The Envirofreaks just don't get it, do they? They seem to have no understanding of basic economics, heck, they often seem to lack just basic common sense. How could they believe what they did had they basic common sense and some economic understanding?
A recent editorial in the Seattle Times blamed free parking for the energy crisis. Free parking? I wish this was only a Monopoly game where landing on free parking is a safe haven half way around the board. This is serious. The future of our great nation and our capitalist system are at stake. This person wanted to place a tax, yes a tax, on parking spaces. He would rather we take the bus, the train, or the bicycle to work. He wants to take the choice away from us. He seems to ignore the possibility of rain, or desiring to live in a nicer home further away from work. These leftists don't want us to have the simple power of choice. Remind anyone of the Soviet Union? Aren't these the same leftists who complain about other societies denying the right of choice to its people? Give me a break. Look here in Athens, Georgia. We do not have a glut of parking. Finding a parking space for many people is a pain. However, people will drive through a parking lot for 15 minutes looking for a parking space. Cars are also more efficient than other modes of transportation. Yes, more efficient. From my home to go to Barnes and Noble, and then to Office Depot by car takes less than an hour. That very same trip on a bicycle took more than 1 1/2 hours (and I had to struggle keeping my purchase in hand). The bus takes close to 2 1/2 hours. By using the car, I am making more efficient use of my most valuable resource, my time. The Envirofreaks want to take away my parking space and my time. To them I say, "give me my parking space and give me my time.
The Envirofreaks take every opportunity they can to stop the production of new energy. We can't drill in Anwar, we can't drill off the California coast, we can't drill in the Gulf of Mexico. Where CAN we drill? They never seem to answer that question. They seem to think that importing from countries that are not our friends is the solution. True, our three largest foreign suppliers of oil are Canada, Mexico, and Venezuela. Yes, those countries are our friends. But what about the other countries that make up the balance of that supply? The United Arab Emirates? Saudi Arabia? Iraq? Iran? Indonesia? Nigeria? Are those countries our friends. You may say, yes, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia are our friends, but if the heat gets turned up in Israel, don't you think those three Islamic nations will turn off the oil spiket? They did it before. Those Carter oil lines were REAL good for America, weren't they? The Envirofreaks are forcing us into a position where these countries can hold us hostage. Also, ask them another thing. Why is it that is we can't damage our environment through drilling, but we encourage other countries to damage theirs? The U.S. can be nice and squeaky clean, but other countries must have to onus of oil pollution to service our needs. Environmental Imperialism?
I suppose when addressing this topic, California must be discussed. California is a mess. There is not enough electricity. How did we get here? California focused on conservation. Conservation is not a bad thing. It should be encouraged. Why waste? Furthermore, Californians have been successful in conservation. Only Rhode Island has had more success in this area. If conservation has been so successful, then why is California in the midst of crisis? Well, when you have a growing population and a growing economy, you are going to use more electricity. That is a given. Add to that the incredible increase in the use of computers over the past ten years, that means you need large amounts of electricity. However, due to the protests of the Envirofreaks, California has gone THIRTEEN YEARS without building a power plant. Governor Davis has just presided over the opening of a new power plant. There are two more scheduled to open in the next couple of months. Good for California. They finally realized that they made a mistake. The realize that they need to continue building sources of power, no matter how successful conservation programs are.
In the meantime, California expects us to take up the slack. They complain that they are getting gouged by Reliant Energy of Houston, Texas. Yes, the power they are buying from Reliant is many times more expensive than that produced in California. No argument there. What they didn't tell you is why. In order to produce the power, Reliant had to use plants that do not meet clean air standards. They are allowed to run these a limited number of days before they are subject to clean air fines. Do you expect Reliant Energy to absorb the cost of the fines or to pass them on to California. Of course they should pass them on to California. However, there is a far more cogent question that needs to be asked of Californians. Why do you get to have clean air when you want to force Texas to have dirty air to provide you with electricity? More Environmental Imperialism.
Finally, there is the issue of price caps. These make absolutely no sense at all. Follow the logic please. There is a shortage of power. Lower prices encourage consumption. Just how does that ease the situation? If you already have a shortage of power, then you encourage consumption by capping prices, don't you make the situation only worse? I can afford power that doesn't exist. Oh wonderful. California and the Envirofreaks have finally found a way to make us all equal. Equally miserable.
Don't get me wrong. I am not opposed to clean energy. I am not opposed to conservation. I believe conservation and vigorous exploration into alternative sources such as solar, wind, and geothermal. America needs to explore ALL energy alternatives. I envision a future with a diverse network of power sources. Coal, which is getting cleaner all the time, oil, natural gas, geothermal, nuclear, wind, and solar have a part in a healthy energy future for the United States. Anything else leaves us short of what we need and at the whim of nations that are not our frinds.