I take it you agree then? There’s no “free market” when it comes to oil? You’re the one who said the “free market” should control oil prices. That’s obviously not feasible as long as there is OPEC. The Government of the United States should be way down near the bottom on your list of enemies.

Sorry to complicate things. Maybe I should just say you are full of shit? Or drill baby drill?

You say:

“Rather than let the free markets deal with oil price fluctuations, government will impose a phony market.”

I wish it was that simple. I would be right there with you.

Please agree, there is no free market for oil. There is a Cartel. That is what OPEC is. A Cartel. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. They control most the worlds oil, meet regularly to decide how much oil they will produce. The definition of Cartel is when controlling industries set production levels to control prices.
That is just the way it is. That is what OPEC does. Repeat. There is no “free” market for oil. OPEC manipulates a phony market. The government of the USA is powerless.

Notice we attacked Iraq instead of Saudi Arabia where the 9/11 hijackers and Osama bin Laden actually came from? That’s what ya call being dependent on Arab oil. I’m fine with attacking Iraq. I wanted to attack somebody, but it’s sad Saudi Arabia is off limits because of our weakness to their oil.

Drill more ( I have nothing against drill more. Not off Rehoboth maybe, but hey drill all you want.) trouble is drilling more is more of a political argument with no real bearing on, or hope of solving the problem. If we drill in the Grand Canyon or off Miami Beach that might be good spitefood for anti-environmentalist, but it won’t help us get off OPEC. The oil drilled off Florida will sell for the price that OPEC and the hedge fund future traders set. It’s called supply and demand and corruption.

Additional monkey wrench is that complex futures trading, hedge fund, further manipulating prices with no real connection to supply, demand, or free market principles.

Remember just a couple years ago? When gas was hitting $5 dollars a gallon? How it killed us, made you cry, spending $80 to fill up the tank? There was no shortage of oil. No shortage of refiners. No free market. We got robbed. Not by Government, but lack of Government.

During that $5 a gallon rip, that almost took us to our knees, Goldman-Sachs, fresh off selling phony mortgage backed securities to pension fund suckers worldwide, switched to oil as a way to make dough, was a big power player trading oil futures. Made billions just swapping paper with the word “oil” on it, while we suffered at the pump. Sure it’s all too complicated for us little folks. We don’t understand these free markets. We are told just to trust them. Not so much for me anymore.

My idea of a conservative is somebody who’s savvy enough to recognize who it is that’s robbing you.

Am I supposed to pay $10 a gallon while middlemen stuff $9 in their pockets for something that’s worth 10 cents, then I’m told I have to shut up and call that a “free” market. Maybe that’s okay with you. I want to break the back of these suckers. I want my government to defend us from economic predators, enemies of the People, both “foreign and domestic” as they say when they swear in new Presidents. Will we be forced to pay $8 a gallon this summer. Maybe because Valero closed or some other bullshit reason. Then when we are on our knees begging for air they will take it back down to a more reasonable $4 a gallon. You don’t want to tamper with this? You don’t like cap and trade? I don’t get it.

Regarding taxes, how much did we send overseas when oil was $150 a barrel? Was that a tax? Was that Don’t Cap and Don’t Cry? It came out of my pocket. What shall I call it – a free market non-tax? Now it’s back down to $75 a barrel – just in time to make the price of alternative energy look not so good? There has to be a way out of this racket.

Cap and Trade is a start. Tax carbon, subsidize the new homegrown stuff. That’s national policy. That is leadership. It’s trying to find a way out from being a weeny Nation that has to depend of Arabs to keep our economies cars trucks running.

The cost of Cap and Trade has to be less than the cost of $5 gasoline – plus the money does not got to the Arabs.

By the way it was not just greenies who screwed nukes in America.

Did Reagan built nukes? Did Bush build nukes? Did the Gingrich Congress build nukes? Did your conservative Grandma want a nuke in her town? Did the conservative Wild West anything goes Nevada want nuke waste in the desert mountains? No. No. And more No. From all sides. Not just greens and Al Gore. It was all of us to blame while France has 80% nuke energy to fuel the new electric cars we are stuck at 20%.

