Funding our Opponents

Every dollar we spend on imported oil seems to go directly into the coffers of those that would destroy us. This might, perhaps, be considered a bad and counterproductive thing.

Co-erced mass transit ("forcing people out of their cars") and ending the grand experiment in personal mobility is not the answer.

Domesticating and reducing our oil consumption, both by opening ANWR/potential West Coast oil fields to exploration and drilling (and building some new and, ideally, more efficient refineries domestically after a quarter-century of neglect) and at the same time clearing the path for private development, production, and distribution of alternative energy (WVO, Electric, LNG, hydrogent, etc) vehicles and electrical generation stations offers promise.

Towards that end I offer a relatively simple program, just off the top of my head...

1) By Federal Legislation open the ANWR and potential oil fields off California and Oregon for full exploration and exploitation by the highest domestic bidder.

2) Permit and perhaps subsidize domestic refinery renovation, replacement, and construction.

3) Cap oil imports at 2009 levels and step down the importable amount by 5% each year until oil independence is achieved. Make it a priority to cut off imports from Venezuela and the Middle East first.

4) Bar fuel taxes, emissions taxes, sales taxes, and safety or emissions requirements on any non-petroleum burning vehicle for the next twenty years.

5) Begin the urgent (and private) construction of multiple nuclear power plants to replace oil, coal, and gas-burning power plants as a stop gap measure.

6) Clear the path for large private wind, water (rebuild those breached dams, and put up some new ones), and solar installations with limits not on NIMBY and/or green whinging (heaven forfend), but on the effectiveness thereof.

7) Allow import of any vehicle from abroad the size of a Mini or below, regardless of age.

Bitching and kvetching is all well and good, but seems a bit limited in the absence of at least tossing out a notion or two on how things could be improved...

Let's cut off the bastards $$ :)