The myth of "oil price gouging" will hurt us all ... redux

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday April 28, 2011 · 7:08 PM PDT

2011/04/28 · 19:08

[This diary was originally posted in 2006. Seems like not much has changed ...]

Oil runs through the spiritual veins of every warm-blooded, true American patriot, it is our national birthright, it is our children's future, our greatest strength, our economic lynchpin, our one true cause ...

Or, oil is the scourge of humanity, it is the cause of a grossly disproportionate amount of human and environmental suffering, it turns formerly honest men (or, in some cases, demons born of human flesh - you reading, Joe Barton?) into vile, despicable pieces of homonid garbage and quickens our decent into purgatory with each acrid, mucosal drop.

Whichever religion you chose - and I admit I keel heavily toward the latter - there is one fact that there should be little disagreement over, and that couldn't be more important to Kossacks, to the Democratic party, and, indeed, to the future of our collective human enterprise:

More below ...

mateosf

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday November 11, 2010 · 2:09 PM PST

2010/11/11 · 14:09

This is going to be short.

Clearly, we have been focusing our activist efforts in the wrong place; it should be obvious to all of us by now that our "leaders" in Washington DC, are not leaders, just pawns in a bigger game being called by the banksters.

So, let's do something about it.

Poll

98 votes Show Results

Are our efforts better focused at the source of the problem?

98 votes Vote Now!

Are our efforts better focused at the source of the problem?

Yes, clearly we have no influence in Washington, DC when all the power is on Wall Street

64 votes

No, we can still bring about incremental change if we just clap harder

1 vote

Neither, we're fucked. Time to move to Europe.

33 votes

Dear Harry: Call their bluff. Cots and wool blankets on the Senate floor.

mateosf

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday October 28, 2009 · 2:18 AM PDT

2009/10/28 · 02:18

This will be short and sweet, as I have a plane to catch back home from Shanghai.

Poll

170 votes Show Results

Should Harry Reid force the Senate to do an actual filibuster over the public option, or should we let them act like pussies one more time?

170 votes Vote Now!

Should Harry Reid force the Senate to do an actual filibuster over the public option, or should we let them act like pussies one more time?

Yes, make them sleep in their $4,000 suits

162 votes

No, we're not really serious about health care reform, this is all for show

6 votes

Pie

2 votes

Message to teabaggers: You probably got a big refund this year.

mateosf

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday April 15, 2009 · 12:10 PM PDT

2009/04/15 · 12:10

I don't pay much attention to the right-wing loonies. Apparently, there are a bunch of them marching around today, sucking on Sean Hannity's ... er, teabags and hating on highway spending or military spending or God-knows-what. Whatev.

I did, however, just finish doing my taxes (got 'em in 12 hours early this year!), and was pleasantly surprised to learn that I'll be getting a large refund from Uncle Sam for my troubles. Largest refund ever, in fact. I make about an average income for a big city, I have no special withholdings, don't have much in the way of investments (I work for a living), and could do the whole thing with one of those handy online tax software packages that cost $30 and took about 45 minutes to fill out. For that relatively small effort, I earned enough to pay for a new bicycle or even a trip to Hawaii! God bless the USA!

mateosf

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday April 25, 2006 · 8:58 AM PDT

2006/04/25 · 08:58

Update [2006-4-25 12:39:43 by mateosf]: Bush took action today that is consistent with what my diary says the GOP response to "gasoline price gouging" will be. SusanG diaries about it here.] Oil runs through the spiritual veins of every warm-blooded, true American patriot, it is our national birthright, it is our children's future, our greatest strength, our economic lynchpin, our one true cause ...

Or, oil is the scourge of humanity, it is the cause of a grossly disproportionate amount of human and environmental suffering, it turns formerly honest men (or, in some cases, demons born of human flesh - you reading, Cheney?) into vile, despicable pieces of homonid garbage and quickens our decent into purgatory with each acrid, mucosal drop.

More below ... Read More

Energy Revolution: California Votes to End the Coal Age

mateosf

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday November 21, 2005 · 1:20 PM PST

2005/11/21 · 13:20

In a unanimous vote today, the California Energy Commission adopted strict new rules on global warming pollution that all but seals the coffin for coal-fired power plants in the western United States.

In short: California will lead the nation in reducing global warming pollution.

It's just like the good ol' days, when California took on the car industry and forced the end of leaded gasoline.

More below the flip. Read More

ENERGY MEME: Enough with the "gasoline price gouging" already!

mateosf

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday November 11, 2005 · 12:49 PM PST

2005/11/11 · 12:49

When will the Democrats get it?

There is no gasoline price gouging in the United States. Gasoline prices are high because Americans want more of it than the market can deliver.

