If your city were dying?
The Forbes top ten list of dying cities includes four in Ohio and two in Michigan. The first half of the decade, they were growing and the unemployment rate was extremely low. Since the mortgage melt down and the high gas prices, these cities, all linked to automotive jobs, have suffered not only job loss, but population loss. If they were your city and you the mayor, you probably wouldn't discourage business by promising them a "windfall profit tax," would you? If there was an oil, natural gas or coal cache in your city park, you'd most likely vote to drill, aesthetics be damned. All politics are local and you'd be out of a job by special election if you acted so stupid. But Obama wants to put the whole nation on that list. Drive out the successful energy companies, the folks who will also invest in alternative technologies, because they make too much money (i.e., they are too successful) and because you are beholden up to your unusual ears to the e-fundie-mentalists. Forbid the one effort that will ease the gasoline crisis and restore businesses and workers that depend on it. Dear Readers, and those of you like Sununu who skip the good parts, don't believe for a minute the nonsense about the number of years it takes. Ask any speculator how fast the prices would fall if drilling next week in ANWR were announced. Not a drop would need to flow before you'd see the pump price dip to reasonable. Barack Obama is so committed to weakening the economy so it will be "fair" for everyone, he can't be truthful about how far down his plan will bring us.Ohio Update: Four boys and one girl were born in Toledo hospitals Friday and Saturday, all apparently to married parents, going by the names. Congratulations to these new parents who are giving their little ones a good start. There are no guarantees, of course, but children of married parents have a much better chance of NOT growing up in poverty.
- Jill and Timothy Thuston, Maumee, boy, Saturday.
Sandra and Edward House, Toledo, boy, Saturday.
Amy and Larry Ward, Sylvania, boy, Saturday.
Bonita and Dwayne Moreheard, Toledo, boy, Saturday.
Megan and Tray Boze, Toledo, girl, Friday.
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4 comments:
MURRAY SAYS:
I totally agree with the fact that gasolene prices would immediately drop the minute it was announced that drilling would start ANYWHERE. That's exactly the kind of news that drives the speculators. Politicians saying otherwise simply confirms their commitment to special interests.
As long as it's part of a comprehensive energy strategy and the drilling isn't too disruptive to the environment, I don't care if we drill the beach fronts. Let's drill Lake Erie while we're at it. As Obama pointed out though, the oil supply that we would realize is roughly the equivalent of what we waste due to poorly inflated tires.
But no matter how much we drill, the real problem lies with a lack of refinery capacity, not with a lack of supply. McCain conveniently forgets to mention this fact in his stump speeches. We haven't built a new refinery in the US since 1976, and good luck convincing Canton or Y-town or Cleveland that installing one will lure people back to their cities.
The fact is that there are no easy answers. While we're at this crossroads however, we should probably shift our efforts away from burning fossil fuels and our crops, and spend more time developing wind, hydroelectric, nuclear and possibly solar power.
Gee, I wonder who's holding up the refineries?
anon- if you knew anything about oil refineries, you wouldn't have to ask. Bush wouldn't even touch the issue until he became a lame duck.
Here's a little primer for you.
http://www.slate.com/id/2102031/
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