Economics 101 by Dr. T

I've always been a thinker and when I'm faced with an issue I analyze it. To me, most things have a progression...a beginning, a middle and an end. Take our government for instance. As I've often said, it began with the sacrifices of a handful of thinkers. Men who understood that humankind strives for freedom and self awareness. They understood that true liberty cannot survive the stranglehold of big government. So the framers set out to fashion a federal government that would be limited in its scope, thus allowing the states greater oversight, for there is where the people reside. Sadly, our federal government has grown to epic proportions, like a tumor feeding on itself, it's become huge and ugly and destructive. We have reached that critical juncture where something has to give. Either the people restrain the government or America as we know it will soon cease to exist. We will be given over to a socialist structure that will destroy the unique dream that was America. The modern day Democratic Party has been taken over by leftist, marxist, environmentalist radicals who believe in wealth re-distribution. They rail against capitalism and look with scorn upon industrial giants whose businesses prosper. These Neanderthals don't understand that providing goods and services that the population needs or desires to have, is the basis of a healthy economy. To them the Vanderbilts, Carnegies and Rockefellers of the world were evil and greedy. Yet were it not for these daring entrepreneurs we would still be living in an agrarian society. They blame "big oil" for our energy crisis. Well I've got a news flash for them, there is no energy crisis, it's all smoke and mirrors, a sham perpetrated by the Congress. We should have begun drilling our own resources in the 1970s. Instead, each year we purchased more and more oil from foreign sources. While it may have been cheaper to import it at that time, no one was being proactive and looking ahead. That said, it's not too late to remedy the situation. We have enough oil deposits to keep us in gasoline for the next 200 years, yet our Congress has denied drilling. Nancy Pelosi, as Speaker, has stuck her finger in our collective eye. Let me be clear, there is no shortage and contrary to the musings of Harry Reid, oil does not make us sick. He,on the other hand, makes me sick. Oil is no different than any other commodity. Corn, wheat, rice, copper, silver, coal, we grow, we reap, we mine, we drill and we sell the final product...this is commerce...why suddenly is oil different? It begs the question, why have we let them tell us it's different? All around me I see my fellow citizens suffering and it's maddening to me because we are being denied a remedy. The last corporation I worked for, before going off on my own, has just announced that a huge downsizing is at hand. Some 240 jobs will be lost, many friends of mine will be affected. I live in a rural area, this company is the 2nd largest employer here...these layoffs will devestate the community. The blame rests no place other than at Congress's feet.

Now, I have to believe that we citizens would elect representatives smart enough to understand economics 101, as explained briefly above. So if we are to believe that they understand, why are they bent on ruining our economy? Nancy Pelosi told us why on national TV. She wants to "save the planet." This is where logical thought (me) and irrational thought(her) part ways. The planet was around billions of years before we mere mortals laid our first imprint on its terrain and the planet will be around billions of years after our last imprint turns to dust. The planet has withstood far more destruction than we humans can ever visit upon it. Only Nancy Pelosi and her ilk are arrogant enough to believe that they have the power to influence the planet. Should we be mindful of our envoronment? Of course. Since the 1970s we have more regulations in place than any country on earth. Our emissions standards, industrial waste management and energy conservation plans rival the world. There is always room for improvement and we strive to do more, but the radical agenda that the Democrats have been roped into pushing by leftist lobbying groups that they are beholden to is becoming our undoing.

I'm all for exploring other sources of energy; solar, nuclear, wind, but, by God let us partake of the natural resources we abundantly have. Lets get on with it...lets DRILL!