CONG. ROSKAM ENERGY POLICY RUNNING ON EMPTY
May 2, 2011
Congressman Peter Roskam
150 S. Bloomingdale Road, Suite 200
Bloomingdale, IL 60108
Dear Congressman Roskam,
Several times in your five years as my Congressman, I've accused you of sophistry, the use of false arguments to deceive people. Sadly, you topped your sophistry level with your latest email blast to constituents titled: Gas Prices.
You tell the thousands of economically distressed residents of the Sixth District struggling with $4.19 per gallon gas, that the current problem is two-fold:
1. There are plenty of untapped fossil fuel resources right here in the good 'ol USA that could bring reasonable gas prices
2. The White House and liberal Democrats simply won't tap them
Conclusion: No surprise - high gas prices are strictly the fault of the Democratic Party.
That is not only sophistry, Congressman, it is a tautology: a series of self reinforcing statements that cannot be disproved because the statements depend on the assumption that they are already correct.
But they are both false as a $3 bill. You know full well that best estimates are only 3 million barrels a day could be added to US production if ALL the current untapped land and seabed resources were magically tapped, a mere 3.5% of the 86 million world wide barrels produced daily. You also know that it would take years to begin to realize the meager benefits of those resources, a further cruel hoax on the folks you tantalize with your magical solution of falsely blaming the Democrats.
You state The Democrats can start by reversing the off-shore drilling moratorium and pursuing safe and timely energy production in the Gulf. Why didn't you mention that the moratorium has already been lifted and that 11 new deep water drilling permits and 49 shallow water drilling permits have been approved (not that they will solve today's $4.19 per gallon gas).
Congressman, for a real solution, why didn't your email blast mention that the Democrats supported, and your party opposed, financial regulation to prevent the Wall Street oil futures speculation which may be the biggest factor in the gas price rise? The President's reform bill requires the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to enact new rules to restrict the amount of oil that speculators could trade on the energy futures market. Only two of the five commissioners support such sensible regulation but three are required to pass new rules; causing an egregious three month delay in reducing price spiking speculation What are you doing to break this logjam which would have the quickest impact on escalating gas prices?
Is it that you never met a regulation over the endless greed and speculation of the super rich you didn't oppose as being "stifling to business"?
It is time to end the partisan politics of easy blame and magical solutions when dealing with the "no-win" battle to attain cheap energy from 19th century reliance on fossil fuel. As other countries invest in modern infrastructure and clean energy technologies to face the future, you support the endless solutions of:
1. Less regulation over Wall Street and Big Oil
2. No investment in the future
3. Endless tax breaks for the folks whose wealth depends on the energy status quo
4. Drill baby drill
Congressman, that may be a tankfull, but its woefully short on octane.
Respectfully yours,
Walt Zlotow
IL Sixth District resident
Congressman Peter Roskam
150 S. Bloomingdale Road, Suite 200
Bloomingdale, IL 60108
Dear Congressman Roskam,
Several times in your five years as my Congressman, I've accused you of sophistry, the use of false arguments to deceive people. Sadly, you topped your sophistry level with your latest email blast to constituents titled: Gas Prices.
You tell the thousands of economically distressed residents of the Sixth District struggling with $4.19 per gallon gas, that the current problem is two-fold:
1. There are plenty of untapped fossil fuel resources right here in the good 'ol USA that could bring reasonable gas prices
2. The White House and liberal Democrats simply won't tap them
Conclusion: No surprise - high gas prices are strictly the fault of the Democratic Party.
That is not only sophistry, Congressman, it is a tautology: a series of self reinforcing statements that cannot be disproved because the statements depend on the assumption that they are already correct.
But they are both false as a $3 bill. You know full well that best estimates are only 3 million barrels a day could be added to US production if ALL the current untapped land and seabed resources were magically tapped, a mere 3.5% of the 86 million world wide barrels produced daily. You also know that it would take years to begin to realize the meager benefits of those resources, a further cruel hoax on the folks you tantalize with your magical solution of falsely blaming the Democrats.
You state The Democrats can start by reversing the off-shore drilling moratorium and pursuing safe and timely energy production in the Gulf. Why didn't you mention that the moratorium has already been lifted and that 11 new deep water drilling permits and 49 shallow water drilling permits have been approved (not that they will solve today's $4.19 per gallon gas).
Congressman, for a real solution, why didn't your email blast mention that the Democrats supported, and your party opposed, financial regulation to prevent the Wall Street oil futures speculation which may be the biggest factor in the gas price rise? The President's reform bill requires the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to enact new rules to restrict the amount of oil that speculators could trade on the energy futures market. Only two of the five commissioners support such sensible regulation but three are required to pass new rules; causing an egregious three month delay in reducing price spiking speculation What are you doing to break this logjam which would have the quickest impact on escalating gas prices?
Is it that you never met a regulation over the endless greed and speculation of the super rich you didn't oppose as being "stifling to business"?
It is time to end the partisan politics of easy blame and magical solutions when dealing with the "no-win" battle to attain cheap energy from 19th century reliance on fossil fuel. As other countries invest in modern infrastructure and clean energy technologies to face the future, you support the endless solutions of:
1. Less regulation over Wall Street and Big Oil
2. No investment in the future
3. Endless tax breaks for the folks whose wealth depends on the energy status quo
4. Drill baby drill
Congressman, that may be a tankfull, but its woefully short on octane.
Respectfully yours,
Walt Zlotow
IL Sixth District resident
posted by Walt Zlotow at 6:07 PM
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