Jasper Journal

WASHINGTON  – Interior Secretary Ken Salazar says he will issue a new order imposing a moratorium on deepwater oil drilling after a federal judge struck down the existing one.

So a US district judge tells the Obama folks that their  arbitrary six month moratorium on off shore drilling cant stand . Good for him! This was another example of the president going after big business, big oil, and the people in the Gulf , just to satisfy his constituents.  Unfortunately, the totally inadequate Ken Salazar, who was a totally inadequate senator here first,  just announced that he will reimpose the moratorium. Hey wait a minute… what about the rule of law in America? I am so tired of executive orders, decrees, suspending rules in congress, arbitrary pronouncements, attacking laws of states like Arizona etc.  And if God forbid a court should intervene, they are attacked publicly , like Obama did to the Supreme court, or like what they are about to do to this judge: circumvent his order. Folks, this is how dictators start: they destroy the law. Be very careful as we are seeing some very unnerving things here.

How is the price of gas in your neighborhoods?  Here in Colorado Springs I can get gas for less than $2.50 a gallon. Oddly enough , as we approach the summer driving season where prices go up,  the price here has gone down.  Now why does this good fortune cause me concern?  Because it shouldn’t be happening! 

You’ll recall whenever there is a hiccup in the gulf with hurricanes,  problems on wells, anything to impact supply, the prices skyrocket. This happens almost immediately, and even before the impact is actually felt.  So why I ask myself are the prices now going down when we have not only a disaster for the  BP wells , but the president’s insane 6 month moratorium on oil exploration and production in the outer gulf?  Why haven’t the prices gone up like we were told they would to $4 or $5 a gallon?

I have been thinking about this a lot and still cant quite figure it out. I truly believe the prices are based on supply and demand; but nothing causes the price to rise faster than a crisis.  So is there politics involved?  Are the prices being kept artificially low  to prevent a complete disaster for this administration? If so , how would they do it? and who would be doing it?

  I guess I should just enjoy the low prices while I can, but we are about to enter a mid term election and high gas  prices would almost certainly guarantee a democrat rout.  This is what happened in 2006 when among other things gas prices were over $3 a gallon and the democrats took control of the house.  It is very interesting indeed and it just doesn’t seem right. Unfortunately, I suspect  the worst at all time from this administration and wouldn’t put it past some big moneyed interests to have a hand in this, but I cant put my finger on it.  Can you explain it?

Have you noticed how expensive gas is these days? Have you also noticed that no one in Washington seems to care?  Anytime a comment is made to someone in officialdom,  the answer always seems to be  “well its not as bad as it was a year and a half ago.” Yeah, but why have the prices gone up 60% this year? And when will they stop?

I fear that the current administration wants  gas prices to go up. It fits perfectly with their agenda of going green, cutting gas usage and forcing Americans to buy smaller cars. Oil is over $70 a barrel and gas is up for the 48th straight day at the pump, now averaging $2.66. If we had this kind of rise in the last administration you can bet there would be howls from the media about how much this is hurting the common man. Well I am the common man and I do not like paying close to $40 again to fill my car. 

  The saddest thing for me was that we had an incredible window of opportunity when oil prices were less than $40 a barrel to restart a robust domestic drilling program and really put effort into offshore drilling. Sadly, the democrats in control turned back both efforts . Their  most incredible argument, wrong as it was, was that offshore drilling would  take too long. Well it will take another year an a half  thanks to their delaying tactics. And who pays? you and I. Who cares? Not this administration. But, I guess this is the price we pay for having the smartest, brightest ,most eloquent president in history. But wait… whats that I see rolling off the Obama Motors production line?   Wind powered cars! I knew they would have an answer.