Welcome to the May “Business Leaders” issue of NorthBay biz. This month’s magazine focuses on individuals and companies who are leaders in their industries. The stories analyze leadership and attempt to discern the elusive qualities incumbent for success. As you’ll discover, the skills employed are diverse and manifest themselves in many ways. Please enjoy all the stories, special features and columns this month in the North Bay’s only locally owned business publication—NorthBay biz.
“If someone wants to build a new coal-fired power plant, they can, but it will bankrupt them because they will be charged a huge sum for all the greenhouse gas that’s being emitted.” —Candidate Barack Obama, 2008.
Speaking of visionary leadership, reading everyday headlines and listening to presidential speeches and solemn pronouncements from the Secretary of Energy leaves me wondering: What’s happened to ours? Has the country completely lost its way? Are we so easily led down a path contrary to our self-interests? Has PC delusional thinking reached the point where pursuing policies that will ultimately reduce the nation to third-world status is viewed as a good thing? In pursuit of a utopian energy fantasy, it seems common sense has been abandoned.
Contrary to the overwhelming best interests of our country, green-lighting the construction of the Keystone Pipeline is on hold. Why, really? Is it we’re against creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs? Is it we’re against making progress toward energy independence? Or is it really about the fear that, once this pipeline is in operation, it would kick-start the demand to begin to develop our own rich reserves of gas and oil, leading to us becoming a net exporter of energy and dooming the green energy fantasists? You see, if it’s allowed, the production of Canadian tar sands oil will prove its viability and, consequently, how do you keep development of this resource on our own lands in check? How do you perpetuate the green economy ruse that’s already faltering from bankruptcies and corruption? The plain truth is simply that there’s no shortage of gas and oil in this country and the current green energy technology just can’t compete—even with billions of dollars in wasted subsidies.
Gas prices have risen to more than $4 per gallon locally. So, it now costs more than $70 every time you fill your car’s gas tank in California. An average two-car household will spend approximately $6,000 for the luxury of driving each of their cars 12,000 miles per year. However, to this administration’s way of thinking, high-energy prices are the solution, not the problem. This isn’t conjecture on my part—it’s stated policy.
Secretary of Energy Steven Chu stated in a speech, “Somehow we have to figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to levels in Europe.” (Looks like he can check that one off the to-do list.) In a recent speech, President Obama declared, “… the new oil finds off Brazil…[means] Brazil wants to be a major supplier of new stable sources of energy, and I’ve told her that the United States wants to be a major customer.” Think about that statement. Why don’t we want to be a supplier instead of a customer? The administration has actively prohibited this exact same development in our own waters, but has no problem paying another country for something that, if we were to do ourselves, would create jobs and help revive the economy here. Instead, we choose not to create jobs or help the economy and pay more for imported oil.
Cheap, locally produced energy frees the individual, increases domestic security and powers the economy. Apparently, those benefits aren’t worthwhile if it means, in exchange, the government loses some control over our lives in the process. Because if there’s one thing the current administration wants above all else, it’s complete control over all facets of our lives—from what and how much we eat, to how we heat and cool our homes, to what we drive and how it’s powered—there’s no detail too small to escape its enlightened interest.
Let’s take a look at the much-ballyhooed, government-sponsored social engineering project, GM’s Chevy Volt. “The car of the future—now!” as it’s promoted by its supporters. I mean, shouldn’t everyone be rushing out to buy a $41,000 electric “toy” car that gets an amazing 100 miles between charges? Currently, there’s a $7,500 electric vehicle tax credit available to every buyer. Just how far is the government willing to go to get people to buy an inferior product at an exorbitant price? If the Chevy Volt can’t compete in the marketplace on its own merits, why should taxpayers be forced to underwrite yet another attempt at social engineering?
During the 2008 presidential campaign, candidate Obama stated, “Under my plan of a cap-and-trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket.” It never ceases to amaze me how the progressive Europhile elite, who love to emulate the command and control economies of Europe, just can’t seem to get on the nuclear power bandwagon when as much 80 percent of electricity is nuclear-generated in parts of Europe.
Anyway, in a nation that currently gets less than 3 percent of its energy from wind, solar and hydroelectric, trying to mandate that we abandon traditional energy sources—no matter the cost or the state of technology—is extremely unrealistic.
Where’s the coherent policy? What’s the transition strategy? With no game-changing technological breakthroughs and at tremendous additional costs in the midst of the worst recession in 80 years, this administration’s policy is “damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead.” It’s as if just wishing will make it so. This is the result when ideology trumps common sense.
Rational people can only shake their heads in disbelief and amazement and ask: What are they thinking? Better yet, they should ask: Are they thinking at all?
That’s it for now. Enjoy this month’s magazine.
