A faith perspective on current events. By: Fr. Steven Foppiano
It’s All Going as Planned
We should not be shocked at the idea of $4.00 gas. In fact, we may be in for even higher prices. $5.00 per gallon is not far behind and it is the natural outcome of our plans over the past few decades. Those who put the plan into effect are very happy with the results and certainly we who cooperated with the plan should not now be upset or shocked.
Since the 1980s we have made conscious decisions that have naturally led to the increase in gasoline prices. We have eliminated the opening of new oil fields in the United States. Since, unfortunately, the government is by far the majority owner of land in our country, its policies to eliminate drilling on those lands has virtually shut down the domestic exploration industry. There is enough oil to meet all our needs for at least 20 years in Alaska and Nebraska, not even counting the oil that lies off our shores. But we have chosen to place this oil off limits.
We can’t really say that we have done this for environmental reasons. What is more dangerous to the environment; a pipeline in Alaska copying proven technology that has not harmed the environment or placing our oceans at risk with the use of supertankers coming from half way across the world? Why is it better to drill for oil in the land of our enemies and ship it over dangerous tankers across the oceans rather than to pull oil from our own land in an area where the locals would welcome and have requested such activity and from which it would be transported via the relative safety of a pipeline?
We have chosen not to drill offshore because those in California and Florida are afraid of the potential for environmental damage, yet we have had large oil spills from tankers which we force onto the oceans by our lack of exploration. You cannot tell where it happened unless someone tells you because nature has cleaned up the mess far better than our human efforts. In fact, most of the human clean up activity was wasted as a little patience and allowing nature to work would have accomplished much the same thing. China and Cuba are now drilling just outside our 12 mile limit. Apparently the environmentalists think it is safer for foreigners to take our oil than for our own companies to do so. We have chosen to forgo this option as well.
We have also made the decision to set aside our leadership in nuclear energy and to virtually eliminate new nuclear power plants. Meanwhile France now draws nearly 100 percent of its electricity from clean burning and cheap nuclear sources while we pay through the nose to burn oil and coal for our electricity, thus adding to air pollution and the need for supertankers. Japan is close behind France and others are quickly following suit. Meanwhile our Navy is able to successfully and safely operate nuclear power plants in aircraft carriers and submarines with great efficiency. Current technology reuses plutonium until it is greatly reduced in power able to be safely stored but we have chose not to follow this path that we once established and which the rest of the world follows.
We have decided to mandate ethanol in fuel. This has caused all of our food prices to sky rocket and may kill millions who are now facing starvation due to a food shortage. It has done little to help fuel prices. Corn based ethanol is much less efficient than the sugar cane based ethanol of South America. If we put every inch of farmland in corn we might just contribute a net gain of 10 percent of our needed supplies. Of course, we would likely starve but the energy crisis would be slightly diminished. We could also put windmills on every hill and mountain or cover all of our open spaces with solar panels and we might get another ten percent of our needs. Of course, those same congressmen and senators who say this is the answer won’t allow such facilities near their own homes.
Neither of these last two options will help the supply problem The only actions that would; more oil, more exploration and nuclear power, have been eliminated and so the only option left is to force people out of cars, into colder winter homes and hot summer houses, and to decrease our industrial output. This we will do as gas prices get higher and higher. We are at least 20 years away from any technology that can be widely and efficiently used to replace oil so the only option left to is to reduce oil use. This is done as we downsize our cars; walk or ride bikes to work, take lesser jobs or accept unemployment as we watch millions starve. Of course such turmoil will cause more immigration, more wars and more human suffering but the environment might be a little better. This must be the plan because that is the natural result of the actions we have taken and the environmentalist think that prices are still too low.
If we don’t agree with this plan we may want to ask how we got to this place in history. The wealthiest and most powerful nation in the world decided to trade everything in for the illusion of helping the environment. I say illusion because one only has to take a look at third world countries to see real horrors of environmental damage. Poverty does not help save the environment, it helps to destroy it. As we place ourselves at a financial disadvantage and give our enemies greater power, we are also adding to the destabilization of the world and the poverty, starvation and death of millions in third world countries. Decades of real growth in these countries is about to be reversed because we listened to some extremist environmentalist instead of hard science and common sense. We may feel better about ourselves now but that won’t last long as our society begins to crumble and much of world peace with it.
If we don’t agree with the path we have been put on by our politicians and activists, then we have only one choice. We need to let our government know of our displeasure and then we need to vote out any who continue to follow this path towards self destruction. If we don’t and we continue down this path, then I fear not only for our country but for the many third world countries which are dependent upon our economy, our generosity and our cooperation. As we destroy our wealth we destroy these relationships as well. In that case may God help us all because we are headed for very bad times. The sad part is that we chose this path and will now reap what we have sown. Perhaps we can get off it while there is still time. I pray it is not already too late.
Father Steven Foppiano