COMMENT | Fareed Zakaria: Republicans are Pandering on Gas Prices

Yes, Fareed, but you are leaving out point “C” which is actually ‘why’ “B” and “A” matter — oil is a finite resource, and peak oil (the point where we reach zenith of production capacities) is upon us. There is ever-more demand, and ever-less supply. Yes, there is a lot of politicizing going on about who can do what, but where is the person who is going to start talking reality about the world’s (and US’s) energy situation. Why does it remain such an unmentionable situation?

(I’ll also use this opportunity to announce the development of a new “Politicization of Energy Discussion in the USA” Case Study. It’s not just about this election year, either, it’s a long-standing trend, and this post is just one piece of a larger puzzle).

Simply because this issue comes up so much recently, I am re-posting this article here. Claims that a president has authority over gas prices are ridiculous — deserving ridicule. I invite you to learn more about Peak Oil, and offer another source for great oil/energy news daily – The Oil Drum. Below is an excerpt, click on the link for the full article and more charts. Also, stay tuned for the upcoming Case Study, Politicization of Energy in US Politics.

http://jpinfluence.com/2012/03/19/news-obama-doesnt-set-gas-prices/

Obama Seeks to End Subsidies for Oil and Gas Companies

Wow, the strongest stance against in favor of new fuels I’ve ever seen from recent administrations. I’m impressed such strong words are used.

NASHUA, N.H. — With his re-election fate increasingly tied to the price Americans are paying at the gas pump, President Obama asked Congress on Thursday to end $4 billion in subsidies for oil and gas companies and vowed to tackle the country’s long-term energy issues while shunning “phony election-year promises about lower gas prices.”

Mr. Obama, in an appearance at Nashua Community College here, took a page out of his jobs strategy of last year, calling on Americans to contact their Congressional representatives and demand a vote on the oil subsidies in the next few weeks.

“You can either stand up for the oil companies, or you can stand up for the American people,” Mr. Obama said. “You can keep subsidizing a fossil fuel that’s been getting taxpayer dollars for a century, or you can place your bets on a clean-energy future.”

The president criticized Republicans who have called for the country to increase its own oil production, declaring that “anyone who tells you we can drill our way out of this problem doesn’t know what they’re talking about.” With the United States consuming more than 20 percent of the world’s oil while having only 2 percent of the world’s oil reserves, Mr. Obama said “we can’t rely on fossil fuels from the last century.”