HANSON: Drilling is a win, win choice for U.S. - Washington Times

HANSON: Drilling is a win, win choice for U.S. - Washington Times

When the summer driving season starts soon, and tension heats up about Iran, gas may reach $5 a gallon. Nothing bothers voters more than paying an extra $20 or $30 every time they fill up. In times like these, they soon might prefer even an oilman in the White House to an ideologue whose opposition to new oil development seems more religious than empirically based.

All presidents, of course, usually get the blame when the price of gas skyrockets and praise when it plummets, just like they own a bad or good economy, or a successful or failed war.

Presidents can affect gas prices, at least in the long term, by exercising budgetary discipline resulting in a currency that buys more oil per dollar, by approving or rejecting federal oil leases, and by adding or curbing regulations that affect oil exploration and development. In all of these cases, Mr. Obama has supported policies that contribute to higher gas prices.

Piling On-EPA Style

Obama Will Make You Pay More at the Pump

“What do you say to people who are losing patience with gas prices at $3 a gallon? And how much of a political price do you think you're paying for that, right now?” This was a question asked of the president at a press conference in August…of 2006. The president was George W. Bush. In fact, it was a question that was asked in one way or another regularly during the entire eight years of the Bush presidency, regardless of where energy prices stood at that moment.

.....Yet, at the end of President Bush’s presidency, gas prices were 9% lower than when he took office (adjusted for inflation). So where have these outspoken critics been since Bush left office?

Just last week (as frigid temperatures and blizzards blasted Europe and the U.S.), the EPA announced that it will begin regulating power plants and oil refineries in an attempt to curb global warming. The new regulations will seek to cut greenhouse gas emissions by making it more expensive to turn fossil fuels into energy. And Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced that the Bureau of Land Management would issue new rules making it harder to develop natural resources on government-owned land. These measures will not only drive up the cost of electricity and gasoline but will also make us more dependent on foreign sources of energy.

Read the entire piece here

News From Fallujah Iraq

Security insures stability, stability insures prosperity, prosperity is a measure of victory.

Resolve to Win

From the Fearless First Marine blog:

Story by Cpl. Chris Lyttle

FALLUJAH, Iraq – Transportation in the city of Fallujah has taken the high road, far beyond the days of Bedouin caravan runners who used camels to travel and transport goods across the desert.Besides the occasional farmer’s donkey carting vegetables, Iraqis use four wheels, vice four legs, as a preferred method of travel. Dump trucks, tankers, commuter traffic and other vehicles steadily flow into Fallujah’s entry control points, which have been put in place to safeguard people inside the city.

Increasingly long car lines at the ECPs are a visual indication that commerce is on the rise, but so is the inconvenience of traffic congestion. To accommodate for this growth, Iraqi contractors and 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines are rebuilding the ECPs to cut the wait time for commuters, which in turn could boost the city’s incoming revenue.“Historically, the city of Fallujah has a transportation and logistics-based economy,” said 1st Lt. Philipp Rigaut, assistant operations officer, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines.

“Based on demographics, the largest employment sector in Anbar and Fallujah involves transportation, particularly with truckers and cab drivers. The new ECPs throughout Fallujah are designed to support the increasing traffic flow while serving its primary purpose as the first line of security upon entering the city.”

Cross-posted at The Talon

We're not the only state with transportation woes

Tennessee, too, appears to have the same problems that we do. Matt Edens, the author, explores some of those problems.

Soaring gas prices may be the most pressing problem commuters currently face, but it is hardly the only one. There is also the nation’s deteriorating transportation infrastructure.

Interstate 40 through downtown is in the midst of a massive redo aimed to reduce a recurring bottleneck, ...("Mixing Bowl" sound familiar)

Even more interesting were the online comments, where readers lamented that they might ride the bus, if only it came closer to their house or workplace. Transit, to be viable, requires density. Unfortunately, density is what our transportation policies have spent the past six decades destroying. And not just our far-flung freeways, either: Downtown has been hollowed out for surface parking and numerous neighborhoods bulldozed down for road project... (Downtown toll road, bus routes only into the city, etc....Same old problems....)

However, some even more interesting ideas were presented in the comments, suggesting that repair of the infrastructure might not be possible unless we revamp the we do business, ie, it cost 3% of GDP to BUILD the highway system. But we can't conduct upkeep on 2% today. One commenter suggested repealing the "prevailing wage law" that mandates union wages for all contracted Public Works.....

We need to stop this continuing cycle of Tax and Spend. This is a continuing upkeep problem. If the State Government refuses to put the spending in the main budget, they are not serious. They need to stop the repeated tactic of having a separate transportation budget in order to force a "crisis" on the taxpayer. I say screw'em. Force the delegates to prioritize. The Republicans should keep saying NO!