Bush and Republicans Are To Blame for the Current Financial and Energy Messes

Bush and Republicans Are To Blame for the Current Financial and Energy Messes

September 19, 2008

The country is in a financial melt down and has not solved its energy problem. The two are intertwined because energy fuels the economy and financial markets fuel the need to capital necessary for businesses to run.

Some want to blame Democrats for the mess by pointing out that they control Congress.

However, the Congress is not controlled by Democrats. It certainly has a significant majority in the House but has just one vote dominance in the Senate. You need both sides to pass legislation and one vote does not cut it. Plus Republicans established rules while they were in absolute power from 2001-2006 that makes sure that THEY can control everything. By using those rules they have successfully obstructed legislation in 2007 and 2008 and even bragged about it publically.

"The strategy of being obstructionist can work or fail...and so far it's working for us. Democrats are taking the blame for not getting anything done." (R) Trent Lott, Roll Call, April 18, 2007

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-scher/recordbreaking-obstructi_b_77614.html

http://www.oliverwillis.com/2007/06/27/republican-obstruction-in-the-senate/

http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/challenging-rights-obstruction-strategy

It is also interesting to note during the time Republicans have been in power they never once proposed energy legislation to drill anywhere or to significantly help us with energy independence. Plus during this time American oil exports and products (yes, exports) have risen from about 850,000 barrels of refined products a day to 1.6 million. That is two ANWRs! Exports do not go to specific countries but are put into pools of oil by multinational companies for their profit.

The 2008 CIA Fact Book states the US exports over 1 million barrels of oil a day:

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/print/us.html (down towards the bottom of the page)

US Oil Exports: http://indexmundi.com/united_states/oil_exports.html

Have you heard the BLM stopped all solar energy projects in the Southwest this spring? Another tactic by Bush and the Republicans to support the oil industry. Their reasoning was environmental impacts of solar projects in desert areas and right after they did that Bush proposed to drill off shore with environmental impacts be damned. Under pressure the BLM they changed their minds in early July.

http://cleantechlawandbusiness.com/cleanbeta/index.php/482/us-stops-solar-projects-en-masse-citing-environmental-concerns/

No, the financial mess lays squarely on Bush and the Republicans who encouraged big business to rape and pillage our economy all in name of capitalism. Not capitalism of old but a socialized capitalism created by the "conservatives" of our day. It is a capitalism with a cornerstone of corporate welfare where companies can mess up and still make money by asking Americans to bail them out. True capitalism says no company is guaranteed success and if you fail you fail. Other companies will fill in behind you which are better run. It's not that way any more.

Plus McCain says he will continue Bush's economic policies. Frightening thought.