Thank Chuck Schumer For Pricey Gas

For every 20 gallons of gas we buy, New York Senator Chuck Schumer is complicit in raising the price ten dollars, according to George Will.

When President George Bush travelled to Saudi Arabia last month, Schumer imperiously demanded that we halt all arms sales to Saudi Arabia until that country increases oil production by one million barrels a day. Such an increase, Schumer said, would cause the price of gas to drop by fifty cents a gallon almost immediately.

Although it's reassuring that Schumer understands that prices drop when supply increases, his choice of how to increase supply is misguided. Schumer (and many other Democrats) continue to oppose drilling in Alaska and off America's coasts -- even though China and Cuba drill closer to U.S. shores than our government allows our own companies.

That one million barrels daily of increased oil production that Schumer wants from the Saudis could be flowing from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, had Bill Clinton not vetoed production there in 1995. Now Democrats like Schumer have the nerve to complain that even drilling in Alaska won't help matters because of the time lag between sinking the first drill and refining the first gallon of gas.

We are the third largest oil producer in the world, behind the Saudis and the Russians; why aren't we tapping those resources with which we've been so abundantly blessed?

Schumer makes demands of other countries to increase production, and yet he prevents us from buying American under the guise of environmentalism. This, even though foreign countries drill 60 miles from the Florida coast. Schumer's underlying assumption appears to be that the Chinese will be better stewards of our coastlines than will American companies.

Will tells those New Yorkers who elected Schumer that they are getting the gas prices they deserve, as a direct result of his voting record. "Also disqualified from complaining are all voters who sent to Washington senators and representatives who have voted to keep ANWR's oil in the ground and who voted to put 85 percent of America's offshore territory off-limits to drilling," according to Will.

Kentuckians, in contrast, have elected U.S. Senators who understand that we must explore, extract and refine as much of our own energy as possible. That includes converting coal to clean liquid fuels -- an industry that can increase energy independence, and provide jobs and tax revenue for Kentucky. This is an area in which Kentucky can lead not only our country but the world.

Democrats like to talk about conservation, and decreasing demand is certainly part of the equation. Here's the beauty of the marketplace: consumers are smart enough to change their buying habits when prices increase sufficiently. As a result, last month the sales for SUVs plummeted 34 percent -- about the same amount that sales for small, fuel-efficient cars increased. Consumers don't need the incentives of tax breaks or the threat of regulation to do what is in their own self-interest. Schumer forgets that the American consumer is smart enough to make a wise choice without him dictating the result.

Americans are also creative and tenacious enough to solve the technological problems that we confront as we seek to become energy independent. Our country pioneered the auto industry; we can lead the way in clean and efficient energy technology as well. The research and development that is required, however, won't happen if we punish companies for doing well by slapping them with "windfall taxes." It's in the oil companies' interest to invest in R&D; they don't need an edict from Chuck Schumer any more than the American consumer does.

The Chuck Schumer effect: a ten dollar surcharge for every 20 gallons of gas we buy. We could honk or give a one-finger salute when we fill up, but it would be more productive to just sign Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell's petition that Congress address all three legs of the stool with an energy policy that encourages not only conservation but exploration and innovation.

Andrew Horne's Potty Mouth

Jefferson Poole suffered through Andrew Horne's live bloggging on Firedoglake, and provides us this Horne quote:

Who would Daniel Boone vote for? Daniel Boone would kick Mitch McConnell’s ass. But hell, Colonel Sanders could kick his ass.

Is it really asking too much for a would-be candidate for U.S. Senate to use language that doesn't sound like he copied it down from the stall of a middle school boys' room? Is this how Horne speaks to his Sunday School class?

As to the merits, given a chance, Daniel Boone wouldn't want to fight Mitch McConnell. To the contrary, Daniel Boone likely would thank McConnell for getting federal funds for the park that honors Boone's legacy, the Daniel Boone National Forest.

The Whooping Crane's Been Found!

The missing whooping crane has been found near Scottsburg Indiana, thank God! He's been slumming with some sand hill cranes. Thank you to all who kept on the look out for the little guy. WHAS 11 has the breaking story.

Avian Amber Alert

Here's a chance to blow apart the liberal premise that conservatives hate endangered animals (in addition to small children and library books). A rare missing bird needs your help; all you have to do is go for a walk and hopefully find him.

If you didn't catch WHAS 11's remarkable piece on the whooping cranes, check it out. This breed is down to one last flock in the wild. Conservationists have bred a new flock and are attempting to help it migrate for the first time from Wisconsin to Florida. A man uses a motorized hang glider to show the birds the way south.

This new flock consists of 17, but as it passed through Kentucky on day 44 of the migration, one of the birds went missing. I am certain that I saw that missing crane Friday afternoon at the lake by Springhill Garden Drive.

We noticed the bird because it looked so out of place -- like a Florida crane in a Kentucky pond, all alone. We joked that maybe one of our neighbors had built a tropical aviary and left a window open.

Then last night we heard about the migration project and the missing crane. I called number for the project and was told that the bird got lost on Friday. I went back to the pond this morning and sadly, he was gone.

But he may be close by, and that's where you come in. Walk around your neighborhood, and pay close attention to the birds near creeks, ponds and standing water from the all the rain. You'll know if you see him. Then call the migration project at 1-800-675-2618. If you have your cell phone with you, take a picture.

I've never bought in to the liberal notion that we need government agencies, funding or legislation to make us care for our environment. We take care of the earth and its inhabitants as good stewards, and because we have a duty to protect the weak (whether it's a fetus or a whooping crane).

Noah didn't build the ark in obediance to or with any aid from FEMA. His ark did include a pair of whooping cranes, and now one of their descendents needs our help. Spread the word!