Daily Dunklin Democrat

Observations - Are we paying attention?

Posted Wednesday, June 11, 2008, at 12:44 PM
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I have wondered exactly how much attention the broad scope of the American public pays to what its elected representatives are doing.

Giving all of us the benefit of the doubt, perhaps we vote, although many of us do not even do that, and elect people into office who we believe will simply do the best they can and we do not have to worry about it.

On the other hand, perhaps most of us pay no attention. If we really paid attention, for example, to the amount of money withheld from our paychecks for taxes, would we remain silent about it?

Since the price of gasoline has risen so high so quickly, many of us just might begin paying attention to the policies and laws that affect the price and availability of fuel. Gas is over $4 per gallon all across the nation and the price is predicted to go even higher. Will we pay attention now?

In a very nonscientific poll conducted by the newspaper, 76 percent of those responding want the U.S. government to allow drilling for oil in Alaska and off the coasts of the U.S. Our elected representatives are NOT hearing us about this!

Most recently, the U.S. Senate rejected calls from both parties' presidential candidates to take an election-year break from pork-barrel spending as a Democratic-run Congress passed budget plans that would end billions of dollars in tax cuts won by President Bush. When we're all paying more taxes in three years, will we notice that then?

Want to let your elected representatives know you're interested in what they are doing? Write them a letter or call them. Their addresses and telephone numbers are:

President George W. Bush, The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C., (202) 456-1414

Christopher S. "Kit" Bond, U.S. Senator-Missouri, 274 Russell Senate Office Bldg., Washington, D.C., 20510, (202) 224-5721

Claire McCaskill, U.S. Senator-Missouri, 717 Hart Senate Office Bldg., Washington, D.C., 20510, (202) 224-6154

Jo Ann Emerson, U.S. Representative, Mo. 8th Dist., M326 Cannon Office Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20515, (202) 225-4404

Matt Blunt, Governor, State Capitol, Room 216, Jefferson City, Mo., (573) 751-3222

Rob Mayer, State Senator, 25th District, Room 331, State Capitol, Jefferson City, Mo., (573) 751-3859

Tom Todd, Rep. District 163, Room 105F, State Capitol, Jefferson City, Mo., (573) 751-4095

Terry Swinger, Rep. District 162, Room 115F, State Capitol, Jefferson City, Mo., (573) 751-2264

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With our current damnable gasoline and fuel mess, it did not happen overnight, but has been decades in the making. And it could have all been prevented. Here are some voting records people should be aware of when it comes as to why we have not developed our own vast oil and natural gas resources.

This was compiled by Missouri's own Congressman Roy Blunt

"Congressman Roy Blunt put together these data to highlight the differences between House Republicans and House Democrats on energy policy:

ANWR Exploration:

House Republicans: 91% Supported

House Democrats: 86% Opposed

Coal-to-Liquid:

House Republicans: 97% Supported

House Democrats: 78% Opposed

Oil Shale Exploration:

House Republicans: 90% Supported

House Democrats: 86% Opposed

Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Exploration:

House Republicans: 81% Supported

House Democrats: 83% Opposed

Refinery Increased Capacity:

House Republicans: 97% Supported

House Democrats: 96% Opposed

SUMMARY:

91% of House Republicans have historically voted to increase the production of American-made oil and gas.

86% of House Democrats have historically voted against increasing the production of American-made oil and gas."

http://fray.slate.com/discuss/forums/thr...

-- Posted by Lived There Once on Wed, Jun 11, 2008, at 9:33 PM

The American people and their leaders are stuck on stupid.

"Drill Drill Drill

Charles de Gaulle once wrote off the nation of Brazil in six words: "Brazil is not a serious country." How much time is left before someone says the same of the United States?

One thing Brazil and the U.S. have in common is the price of oil: It is priced in dollars, and everyone in the world now knows what the price is. Another commonality is that each country has vast oil reserves in waters off their coastlines.

Snip:

When Brazil made this find last November, did its legislature announce that, for fear of oil spills hitting Rio's beaches or altering the climate, it would forgo exploiting these fields?"

Snip:

At this point in time, is there another country on the face of the earth that would possess the oil and gas reserves held by the United States and refuse to exploit them? Only technical incompetence, as in Mexico, would hold anyone back.

But not us. We won't drill.

California won't drill for the estimated 1.3 billion barrels of recoverable oil off its coast because of bad memories of the Santa Barbara oil spill -- in 1969.

We won't drill for the estimated 5.6 billion to 16 billion barrels of oil in the moonscape known as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) because of -- the caribou.

In 1990, George H.W. Bush, calling himself "the environmental president," signed an order putting virtually all the U.S. outer continental shelf's oil and gas reserves in the deep freeze. Bill Clinton extended that lockup until 2013. A Clinton veto also threw away the key to ANWR's oil 13 years ago.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB12132287...

-- Posted by Lived There Once on Thu, Jun 12, 2008, at 4:26 PM

We need a politician rabbit trap like this one, so every time they give us a load of crap, they get their freaken heads whacked off.

http://i31.tinypic.com/29n9f94.jpg

-- Posted by Lived There Once on Thu, Jun 12, 2008, at 4:42 PM

Sounds good, but I wonder how long it will take for democrats and the religion of dirt worshippers to stop it? Once the liberal enviro Nazi lawyers invade Kentucky, they will destroy the project post haste.

