Interior Secretary Ken Salazar
In another example of how liberals get their panties in a wad when they are challenged for the decisions they make, Ken Salazar resorted to name-calling and innuendo as he tried to defend the Obama Administration's extremist energy policies.
In a story published by the Denver Post, Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, criticized the oil and gas industry for accusing the Obama Administration of stifling energy development in the West and offshore.
He also left little doubt that he felt that the industry is nothing less than an arm of the Republican party.
Calling the charges "poison and deceptive," Salazar said at a news conference in Washington, D.C., that the industry has to understand "they do not own the nation's public lands; taxpayers do."
The industry trade groups are behaving like "the arm of a political party," Salazar said.
I always find it amusing when liberals resort to this type of attack. No facts to counter the concern, only the typical "divisive" politics they claim to abhor - the same divisiveness that the chosen one claimed he would change.
Ah yes. . . . change. How's that working for ya, America?
In the story, we learn that in fiscal 2009, the total of 127 lease purchases in Colorado represented a 40 percent decline from 2008 and a 62 percent drop from 2007. The Interior Department also blocked development on 60 Utah leases issued by the Bush administration just before it left office because they claimed they were too close to national parks and monuments.
However, I still agree with Secretary Salazar concerning how these leases should be handled. To quote him again:
"The industry has to understand (that) they do not own the nation's public lands, (the) taxpayers do."
Right on, Kenny! But your explanation was incomplete. You see, not only does the oil and gas industry "not own the nation's public lands," but neither does the Obama Administration. In fact, since it belongs to the taxpayers, it should be handled the way the taxpayers want it to be handled.
Can you guess what the taxpayers want?
Well, when gas and energy prices reached record levels last summer just prior to the elections, voters overwhelmingly favored increased energy development. So, if the land belongs to the taxpayers and the taxpayers favor increased exploration, how does Obama justify the actions of Señor Salazar?
Could it be that it's really Salazar and Obama who are operating as "the arm of a political party" (i.e. environmental extremists in the Democrat party)? Could it be that Obama, with his socialist/Marxist domestic policies, is more interested in seeing another big business go down in the name of "spreading the wealth?"
Anyway you look at it, at least Salazar got one thing right - the land belongs to the taxpayers. Now, if we could just get him to do what the taxpayers want done.
What others had to say:
Denver Post
Rocky Mountain Right
Other articles by David:
The death of conservatism has been greatly exaggerated
Conservative? Opposed to Obama? You're a racist!
House majority leader objects to President's school speech
Comments
The GAO recently completed a detailed study highlighting the wide-scale abuse that occurred in permitting drilling under Bush's new CX rules; the areas where leases were pulled in CO have management plans that are over 20 years old, when the population was half what it is now (in Mesa County) and when drilling in tight sands formations was a wish but not much of a reality.
For someone who starts his column with a dig about 'panties being in a wad' (are you still in Middle School?--that's the last time I heard that one!) it is a bit ironic to state:
"I always find it amusing when liberals resort to this type of attack. No facts to counter the concern, only the typical "divisive" politics they claim to abhor..."
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