re: #156 Stonemason

That is spot on. What are the priorities though?

Pull back from the world like Laup Nor wants us to do?
Continue down this path towards Euro style Social/capitalism?
Allow the energy to run out by never tapping our own reserves in order to force the use of ‘green’ energy?
Feed the rich and tax the poor?
De-regulate or re-regulate?

Pull back from the world:

as long as we are dependennt on politically unstable, socially underdeveloped parts of the world for our energy supplies, we will find ourselves being drawn into conflicts we cannot win.

Eurosocialsm:

If America tried to introduce Euro-style socialism, the economy would collapse and there would be rioting in the streets. If Europeans tried to introduce American-style capitalism, there would be rioting in the streets and the economy would collapse.

There are things we can both learn from each other, but our history and cultures are too different for the other’s model to work.

Green Energy:

It is not about forcing green energy, but about allowing it, about recognizing the cost to the nation on relying on petroleum both foreign (Middle East) and domestic (Gulf Coast) and realizing that conservationism is not about living in lean-tos and wiping our butts with leaves, it’s about advancing technology to make it more efficient and economical.

Tax the rich, eat the poor:

Tax cuts for the rich are fine if we have a system that encourages them to re-invest that money to create jobs at home. Right now our system encourages them to invest wherever they obtain the highest rate of return, and that is often overseas.

Re/De-regulation

A minimum amount of regulation up front can prevent or mitigate catastophic failure down the line: we saw that in the financial industry and in the BP fiasco. I am for keeping government to a minimum, but when it fails its basic responsibility to ensure that markets function properly and that basic environmental and safety standards are upheld, the result is that even more government is necessary to intervene and prevent collapse.