In weekly address, GOP says Obama "demonizes" domestic energy
(CBS News) This Memorial Day, both President Obama and the Republicans dedicated their weekly address to American service members; however, the Republican address (in video above) focused mostly on their plan for the economy.
Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.), who represents Fort Leavenworth and Fort Riley, said the "blessing of liberty" should be honored. "That is why helping to create jobs and grow our economy will continue to be Republicans' focus in the weeks and months ahead."
The two-term member of Congress said the Republican plan for economic growth "emphasizes long-term growth" and not "short-term stimulus."
Central to the Republican's economic plan is developing American oil and gas production, including the construction of the XL Keystone pipeline.
"The President demonizes home grown energy and pursues tax policies that advantage foreign energy over domestic," Jenkins said.
Meanwhile in his short weekly address (in video below), President Obama said the U.S. needs to "serve" service members who return home with healthcare and access to education.
"We have to serve them and their families as well as they have served us: by making sure that they get the healthcare and benefits they need; by caring for our wounded warriors and supporting our military families; and by giving veterans the chance to go to college, find a good job, and enjoy the freedom that they risked everything to protect," the president said.
The president and first lady Michelle Obama are spending Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery and with Vietnam veterans at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to mark the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War.
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By Travis Hoium | More Articles
The problem with these rants is that the facts don't support them. Santelli says we could create 3 million jobs (a number I'll put into perspective later), David Lee Smith says the feds are "intent on fouling fracking," and political ads would make you think it's impossible to drill for anything in this country. But the facts don't support these positions, and our energy picture is actually looking very bright. Here are a few highlights from the past few years in energy.
U.S. energy production is up significantly under Obama
Listening to political ads, you may get the impression that our current administration has done a lot to hurt energy production in the United States. I keep a close eye on production numbers and import levels, and the numbers I see coming out of the Energy Information Administration tell a completely different story. In fact, there's been a boom in oil production over the past three years. (Source: Energy Information Administration.)
The myth continues that environmental rules are making it harder to get a drilling permit and it's keeping oil drillers from producing more oil. I'm having a hard time seeing that trend in the past three years based on the number of oil drilling rigs in operation shown below. In fact, we're operating almost twice as many oil rigs as we were in 1987, the last peak and as far back as EIA data go. (Source: Energy Information Administration)
If there's some sort of war on energy, you would think that production would be down (which I've shown it's not) and imports would be up. But over the past five years our net crude oil imports have fallen dramatically. In 2005, we imported 60.3% of the petroleum products we used. In the past four months that number is down to 42.4% of our usage. (Source: Energy Information Administration)
Maybe the rules are more stringent than they were from 2000 to 2008, maybe the industry is going to complain about having to tell us what (horrible) chemicals they're putting into the ground to break underground rock to extract oil and natural gas. But to say that the Obama administration has a war on energy or is somehow against U.S. energy just isn't supported by the facts.
We don't need more natural gas and coal production
The coal and natural gas industries would like you to believe that the government is somehow holding them back from unleashing even more energy in the U.S. -- rubbish!
The reason coal production is down is a decrease in demand from electricity generators. The reason electricity generators are demanding less coal is because natural gas is so cheap. The reason natural gas is so cheap is because we have more supply than we need.
Since natural gas isn't an energy source that's easy to export, like oil, it's more of a finite resource. If we don't use it here, it won't get used. As fracking production took off in the past five years, the industry produced more natural gas than we needed, causing prices to fall, losses to pile up, and recently had to cut back production.
I notice that Lindag20 has gotten awfully quiet since someone besides just me has disagreed with her!
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Actually JV I sleep at night and don't waste ALL my time on the internet. I see you have nothing to offer and aren't even amusing since you're not playing "Christian". If you don't have enough sense to see that we need to make provision for the future with renewable energy sources, then there's nothing more to say.
You are just mad because chuckmelo brought out the dark side of your renewable energy sources!
Also if you think this nation can survive on wind, solar, and nuclear power alone then I'M NOT THE ONE THAT'S IGNORANT!
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Odd - that's how your "God" has powered the Earth...
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That's not true in the least.
Just don't expect me to give a crap about your religion, nor the corporations you wish to give welfare to.
Lindag20 I have health problems that sometimes keep me away from my computer but you can count on one thing! I haven't been dumped because I haven't said anything in these boards to cause me to be dumped!
Also I have lived near the oil patch all of my life. My grandfather worked for the Sinclair Oil Company for forty-two years.
There are at least two major oil pipelines and several refineries and tank farms in my vicinity. There is also a major gas pipeline and one of the largest underground gas storage facilities in the world about ten miles from my home.
There has a few minor incidents but I've lived near them for over 50 years and there has never been a major environmental disaster from any of them.
Also most of the jobs would have been in the construction of the pipeline. Most of them would have been riveters and welders and in clearing the land and etc. These jobs may have been temporary but a well trained and experienced welder makes more in a few months work than most people earn in a whole year!
The remainder of the jobs may not have been many but they would have been good, well paying jobs and would have meant the difference between eating and not eating and paying the bills and not paying them for some people.
I think you are like Slow! If something doesn't benefit you directly, you don't care about it
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...by Lindag20 May 28, 2012 5:24 PM EDT
JV: Oh PLEASE. Not only have members of my family worked in the oil fields for many years, I also OWN a small interest in an oil well (now defunct) and one of my distant cousins was a wild-catter. That STILL doesn't change the need for the country to develop renewable energy sources and we don't need to send Canadian oil through the country to be exported by the Koch brothers. Saying "this is the way" and not looking to the future where we don't USE fossil fuels is short-sighted and foolish.
Also I didn't mention the renewable energy sources but there is no reason why this country can't drill for more of it's own domestic oil, and build more pipelines to ship it and refineries to develop it, as well as build more wind farms. We need both.
'All quite on the Western Front'
Nice!
Obama demonizes anything that is a threat to his campaign donations and pay backs to the failed Green Energy Cos he keeps propping up with taxpayer money.
Now he pretends to be concerned with service men and women but on is paying lip service to them after over three years.
Now that it is an election year he wants do do something for them and their families.
This president has not done anything for any Americans that he claims he will do for our troops.
This despicable president will use anyone and everybody to get re-elected.
May he rot in hell someday
I don't have to listen to Fox News to see that Obama is the liar munipulator and great divider. Just listen to the mainstream media day after day since he became president.
The Net also has the information you need to figure this out if you were not in such denial and wilful ignorance as you are nygurl1 and the rest of the lemmings following Obama blindly to the destruction of our nation.
Try to think for yourself for a change.
He's a bible-thumper who doesn't find ANY problem with bearing false witness, ironically!
Was it patriotic for Secretary of the Veteran's Bureau Charles Forbes steal vet money?
Was banker Nicholas Biddle more patriotic than President Andrew Jackson?