Charles Dharapak/Associated Press. President Barack Obama withChina’s Ambassador to the U.S., Zhou Wenzhong, left, and U.S.
Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman on the Great Wall, November 2009.
ran 8.0 miles
Here are a few things you may have missed today.
- President Obama will likely nominate Commerce Secretary Gary Locke to be his ambassador to China. This nomination arrived on the heels of Jon Huntsman announcing his resignation from the current position of ambassador to China. Huntsman is aiming to explore a presidential nomination on the Republican ticket in 2012. That’s awkward. The current tension between the U.S. and China continues to build over concerns from Congress and the White House that the yuan is intentionally undervalued, giving China an unfair advantage in world economics.
- Rising gas prices due to crises in North Africa and the Middle East are posing the question of whether Obama should tap America’s 727 million barrel Strategic Petroleum Reserve to quell the inflation of gas prices. Industry insiders and pundits feel doing so would be a bad idea and that the reserve should only be used for real emergencies, while certain Senators and Representatives fear the return of a recession and advocate the use of the reserve. It’s no quick fix, but how about letting America drill its own resources again. Mass transit and green energy are modern technologies with much future potential, but to halt the ability to drill our own natural resources and at the same time import oil from volatile countries that make our energy prices contingent on whether these countries are overthrowing their leader or having a civil war is extremely unreliable and very stressful on an economy. Our lack of energy stability in proportion to the fact that America is fully capable of supplying its own gas and oil needs has always been an unexplainable curiosity of mine. Why have we been using so much oil from so many countries that don’t even like us when we could supply ourselves---creating jobs, bolstering the economy, and being secure in ourselves. Green energy still requires quite a bit of developing at the intended mass scale and ideas like high speed rails, or mass transit, are obviously not feasible at this point because states have been turning away federal money for such projects. In the mean time, and it will be a long “Mean time”, there is every reason to drill. A few permits have been issued recently, but in the full spectrum of opportunity, they are hardly worth mentioning.
- The total number of ObamaCare waivers issued by the Department of Health and Human Services reached 1,040 on Friday. These organizations were given a one-year exemption from a new coverage requirement included in the health care reform law. First thing that comes to mind is how are these companies that received waivers going to afford the costs they are averting now when next year arrives? And the year after that, once this thing really cranks up?
- Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker received a letter today from Democratic escape specialist/state Senate leader Mark Miller suggesting a meeting “Near the Wisconsin-Illinois border” to discuss the state’s budget impasse. As would anyone who was in their right mind, Walker dismissed it as “Ridiculous”. Miller has been MIA since February 17.
Supplying ourselves by drilling is a red herring. Oil drilled here will sold on the world market where investors have been driving the prices. Before the BP oil crash the Obama administration proposed opening up the eastern gulf and the Atlantic coast. I'm not opposed to drilling but I say we leave it up to each state to decide whether or not they want to risk their tourism industry. I see security in diversity of our energy portfolio. NOW! Out of one side of the mouth there's talk about America being led down the path of unexceptionalism and out the other they insist we can't solve our energy problems any time soon.
ReplyDeleteI suspect as the new health care bill gets implemented there will be all sorts of people and patriots hoping that it fails without any concern of whether or not it would actually be good for the country.
Jason
I've always wondered what the "red herring" cliche meant. I never took the time to look it up until now. If you are saying that supplying America with our own gas and oil resources is some sort of distraction to a larger picture, I don't really understand what you mean by that. I find great economic and employment benefits in drilling our own natural resources and using them here in a larger capacity.
ReplyDeleteI like your idea of leaving it up to each state to decide whether or not they want to take a risk, rather than the federal government deciding. If this state sovereignty existed for issues like health care reform America would be better off.
We can't solve our energy problems because they are largely dictated by energy producing countries who are constantly in turmoil. For the interim of converting to green, why continue to let these turmoil-ridden countries have such an imposing effect on America. Opening the Gulf of Mexico up, returning to the drilling momentum we had before the Horizon accident would be huge for our economy and it would further remove Obama from a stubborn unemployment rate.