The ad for Minnesota Senate candidate Amy Klobuchar on Kos's front page is very dangerous for Democrats, is definitely irresponsible in its inaccuracy, and has the potential to destroy any hope we have for a progressive energy policy.

Want to understand more? Flip below the fold. Read More

Colorado Makes Clean Energy History!

mateosf

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday October 12, 2005 · 8:00 AM PDT

2005/10/12 · 08:00

So the Clean Energy experts were right: not only is wind power the cheapest form of energy in the United States, but it's going to save energy consumers money - starting this winter.

In a major, major (did I say major?) development in Colorado today, XCel energy, the state's largest utility, announced that its customers who participate in its "WindSource" program - that is, people who chose to buy conventional wind power instead of alternative energy sources like coal and natural gas - will save about $10 a month over the old-school, fossil-fool energy consumers.

From today's Denver Post:

Customers of Xcel Energy's Windsource wind-energy program soon will have more to brag about than their environmental ethic.
Namely, lower bills.

More big news, below the fold. Read More

California Makes Climate Change History

mateosf

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday October 10, 2005 · 10:15 AM PDT

2005/10/10 · 10:15

In an obscure policy decision late last week, the state of California's Public Utilities Commission approved a new set of rules for global warming pollution that are nothing short of revolutionary, will likely change the way America's largest and most economically vital state produces electricity, and could set the U.S. on a course to addressing, finally, our back-asswards energy system.

While it's a bit premature to sound the death knell for Old King Coal (who was, unquestionably, the target of California's assault), it's at least safe to take the old black suit to the cleaners in preparation for the King's wake.

More. Read More

Intelligent Design: The Flying Spaghetti Monster

mateosf

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday August 09, 2005 · 2:17 AM PDT

2005/08/09 · 02:17

This is the funniest thing I've seen all summer - an actual letter to the Kansas Board of Education:

OPEN LETTER TO KANSAS SCHOOL BOARD
I am writing you with much concern after having read of your hearing to decide whether the alternative theory of Intelligent Design should be taught along with the theory of Evolution. I think we can all agree that it is important for students to hear multiple viewpoints so they can choose for themselves the theory that makes the most sense to them. I am concerned, however, that students will only hear one theory of Intelligent Design.
Let us remember that there are multiple theories of Intelligent Design. I and many others around the world are of the strong belief that the universe was created by a Flying Spaghetti Monster. It was He who created all that we see and all that we feel. We feel strongly that the overwhelming scientific evidence pointing towards evolutionary processes is nothing but a coincidence, put in place by Him.

(More) Read More

Another 40 years of Big Oil hegemony: RANT

mateosf

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday July 26, 2005 · 10:46 AM PDT

2005/07/26 · 10:46

As I posted here yesterday, Congress has just completed work on a comprehensive energy bill that re-sets the clock on America's energy policy - back to about 1950. Environmentalist also has a great (more comprehensive) summary here. Check out NRDC's analysis here.

What does this mean for Kossacks? Why should we care?

Essentially, we just lost the most important policy battle of Bush's tenure, the one with the largest, most long-term ramifications of anything of the past 5 years, and one that will be an Albatross for the progressive movement for many, many years to come.

Excuse me while I puke. Read More

Energy News: Clean Water Act falling in Congress

mateosf

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday July 25, 2005 · 12:39 PM PDT

2005/07/25 · 12:39

The oil and gas industry is on the verge of winning one of the most long-running environmental battles in history, as Congress concludes its four-year debate on the energy bill.

A little-noticed (by the MSM) provision in the bill would exempt oil and gas development activities from a crucial section of the Clean Water Act.

The provision, pushed hard by Big Oil, would allow oil and gas sites smaller than 5 acres to allow toxic runoff to flow unmanaged from well pads into neighboring properties, sewers, streams, rivers, lakes, etc. The reason: prodded by Chimpy's National Energy Policy, Big Oil has been contaminating surface waters across the American West in their mad rush to drill.

The state of Colorado recently decided to enforce the Clean Water Act (because Bush's EPA had refused to do so), so looks like Congress is offering an end-run.

This is not a small deal. Read More

Newer
Older

RSS

The myth of "oil price gouging" will hurt us all ... redux

Screw Washington. Time to march on Wall Street (and please go see Inside Job).

Dear Harry: Call their bluff. Cots and wool blankets on the Senate floor.

Message to teabaggers: You probably got a big refund this year.

The myth of "oil price gouging" will hurt us all UPDATED

Energy Revolution: California Votes to End the Coal Age

ENERGY MEME: Enough with the "gasoline price gouging" already!

Colorado Makes Clean Energy History!

California Makes Climate Change History

Intelligent Design: The Flying Spaghetti Monster

Another 40 years of Big Oil hegemony: RANT

Energy News: Clean Water Act falling in Congress