Bloody Hell – Dems Want to Nationalize the U.S. Oil Industry
Posted by Enrique on 06.19.2008
For your own good.
Last month, the U.S. House of Representatives hauled several oil company executives before them to answer various insipid questions. One such question came from Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), who asked Shell Oil President John Hofmeister if he could "guarantee" oil prices would go down if Congress allowed more domestic drilling. Well, of course he can't guarantee prices will go down. She may as well subpoena the local weatherman and ask if he can "guarantee" it won't rain tomorrow.
When Hofmeister stated the obvious, that he could guarantee no such thing, Waters replied by saying, "Guess what this liberal would be all about? This liberal would be all about socialize…basically taking over and the government running all of your companies." Cute. I wish I could threaten to ruin people's lives when I felt sufficiently indignant about something.
But Waters is a maximo-lefty, and one incautious, unpatriotic remark about capriciously seizing private property isn't something to have a fit over. However, as of yesterday, we now have two incautious, unpatriotic remarks about nationalizing the oil industry. Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), another lefty poobah in good standing, suggested that it might be a "good idea" if "the people" owned the oil companies. Sends an Orwellian chill down my spine.
Thankfully, Fox News comes to the rescue. Hinchey backtracked today when pressed by America's Number One News Channel:
Asked if he advocated the government taking over the oil business, he said: "Let's be serious. The government is not going to be taking over these refineries. ... But I do think we need to be putting national pressure on these oil companies ... to let them know that we're prepared to do whatever is in the national interest of the people of this country. That's our job — do what is in the public interest."
Whew. It's good to know Hinchey doesn't intend to take over refineries. He merely wants to put "national pressure" on oil companies. I feel much better now.
Still, that's two House Dems in a month to suggest nationalizing an industry they've spent their lives demonizing. Maybe it's just a coincidence, or maybe Hinchey and Waters are tossing some red meat to the base in an election year. A recent Rasmussen poll showed that a plurality of Democrats (37%) favor a government takeover of oil companies. This is certainly depressing news, and I hope it's just an emotional reaction based on frustration with high gas prices. I simply can't believe that 37% of the Democrat rank and file are really so awfully unpatriotic.
But just in case anyone might think nationalizing the oil industry is totally cool, dude, let's take a take deep breath. Remember the last time America nationalized a private industry? In November 2001, President Bush and a massive bipartisan majority of Congress created the Transportation Security Administration, which federalized airport security. Has anyone noticed a dramatic improvement in the quality of airline security in the last seven years?
uhhhh... and the alternative? Fixing prices. Speculative trades that is sending prices soaring and will crash the market? $5 a gallon. Yeah, I have faith in Laissez Faire capitalism. I think the age of Enron and the Culture of Corruption has proven GREED is not good. Think about this - with the government 1 person = 1 vote. With corporations 1 person = as many votes as he has shares and if he doesn't have any shares, he aint got no vote.
who is this guy? This is a more left leaning site. Who let the drooling capitalist pitbull in the room?
Posted By: Tony (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 11:41 PM
I was unaware that Bill O'Reilly was a 411 columnist. In some instances the airline industry has improved but due to high oil prices it is at a standstill. Then there are the freedoms that have been taken away from us by "homeland security". Who doesn't enjoying walking to their terminal, belt ascew, looking like as dishevelled rape victim. Of course the industry is going to be tense. The problem is our economy/ the world's dependency on petroleum. How is regulating the industry a problem?
"Thankfully, Fox News comes to the rescue." Rubbish.
Posted By: The Decider (Guest) on June 20, 2008 at 12:22 AM
We don't need to nationalize oil. We need to move completely away from oil. **** the oil industry. Improvement for the U.S. is not tied to reliance upon the oil industry. We need a new energy source.
Posted By: David Redkey (Registered) on June 20, 2008 at 01:30 AM
Left leaning site? No, this is a political site with no agenda other than for you to come back as often as possible.
Nice column Enrique but I like to think of Maxine Waters as crazy rather than unpatriotic.
Posted By: Joe Rivett (Registered) on June 20, 2008 at 02:14 AM
so what do we do as we wait for this miracle power for our cars ? pay $5+ a gallon ? if we drilled it would help ease concerns till we actually had a plan instead of 20 different things going no where and people running around like chickens worrying about gas prices. So drill now AND! still work on alt energy cause we can do 2 things at a time.