I don't think people are hoping the health care bill fails as much as they simply don't believe it is a good idea and they have no desire to be a part of it. As I am sure you will rant and rave about that statement, I would like to point out a couple of things. More than 50% of America does not want this health care bill in its current form. While you probably think we are all simple-minded idiots who hate Obama for the sake of hating Obama, we firmly believe it is a bad idea. But, for everyone of us idiots who does not see things your way, there are one of us looking back at people with your opinion on health care reform and we too are equally befuddled with your thought process.
You have many strong opinions. Perhaps you should start your own blog, being as passionate as you are.
One last interesting statistic. Liberal talk radio has a long-time curse of not succeeding or being able to fund itself when it attempts to air its ideas. I don't think it's a curse, though. It simply cannot maintain a listener base. You can interpret that for yourself. Conservative talk radio is a huge industry and the reason for that is because people listen to it. It is so popular that liberals would like to have it shut down with ideas like the Fairness Doctrine, which is anything but fair. It is a shallow attempt to shut down the ideas of people who oppose liberal ideas. Maybe blogs and websites have better success rates. Just sayin.
All I'm saying is that if a company like Chevron or Exxon starts drilling of the Atlantic will they really be supplying only the U.S. with our energy needs? Or will they put their oil on the world market where they can get the best price for their oil? Are you talking about nationalizing our natural resources?
ReplyDeleteThe term "current form" in regards to the bill is laughable to me because who has even taken the time to read at the very least the table of contents of the bill? Not 50% of Americans, that's for sure. No one knows the "current form" of the bill. They simply think it's not a good idea and don't have any desire to be part of it. I wonder where they got that idea from?
The W.W.E. is a huge industry and the reason for that is people watch it. And your point about conservative radio is?
Drilling---Chevron and Exxon can supply whoever they want. Drilling here, at least in the Gulf, creates jobs, strengthens the economy, and lessens our dependency on other countries. I am only advocating drilling at levels that are consistent with or excede the pre-moratorium days.
ReplyDeleteHealth Care---I think in your perfect world, everybody would read, word for word, the entire health care bill, and form an opinion of it. I won't speculate what that opinion would be because we don't know. But, as frustrating as you find my "50-plus percent" number surfacing again and again, I find your expectation that the hundreds of millions of people in this nation would actually all sit down and read it to be out of touch with the actual world we live in. Most people, including myself struggle to finish half-interesting novels, much less a thousand pages of lawyer jargon, most of which is indiscernible. For me, the act of the government wrapping its tentacles around a private sector industry strikes me as an act of communism on a grand scale. And if they can do it here then where can't they do it. I don't care if it sounds like a great idea from line to line. For me, it is the act.
Conservative radio---Just sayin.
I hope drilling continues at the levels before the moratorium and I hope that things return to normal for those effected by the moratorium. Drilling in the gulf has been the backbone of Louisiana's economy for a long time.
ReplyDeleteI hope that lessons are learned from the BP oil spill and that the Obama administration will allow more exploration as it was planning to do before the spill.
I believe the United States Department of Health and Human Services works in the interest of fairness for all Americans and that if people would skim over the latest reform bill they would see the good in it.
I hope that talk show hosts and radio hosts that divide Americans against themselves, end up in the nether regions of Hades.
I think Obama wishes the best for this country. That's why I'm following this blog which I view as a political attack against Obama.
I think Obama wishes the best for this country, too. I think every president who has served has wished the best for this country. Yet, a multitude of people have always and will always disagree with any given president's interpretation of what is best for this country.
ReplyDeleteIf you view this blog as a political attack against Obama then you are exactly right. Each of my daily runs are a peaceful protest against the direction he is leading America and my blog posts are a campaign for someone else to be the president in 2012. At least we can see eye to eye on that.