It’s time to stop wasting energy fighting “liberals”. We need to use that energy advancing policy ideas that are so good liberals and conservative can agree a little.

Now along comes Cap and Trade favoring nuke and solar, disadvantaging carbon – are “free marketeers” are going to hold this up? C’mon man. We’ve been dancing this same do nothing dance for fifty years. We need to roll. This is national security here. Not to mention a chance to invent new a home industries.

Flashback 1973, when in response to President Nixon’s support for Israel during the 1973 Arab Israel War – the Arabs cut us off totally from mid-east oil. The United States shut down. People could not drive. Gasoline had to be rationed. Stations closed. Out of Gas. People waited for hours at the ones that had gas.

We’re even more vulnerable today. Rely more on OPEC oil than we did back then. To top it off, as refineries closes in the USA, we are increasing imports not just of crude oil, but of refined products like gasoline. We are dredging the Delaware to make way for a whole new breed of humungous tankers to quench our thirst for imported oil. It is getting worse not better.

There is no free market answer. It’s the duty of Federal Government is protect national security. Mandating us away from imported energy is a national security issue. The Arabs now have to ultimate power to drive the final nail into the coffin of our once great American economy.

Saying let the markets take care of this, is the same as saying do nothing.

That is exactly what OPEC is hoping for, lobbying for. Take a serious look at Cap and Trade. I am not totally sure of all the details. It sure does not address every problem and probably does create some new kinds of problems.

I do know that Cap and Trade is a attempt at a Paradigm shift in the energy equation. Is it “liberal” to want to take desperate measure to free us from being held hostage? Is it “conservative” to say do nothing in the face of a grave threat to our national security?

Did you read his speech or the first interview with him? I think there is much more than just the typical critiques. He is a mainstreet businessman airing his grievances. Over the coming months, he will fill in the outline. That is how it is done. If you put everything out at once, the media says I heard it all before and do not cover you. You then can not get your message out in digestible bites.

I do agree that this speech was not one of his more substantive ones. It was a broad outline of themes.

You have been around a minute. You understand how the system works. Why do you act as Kevin and Fred should try to operate under different rules than everyone else. You can try that, but then again you will likely crash and burn with about 1% of the vote in the party convention.

Now I believe that it is perfectly valid to say that the left’s policies are not wise. They run the country. The commenter did not have a problem with those who criticized Mr. Bush. In fact he blasted the “Christian Right” and Limbaugh crowd as ruining both America and the Republican Party.

Just saying Acorn and Pelosi could vanish tomorrow – it ain’t gonna fix what ails us. Nice distraction from the real problems. Gets the juice flowing, but no connection to a better future.

Just suggesting we keep our eye on the ball. Energy independence, fighting the war, making sure we don’t get a repeat of the Wall Street Bankers rip off. Mr. Wade is all against liberals, but what the heck, it was the conservatives that took us down. I’m trying to see through the bull fog.

Pelosi-Bonier-McConnell-Reid et al are not exactly inspiring figures. But when it comes to new candidates, people to replace the Old Guard, what we need wise policy makers, not just critics that know call names and label people left or right. Repeating Rush Limbaugh crap is not the answer.

Fact is liberals did not attack us on 9/11, do not control OPEC, did not sell worthless mortgage securities stamped AAA. That’s where the problems are.

So when any “conservative” candidate comes along saying the same stuff I have been hearing for years about how bad liberals are, how good conservatives are – I hope you understand why one might pause and think – it this more of that same bull that sounds good on Rush Limbaugh but does nothing for the People? Rush Limbaugh conservatives had Congress from 1994 to 2006 plus the White House from 2001 to 2009. I’m not so convinced our problem is liberals anymore.

In that light I propose that we keep ACORN, liberals, and Nancy Pelosi as far from the real problems facing us as possible. IF… they have nothing to do with our real problems let’s keep it that way. Kick them out of Washington. Personaly I don’t agree with your premise, but I am willing to help you make it come true.