Posted By: Guest#6944 (Guest) on June 20, 2008 at 05:25 AM
Yeah that whole Nationalizaton concept has worked out just great fo Venzuela..Maybe if the idiots in Washington actually made a huge Manhattan Prohject push for alternatives we could be free of oil in five-ten years..Instead there will be talk of Nationalization, and steroids in baseball...
Posted By: Eric (Guest) on June 20, 2008 at 08:41 AM
"Unpatriotic?" I would've thought the tired right-wing playbook of name-calling like that would've died out by now, because most of us realize how ridiculous it is.
Hey, you even worked in the Red-banner words "socialize" and "liberal" in there. You just forgot "communist." Try harder!
Posted By: Ken B. (Guest) on June 20, 2008 at 09:21 AM
Just putting something out there. Instead of this debate on whether we should or shouldn't drill for oil of the coasts, shouldn't congress simply lift the ban off of Hemp from the 1939 Marihuana Tax Act. This way the farmers would be able to sell Hemp as an abundant supply of goods to companies who want to use it as an alternative energy source. It can be used for many other products other than energy. It's purely safe and natural and is in no way a lethal drug as the fearmongering of the "Reefer Madness" era had suggested in the 1930's, because it only has a THC level of .1% which is only enough to give anyone who smokes it at worst a nasty headache for the day. I would suggest to anyone who reads this, and doubts these claims to do the research themselves. Of course the problem is
1. It's an important election year and the candidates running for congress don't want to "rock the boat" with the issue of lifting a ban off of a seemingly harmless plant product.
2. Most of them are bought out by lobbied "alternative energy" companies and Oil companies as well.
As far as Maxime Waters goes. It's fitting that she's from California because she's basically so far off to the left in the San Francisco bay it's ridiculous. That being said I would agree that she's not "unpatriotic" but she's definetly crazy that's for sure. As crazy as she is however, I certainly believe it's crazy for anyone to suggest that Fox News can "come to the rescue" for them on any issue considering that have made the public dizzy from "spinning" so many statements and facts that other people who have disagreed with anyone of their news anchors on any particular issue in the past.
Posted By: Sean (Guest) on June 20, 2008 at 09:47 AM
Lefties whine and wail about Bush's abuse of executive powers and his shredding of the Bil of Rights, but nary a peep out of them when liberal Democrats are running the shredder. I'll have to check the Constitution again, but I don't think there's a provision in there to allow the federal government to take over private businesses that it feels are making too much money.
Posted By: Guest#6796 (Guest) on June 20, 2008 at 10:54 AM
Social Security, Medicare, FEMA, yeah the government has a great track record running things.
We are going to have to take a hit for quite a while because there wasn't enough urgency about alternative fuel until the sky started falling. The solution is not to commandeer big oil, it's to invest in an alternative that will make them obsolete.
Posted By: Shockmaster (Guest) on June 20, 2008 at 12:38 PM
Yeah lets nationalize the US gas/oil companies. Who cares if they only control 5% of the worlds oil trade. That whole 5% will really make a HUGE change in the global oil trade. I can see now how quickly gas prices will drop. Lets just for get how "well" the Federal government handles everything else they have their hands in.
The only way prices will drop is if one or two things happen. supply increases or demand decreases.
Posted By: MrMe11 (Guest) on June 20, 2008 at 10:17 PM
funny stuff
Posted By: lolz (Guest) on June 26, 2008 at 11:14 PM
I wish that an eloquent, influential, pro-free markets figure would step forward in a very public way and say to the statists, "Now. Please help me to understand how I can help cure you of your marketophobia."
Posted By: Ian (Guest) on June 27, 2008 at 12:42 PM
A guest wrote, "Lefties whine and wail about Bush's abuse of executive powers and his shredding of the Bil of Rights, but nary a peep out of them when liberal Democrats are running the shredder. I'll have to check the Constitution again, but I don't think there's a provision in there to allow the federal government to take over private businesses that it feels are making too much money."
Remember, these are the same people who found a way to call a man growing his own wheat in his own field for his own consumption "interstate commerce".
The only way the mess of statist doctrines becomes coherent is when you understand that their underlying and ultimate goal is power.
Posted By: Ian (Guest) on June 27, 2008 at 01:10 PM
STAY CURRENT