Ken,
You make some good points, but I don't think we can lay the blame solely at
the feet of the politicians. Their mail goal appears to be to get (back)
into office and they will do (within reason) what the fickle electorate
wants. My guess is that the electorate simply wants to be better off
economically tomorrow than they are today. As far as they (we?) are
concerned the horn of cornucopia is connected to an infinite supply.
If this is the case, why would you expect "... that we would hear something
about long term energy needs and energy policy." Better to let sleeping dogs
lie (no slight intended to the electorate)!
Is it not time for us to take action and, rather than waiting for the
politicians to say something about an energy policy, ask the candidates
where they stand on energy? We may not get the answer we like, but the
candidates would be on record as to what their position is or, at least,
have to think about what position to take. You are having an election in
November in the US and we, in Canada, are due for a federal election by next
June (an election can come as early as November). We will not have another
chance like the current for another four years. Why not ask George W. and Al
Gore on your side of the border and Jean Chretien, Stockwell Day and Joe
Clark on our side how they propose to deal with a decreasing supply of oil?
Do I sense the start of a ground swell for action here?
Chuck Vandergraaf
Pinawa, MB
-----Original Message-----
From: Kenneth Piers [mailto:Pier@calvin.edu]
Sent: Wednesday September 27, 2000 8:34 AM
To: asa@calvin.edu
Subject: No More Oil
I am normally a lurker on this list but I want to say that I very much
appreciate the discussion on energy resources. What is mind boggling
about the whole situation is that we seem to have no national or even
regional discussion about energy resource policy at all. The only
concern we seem to hear voiced is the fact that petroleum and natural
gas prices have risen in the past year and we need to get them back
down. Now recently Clinton has ordered the release of 30 M barrels of
oil from strategic reserves which were meant to be used only in an
emergency. This seems to me to be very akin to offer the alcoholic who
is suffering from early morning shakes another drink. While I am very
sensitive to the plight of the poor (some of my children are among them)
with respect to energy prices, this is completely the wrong message to
be sending to the American people.
One would think that in these days when a national political campaign
is going full bore that we would hear something about long term energy
needs and energy policy. The most distressing part about the near future
depletion of petroleum resources is that we seem to have absolutely no
clue or no plan about what alternative energy scenarios might look like.
There is no doubt that competition for oil will be globally
destabilizing and all the more so if we have no national plan for
alternative energy regimes. When will we wake up?
ken piers
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