our time and our dollars. Time to send a message and kick these fools out.

Where is McCain???

After watching the dismal display made by John McCain in the past few months, I can't help but think "This is what the Republicans asked for?" On Super Tuesday, McCain gained a vital lead over Romney because the polls showed that he had a better chance of beating Hillary in the general election. With in the next few weeks, the Republican establishment sensing that Romney was doomed, threw in their support with Johnny-boy, thus sealing Mitt's demise.

Who's laughing now?

The republican base is practically pleading with McCain to take Romney as a running mate, because everyone knows, that if we want to prevent an Obama presidency, we will need a candidate that can fully engage the enemy without forgetting what he said 20 minutes ago.

Now that I think of it, I can't recall a single person I know who voted for McCain in the primary. Then again, I live in Utah, the state that gave Romney 95% of the vote. Talk trash about Mormon's all you want, we recognize a good candidate when we see one. One of the Mormon leaders from years past commented once that the time would come when the constitution would dangle by a thread and it would be the members of the LDS Church that would save it. Looking at the results of this election, I can see how that could be fulfilled.

The only thing worse than McCain's refusal to embrace conservative ideals, is his refusal to engage Obama on the issues. Rather than draw a firm line distinguishing himself from his Democrat counterpart, McCain seems resigned to the fact that he will have his rear handed to him in November. This is what you voted for people!!! McCain needs to fire his entire staff and hire Rush Limbaugh to write out his talking points.

The Republicans are so backward that they actually believe the tripe that the left is spouting about them. They are actually buying into the idea that it is the Republican's fault that gas prices have skyrocketed. Never mind, that it has been the Democrats who have blocked increasing domestic oil production time and time again. Never mind, that while ethanol, wind, solar power, and Teddy Kennedy are all praised as viable alternative energy sources; nuclear power, a energy source that actually could reduce our foreign energy dependence, has been cast aside. Never mind that the only problem Obama has with the gas prices is how quickly they have risen. The Democrats want high gas prices. They figure that once the prices gets high enough, they will be the only ones left driving. Finally, a real solution to traffic jams.

The basic law of economics is supply and demand. The main reason gas prices are so high is that demand is increasing, and the supply either can't or won't keep up. The majority of the public is clamoring for the U.S. to increase the supply. Drill, drill, drill! Increase the supply by drilling domestically, and not only do gas prices go down, but we stop indirectly funding terrorism. It's a win win! The democrats plan is to attack the other side of the equation. Reduce demand by artificially increasing the price. They love that the gas prices are high. They want to make them higher. It is one of those great ideas that would have absolutely no effect except stagnate our economy. Anybody else notice that the housing crisis has escalated proportionately with the price of gasoline? People can't afford gas and houses. One has to go.

So where is McCain, why isn't he addressing these issues and taking on the Dems in their energy policy? Why isn't he putting them on the defensive? You can guarantee that had Romney been nominated he would have Obama tied up in knots right now. If Obama wins this election, it won't be because of Bush's "failed policies" or because of Obama's "magnetic charisma" it will be solely because McCain is a 100 year old hack who doesn't have the balls for a real fight. Congratulations Republicans! You picked him, you keep him.

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Morally Bankrupt?

This week the AP reported how a number of animal rights activists have been terrorizing certain UC Berkley who use animals in their research.

You can read the story at the following link:

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/ANIMAL_RIGHTS_VIOLENCE?SITE=OHRAV&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Over the past few years "brave" activists, faces covered and clothed in black, have been voicing their concern over animal rights using the common civil methods of spray painting, firebombing, and window-breaking. This is minor though according to Dr. Jerry Vlasak who thinks that killing these researchers would be "morally justifiable". Of course, he also comments that he does not encourage anyone to commit murder. No, of course not.

I seriously wonder if any of these "brave" activists have ever gone to the doctor. I wonder if they have ever taken a Tylenol, or cold medicine, or had a flu shot. I wonder if any of them has ever had a child born with a severe birth defect. If it wasn't for animal testing, our medicine would still be in the dark ages. A visit to the doctor would consist of getting a spoonful of calomel and the application of leaches. Open-heart surgery and countless other procedures wouldn't even exist.

I would love to ask one of these "brave" activists if they are just as passionately against partial birth abortion (0r any form of baby-killing for that matter). I wonder what their views are on human embryo experimentation or stem-cell research. I am willing to venture a guess that these "brave" activists willingly defend a woman's right to have her baby's brain suctioned out. If baby-killing is a legitimate right, then what about my right to be able to take cold medicine that won't make me go blind.

This is another example of useful-idiots doing the dirty work for the left. A normal person, while not feeling excessive glee over the death of animals, realizes that it is a necessary evil, and that the rights of humans supersede the animal's rights. Meanwhile, the left preaches that there is no difference between humans and animals. Some even call for the abolition of "animal slavery" or what we call owning a pet. According to them, animal should be given free reign in our society, beholden to know man, reproducing on a whim, walking the streets as free as a bird. I don't think any of these people have been outside of suburbia. Take a stroll in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where hundreds of thousands of stray dogs wander the streets eating garbage and biting passersby. Definitely a romantic image. All of this goes to prove the saying that "a man is free to be a liberal, until he has to get a job."