THE WRONG SIDE

Regular readers of these columns no doubt understand they are written from the right side of political thinking. I think and write from the right side because to me the opposite of right is wrong. Recently I have published some columns on the skyrocketing price of gasoline and oil. As you might expect, some from the other side have taken exception to some of my more cogent comments. Today I will try to examine some of the comments from the “wrong side.”

I have written that the high price of gasoline is laid at the feet of the President. He has failed in his duty to open up exploration and drilling. He has failed to approve the Keystone pipeline project. The “wrong side” would have you believe high prices are  not Obama’s fault. They contend that oil prices are determined by world supply and demand and our president has no control over those prices. Actually, oil prices are only partially controlled by world demand and supply. Do you know what else determines the price? Speculation. Not just by supply and demand, but also by pure unadulterated speculation. So let us speculate for a moment.

What do you suppose would happen to the worldwide price of oil if President Obama held a press conference broadcast to the entire world, which most are anyway, and made the following announcements. The United States will immediately begin drilling in Anwar and the Gulf of Mexico and open up all tapped wells which have already been drilled. The United States will immediately approve the Keystone Pipeline project and  begin building enough refineries to handle the increased supply. In addition we will immediately begin drilling and recovering natural gas which has already been discovered. We will also increase our efforts to mine the coal which lies beneath our feet and convert this product into usable fuel. End of press conference.

The “wrong side” would have you believe that it would take years for any of this to actually affect the price of gasoline. Not so. This is what would really happen. The worldwide price of oil would immediately tumble. The supply of gasoline would dramatically increase to such a degree that those prices would also tumble. OPEC and all other worldwide suppliers of oil would see the handwriting on the wall and change their attitudes instantly. They know they cannot drink it. They also know that America has a larger supply of these natural resources than anyone else in the world.

Without question supply and demand are huge in determining the price of oil, but so is speculation. The speculators would see the same handwriting and would find a different way to lose their money.

Also there is no doubt that the “wacko environmentalist lobby” is in control of this administration’s actions. I am convinced that this whole bunch we have in charge in Washington actually prefer higher prices for fuel because it makes their phony over-priced green energy projects appear more viable. As I have mentioned in earlier pieces I am not opposed to alternate energy. I just believe we need a more intelligent approach. Knee jerk responses to these issues are a tactic of the “wrong side.”

I will continue to think and write from the right side of the political spectrum. It saddens me that the “wrong side” has gotten so much influence in this country. It saddens me that we will probably have to suffer greatly before they are rejected by the country as a whole. But I promise you this, they will be rejected.

Ron Scarbro April 4, 2012