We’ve all witnessed the Charlie Sheen rally and his support base…. he’s even sold out some of his live performances that are yet to be defined other than yelling “Winning”. What’s worthy of your attention is just how many followers he has, Not all of them are kids, I’ve run across a number of Sheen fans who are in their forties with Kids out of high school, and some of them vote!
If you look at the EPAs current rulings AND their support base, their may be a very strong parallel. The Current Administration is comprised of activists, and since they are comfortable in that circle, they hired activists like Lisa Jackson who currently ‘directs’ the EPA. If we look at recent activities, should we be surprised that only 8% of the administration has had any business experience? Aren’t we all aware that a country is not all that different than a Corporation? Both entities must produce more than they consume or eventually perish. We know printing money will either get you jail time or put you and your followers out of the game.
Following is an article written by CEO of PowerSouth. He doesn’t mince words, and in my opinion, there are few people in America that have a better idea of what’s going on in energy and what the consequences have been and will be. Power South has thus far navigated through an ocean of insane energy policies, they made a decision a long time ago to use natural gas for power production, they’ve done their part to produce lowest emissions possible.
Balance key for competitive economy
CEO Gary Smith discusses the importance of affordable energy ?
Last month, President Barack Obama expressed his support of U.S. industrial competitiveness and stated that the government has a responsibility to ensure the U.S. is the best place in the world to do business. He devoted his entire weekly radio and Internet program to ideas that put the U.S. on a more competitive global footing by spending on innovation, education and public works.
He said, “In today’s global, competitive economy, the best jobs and newest industries will take root in countries with the most skilled workers, the strongest commitment to research and technology, and the fastest way to move people, goods and information.”
He talked about how federal tax credits and financing programs help companies boost their bottom lines and hire workers.
President Obama also stated that businesses have obligations and responsibilities.
He said, “They should set up shop here and hire our workers and pay decent wages and invest in the future of the nation. That is their obligation. Everyone will benefit if government and businesses work together.”
From those comments, you would think President Obama is the champion of business and American enterprise. However, as he expresses his support for American industry and competitiveness, his appointed Director of the Environmental Protection Agency, Lisa Jackson, continues to aggressively develop regulations that severely hamstring U.S. industry and make it less competitive in the global marketplace.
All with the apparent blessing of the President, who stated late last year after the “Cap and Trade” legislation to tax carbon emissions was defeated in Congress, “There is more than one way to skin a cat.”
Consistent with that remark, President Obama failed to mention in his remarks the continued need for low-cost energy inputs for American industry to remain competitive.
Low-cost energy for production is possibly more important than a skilled, efficient and affordable workforce. Yet, President Obama failed to raise the issue in his weekly remarks.
Does the omission of an affordable energy component in his statement indicate he will continue to pursue a strategy to increase energy costs to “skin the cat” of carbon emissions?
Shortly after his election, the President stated that he will increase the cost of fossil-fired energy to make renewables more competitive. Too bad we can’t increase the cost of foreign industry to make U.S. industry more competitive.
Regardless of which side of the issue you are on — and I recognize that not everyone agrees with me — the importance of energy in the industrial process is indisputable.
Every product and service contains an energy component. Some products are more energy intensive than others. The cost of the energy component in manufacturing is more important to heavier industry.
It follows then that a country truly invested
in industrial competitiveness would pursue a policy of balance between environmental policy and competitive energy costs. It is inconceivable that a plan to ensure American industry remains competitive in global markets would not include a component of affordable energy inputs. The refusal to ensure that American industry has access to low-cost energy is in essence an admission that we are not as invested in global competitiveness as we claim.
It will be interesting to see how aggressively President Obama pursues business interests as he seeks reelection. It will also be interesting to see if Ms. Jackson is left to her own devices to raise energy costs to reduce carbon emissions. It is clear our global competitors will not burden their industry with such costs.
Above all else, it is perfectly clear that without affordable energy the U.S. will not remain competitive in global industrial production markets and our jobs will be exported to foreign shores.
So here’s the facts: We got into this mess with cheap energy, there is no way to produce or create the kind of prosperity we need to get out of this mess without cost effective energy of all types. Fuel oil, electrical energy, natural gas, and more. If we had a few people in the current administration who had any bussiness experience, they’d also know the beneift of employing our own people and circulating the wealth wihtin our own economy verses exporting the JOBS and wealth to other countries like Brazil.
It is not because president Obama is stupid that he preaches Corporations must employ Americans, and then he endorses policies that end jobs here and force employers to operate in other countries. Shutting down oil drilling here will have serious consequences, denying jobs in Louisiana, Texas, Alaska, will be seen as a serious error in our near future. What is profoundly disturbing is President Obama doesn’t seem to notice that his own policies are at odds with his expectations.
Had President Obama spent even a year running a candy store and having responsibility for filing B&O, State Sales, Fed Taxes, managing a few employess, paying L&I, he’d have a whole new perspective. You don’t know what you don’t know, and it’s not fair that we raise our expectations of him other than to have the wisdom to seek those in bussiness for his counsel. This is where fools and the inexperienced are sorted. Wise men seek experienced counsel.
History will record the blatant contradictions between what President Obama says, and what he does. History is likely to use the EPA as an example of what destroyed the North American economy. Lisa Jackson is no friend of business, and prosperity has no place in her designs and those of her Masters. The courts are full of attorneys appointed by the EPA, and the burden to all industry and every business is far greater than average men understand. It might be easier to see how it might affect baseball, just imagine every team in the league needing an army of attorneys fighting in court full time and a research and discovery team of a dozens to support each attorney, no doubt it would put the cost of admission to a game out of reach for some fans. But in the case of the American economy, it’s worse! You are required to fund both sides, and to build all the new courthouses necessary to argue parse every word and argue every point.
There’s a certain power engineer I know who recently made the investment in panels, inverter, batteries, and backup. He knows the cost per KWH is not cheap, but he also recognizes that our current energy policy is a disaster. He went on to say.. “this removes some of the uncertainty in my future.. “my retirement years.”
Another sign? As the world seems to be on fire, President Obama frames Bullys in public schools and ending Homelessness as goals worthy of our focus. Those with life experience know that even a law against homelessness will not abolish it…
Isn’t it time you work on your independence?
GB
I think accusing the administration of having activists is generous. Activists have principles even if sometimes not well informed. I think this administration
is made individuals stroking their egos, consolidating power and engineering post administration jobs. Activism is their camouflage.