Let’s first get a couple points out there: First – the policies from Biden, like it or not, coupled with the policies of most of Europe, have led us to where we are in the world today. Just looking at energy alone, we now net-import, when just over a year ago we net-export. Second, Europe (especially NATO) is now doing two things (among others): They are boosting their defense spending almost across the board (sound familiar to what was being demanded by the last president? It should…), and next, they are trying to move away from Russian energy. Let’s keep in mind that Russia now supplies 40% – yes, FORTY percent – of Europe’s oil and gas. We stopped most of our exporting and have cut drilling and exploration in the last year, as the risk to being shut down at any time by Biden’s team is too great and expensive a risk. Russia filled in the US-caused gap in supply. It humors me that Jen Psaki keeps mentioning the 9,000 leases not being used by the oil and gas companies right now. Two things here: First, if those aren’t good places to explore, don’t explore there. Duh #1. And two, as I mentioned above, the risk of a site being shut down within a year, a lease being pulled, etc., is too great these days for oil and gas to want to risk the start-up site expenses. Duh #2.
So here we are, knowing that we could start the process to ramp production here to close the gap and stop paying hundreds of millions … per day (look it up) … to Russia for oil; but we won’t because we are one thing: Stupid. Or at least the current elected leadership is. Keep in mind, climate hawks, that the US extracts oil and gas cleaner than any other country, AND our final product is 41% cleaner than that which we are buying from Russia. Put that in your environmentally friendly peace pipe and smoke it… We can’t just “shut it off and go buy Teslas and throw up Chinese solar panels on all our houses tomorrow.” Even Elon Musk called that out last week as totally unrealistic. Sure, we are leaving petroleum. But not by next Wednesday. OMG, people. What path do you want to take to get there?
Oh – one more thing – let’s not forget that Biden is using Russia as our intermediary to negotiate with (wait for it) – Iran (!!!) to get them back into the JCPOA. And the really stupid part of that? Here it is: We give them billions in sanctions relief, and we possibly buy gas from Iran instead of Russia. AND, instead of from ourselves. OMG. You cannot even come close to making this stuff up! And the world is far, far more dangerous than it was when the mean, socially undesirable guy was in the oval office, although he was doing good things on the outcomes (don’t get me started tonight on the over 2 million people that are now in the US from our southern border since Jan ’21, from over 150 countries). You elected this mess…
But thank goodness we are sending our Vice President to Poland! I’m sure she’s flying over in her invisible jet right now with her magic lasso to make everyone play nice and stop the war. Oh, wait, that’s Wonder Woman, not Harris. My bad.
And another one MORE thing: Did I ever call out China as someone to totally watch and start to boycott and move our manufacturing away from there? (Why yes, JB, you did…). Now that they have backed Russia, abstained from UN condemnation, given them US intel when the US stupidly (yup, that word again) went to China to plead for them to help stop Russia from invading… only to take that info to Putin behind our back, now that we are financially sanctioning Russia I assume you know what China did late this week, right? Yes – when Visa and Mastercard cut them off, China’s national bank and credit card system has stepped in to give Russians a NEW credit system to use instead! Does anyone – anyone at all with any kind of thoughtful or reasonably intelligent mind – think that all these scenarios for sanctions, etc., weren’t played out and planned for well in advance by Russia and China?
So here we are. Oil now at $130/barrel (during Trump we stuck around $50/barrel, with a high at $82, and a low at $20). A gallon of gas is now a national average of $4.01. And we’re not done on the uphill side. And this is going to get worse, folks. Russia is now a huge exporter of wheat, and a massive amount of minerals that are needed for things like our precious electric car fuel cells, etc. (Kids, can you say Palladium? I knew you could…). But not to be left out, China, the other major bad player in the room, is one of the largest producers of things like fertilizers, and the vast majority of our ingredients used in most of our prescription drug industry. That’s a fine mess we’ve gotten ourselves into (and Europe), and now China and Russia are in position to play all the trump cards on us (pun sort-of intended).
One final thought: Those of you that got Jason Crow into office, thanks. And kept DeGette and Neguse in office. Thanks. I suppose you know they all voted against a bill last week to stop buying Russian oil and to fill the gap with US production that has been cut in the last year? You didn’t know that? Huh. Well, now you do. All 220 of them voted against that bill. Nice move. I have two words for you: Neville Chamberlain. Look that up, and the history around his moves and non-moves.
This is still going to get worse. Rant over. Continue with your good evenings.
