Oil subsides continue under the influence of money

The recent voted by the US Senate to protect $23.5 billion in tax breaks for oil companies is disheartening.  (Senators who voted to protect oil tax breaks received $23,582,5000 from big oil). Interesting to see the strong correlation between the money received by those voting for big oil tax breaks by the oil and gas companies versus those that voted against the subsidy.

I like the recommendation made by one observer that legislators wear the corporate logos of those businesses who are so magnanimously supporting their political campaigns. They would look a little like race car drivers.  However I'm not sure however that their suits could accommodate so many logos.

Even a "conservative" meteorologist like Paul Douglas has gone on the record questioning the Republican support of our national energy policy. Mr. Douglas notes something that I've long been chagrined about, "conserve" is a root of the word conservative. (A message from a republican meteorologist on climate change).

One of the simple things that our automotive industry could to to help us conserve energy would be to add gas gages to our vehicles that provide instantaneous measurements of fuel economy.  While making a couple of longer road trips in a Prius this week I found I was much more conservative in my driving that I would have  been otherwise. I could see the significant improvement in miles per gallon (MPG) when driving 55 MPH versus 70 MPH.

"Conservatives" and state budget shut down

Governor Mark Dayton

As of July 1^st we’ve got a government shut down in the state of Minnesota.  There is an impasse between Governor Mark Dayton and the Republicans, who control the legislature.  The Governor feels that taxes ought to be raised on those making over a million dollars/year (the top 0.3%), while the Republican’s have vowed not to raise taxes to meet the growing demands of the state (increased health care costs, etc.)

I’m puzzled that the Republican’s identify themselves as “conservatives” yet many of their actions at the state and national level don’t seem to correspond to my definition of conservative.  Seems to me someone who is a conservative would:

• Not support gambling as a means of raising vital budget dollars
• Value spending enough money to assure a top quality education is available to all children and young adults, despite income qualifications
• Abhor a preemptive war and extravagant military spending
• Value conservation of natural resources and thus promote alternative energy and careful environmental monitoring
• Find corporate CEO salaries unconscionable, sometimes over 100 times more than workers on the front lines
• Discourage consumerism, and encourage conserving resources; reducing, reusing and recycling

      Many conservatives have closely aligned themselves with the Christian church.  If Jesus is their model, seems they would be:

Bees on rose

•       Radically generous with the poor, and not worry about being repaid
•       Welcoming to immigrants and those of other nationalities
•       Comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable   

As tensions grow between "liberals" and "conservatives" it seems we would all be wise to recognize there is no “them" and "us”, there is only “us”.

Let's hope there will be compromise on both sides and government workers can soon get back to work (hence the busy bee picture taken earlier this morning).