"Conversion plant could have huge impact (coal to diesel)

FRANKFORT -- Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Southgate, said a coal-to-diesel facility under consideration for construction near Paducah could "change the whole picture of energy in the United States."

Bunning, during a conference call Tuesday with Kentucky reporters, said he'd known about tentative plans for such a plant "for a long time and I've kept my mouth shut." The Paducah Sun's Bill Bartleman recently re-ported that a consortium of five major companies is looking at constructing a $3.5 billion facility near Paducah, which could convert coal to diesel fuel.

Bunning said if the facility clears permitting hurdles, he will push federal legislation to provide incentives such as accelerated depreciation to help it get going."

http://www.glasgowdailytimes.com/local/l...

-- Posted by Lived There Once on Thu, Jun 12, 2008, at 5:18 PM

This is just another reason food stock ethanol is nonviable, always at the mercy of weather, and just a couple of floods or droughts away from disaster. Over $7.00 a bushel, looks like those who have been touting cheap corn ethanol are going to be in denial shortly.

"NEW YORK (AP) -- Corn prices climbed further into record territory Thursday after more rain doused the Midwest, leaving flooded corn crops deeper underwater and threatening livestock owners who depend on the grain to feed their herds.

Other commodities traded mixed, with crude oil ending slightly higher and gold, silver and copper all declining.

Heavy showers pelted parts of the Corn Belt on Wednesday, dumping a half inch to 2.5 inches of water over already-flooded parts of Iowa, Nebraska and Minnesota.

"It was even more devastating. It drowns out more corn and doesn't help the corn that didn't drown out," said Jason Ward, analyst with Northstar Commodity in Minneapolis.

Six weeks of rain have flooded untold acres of corn and soybean fields in the U.S. heartland, forcing farmers to abandon their crops and sending international food prices skyward. More bad weather is expected for Illinois, Indiana and Ohio on Thursday, forecasters say, meaning prices may could climb higher.

Corn for July delivery rose 5.75 cents to settle at $7.09 a bushel on the Chicago Board of Trade, after earlier rising to a new all-time high of $7.25 a bushel. It was corn's sixth straight trading record in as many days. Prices broke past the $7 barrier for the first time Wednesday."

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080612/commoditi...

-- Posted by Lived There Once on Fri, Jun 13, 2008, at 1:20 AM

This commonsense guy is priceless, dead on, and, "HE" should be the one running for president, he would have my vote in a heartbeat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPch2k63u...

-- Posted by Lived There Once on Fri, Jun 13, 2008, at 1:56 AM

This article is by John Coleman, founder of the "Weather Channel." A long read, but well worth it, with facts he totally debunks the global warming scam. it is not global warming that threatens our very way of life and civilization, it is the extremist environmental Nazi party, headed by der fuehrer, Al Gore.

"GLOBAL WARMING AND THE PRICE OF A GALLON OF GAS"

"You may want to give credit where credit is due to Al Gore and his global warming campaign the next time you fill your car with gasoline, because there is a direct connection between Global Warming and four dollar a gallon gas. It is shocking, but true, to learn that the entire Global Warming frenzy is based on the environmentalist's attack on fossil fuels, particularly gasoline. All this big time science, international meetings, thick research papers, dire threats for the future; all of it, comes down to their claim that the carbon dioxide in the exhaust from your car and in the smoke stacks from our power plants is destroying the climate of planet Earth. What an amazing fraud; what a scam.

The future of our civilization lies in the balance.

That's the battle cry of the High Priest of Global Warming Al Gore and his fellow, agenda driven disciples as they predict a calamitous outcome from anthropogenic global warming."

The article only gets better from here.

http://www.kusi.com/weather/colemanscorn...

-- Posted by Lived There Once on Sat, Jun 14, 2008, at 2:22 AM

I see the democrat party is coming into line with the thinking of their Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, Premier Obama.

Democrats call for nationalizing U.S. refineries

"The clip's up front followed by Cavuto's interview with an Obama-lovin' nationalization proponent. Creepiest moment: "Maybe the government's taking it over because it never should have been private in the first place."

Click the video via Fox News: http://hotair.com/archives/2008/06/18/go...

-- Posted by Lived There Once on Wed, Jun 18, 2008, at 6:21 PM

My, my, surprise, surprise, who would have thought it? Call the democRAT's bluff President Bush, issue the executive order, drill here, drill now.

"Security fears over food and fuel crisis"

"Western countries have upgraded the food and fuel crisis into a national security concern as they fear record high energy and agriculture commodity costs are destabilising key developing regions of the world.

The concerns come as the world suffers for the first time since 1973 from the confluence of record oil and food prices. Corn, soyabean and meat prices jumped this week to all-time highs, while oil prices hit a record of almost $140 a barrel."

snip: "One Washington official said: "What we have been watching is behaviour [that indicates] China, India, Indonesia, Vietnam [and] Malaysia simply can't bare the burden on the central budget and that the medium to long-term confluence of oil and food prices is just too much." He added: "It is leading to a real security issue where the streets are talking to the president."

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/29cff8ec-3ef4-......

-- Posted by Lived There Once on Sun, Jun 22, 2008, at 1:21 AM

All I have to say is, "don't forget to vote"!

-- Posted by rddogoli on Tue, Jun 24, 2008, at 8:04 AM