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AP
President Barack Obama gestures while speaking about his plan for America's energy security today at Georgetown University in Washington.
From NBC's Athena Jones
In laying out his administration's plans for increasing U.S. energy independence, President Obama set a big goal: to reduce oil imports by about one-third in a little over a decade.
The president set out that goal in a wide-ranging nearly 50-minute speech during which he spoke about a series of steps his administration would take to increase domestic oil and natural gas production and promote research into and production of biofuels and raise automobile efficiency standards.
He argued the best opportunities to improve America's energy security "can be found in our own backyard," and he set a goal of breaking ground on at least four commercial-scale cellulosic or advanced biorefineries over the next two years. He made the remarks at Georgetown University, the same place he laid out his sweeping economic agenda two years ago.
Today's speech is part of a White House public communications effort to focus America's attention on energy security during a time of unrest in the Middle East and rising gas prices at home.
"Obviously the situation in the Middle East affects our energy security," Obama said. "In an economy that relies on oil, rising prices at the pump affect everybody -- workers and farmers, truck drivers and restaurant owners; businesses see it hurt their bottom line; families feel the pinch when they fill up their tank. For Americans already struggling to get by, it makes life that much harder."
He went on to say there were no quick fixes to America's energy challenges and that addressing them would require a long-term strategy.
"We cannot keep going from shock to trance on the issue of energy security, rushing to propose action when gas prices rise, then hitting the snooze button when they fall again," he said. "It is time to do what we can to secure our energy future."
As part of the administration's new push on energy, Cabinet officials will hold a series of energy events in Washington and around the country. In an afternoon briefing with reporters, Energy Secretary Steven Chu talked about the "great strides" made in areas like fuel economy, electric vehicles, development of advanced batteries and biofuels and the president himself plans to highlight green vehicles on Friday by visiting a UPS shipping facility in Landover, MD, where he will view vehicles from AT&T, FedEx, PepsiCo, UPS and Verizon's clean fleets.
Despite Japan's nuclear crisis, Obama said nuclear energy would remain part of the U.S. mix of energy sources and said he had called for comprehensive safety review by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to make sure that all existing U.S. nuclear energy facilities are safe.
But he also spoke about his administration's work to expedite new oil and gas drilling permits. The administration also wants to provide incentives to encourage energy companies to develop the millions of acres in available oil and gas leases.
In a conference call with reporters to preview today's speech, one senior administration official cited a Department of the Interior report showing that last year the oil and gas industry leased only 2.4 million out of 37 million acres offered. The official said in the Gulf of Mexico, companies were sitting on an estimated 11.6 billion barrels of oil and tens of trillions of cubic feet of natural gas.
"These are massive supplies of American energy just waiting to be tapped," the official said.
Republicans have argued the Obama administration has made it harder for companies to drill, dragging its feet on issuing new permits. And soon after the president's speech, congressman Doc Hastings (R-WA), chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, released a statement in which he said he agreed with the president's goal, but noted, "[W]e have very different ways of getting there. The President wants to decrease imports by telling Americans to use less and to pay more. Republicans want to decrease imports by increasing U.S. production -- while simultaneously creating American jobs, raising revenue to help pay down the national debt, lowering energy costs and increasing our energy independence. I hope the President would be willing to work with Congress in achieving his goal to cut imports by unlocking our American energy resources.”
White House officials believe they can get bipartisan support for several of their energy initiatives and pointed to the Natural Gas Act, a bill introduced by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), as an example of legislation with the support of members from both sides of the aisle. The bill -- which was co-sponsored by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and has the support of billionaire energy executive T. Boone Pickens -- aims to spur the development of natural gas vehicles and decrease America's dependence on foreign energy.
Still, officials have suggested that not all of the incentives and other proposals the administration is putting forth will have to be passed by Congress. They noted the Obama White House has used its administrative authorities aggressively -- whether regarding auto efficiency standards or efforts to green the federal fleet -- since the president took office, and that it would continue "thinking creatively" about what can be accomplished using existing authorities.
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This is the speech George W. Bush should have given after 9/11. A whole decade wasted before we are addressing the most important strategy for dealing with terrorism!
It's really a shame America couldn't harness the energy and hot air from all these Barry speeches to solve the nations energy problems. It appears to be an inexhaustable resource.
What a Crock, While Obama Preaches to the American people that we need to get off Oil he is down in Brazil promising them Billions of Dollars for Research and Development of their Oil Production.
What a great Message to the American People. You stop using it while we Use American Dollars so other countries can Produce more of it...............
The United States has the most fossil fuel resources in the world. And this doesn't even count shale.
Article after article has been citing this.
We have more than Saudi Arabia; more than Saudi Arabia and Iraq combined; actually more than Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Qatar, U.A.E., Kuwait and Libya combined. And this doesn't even count shale.
We are surrounded by the stuff, we are sitting on the stuff and there is more stuff that surrounds us and that we are sitting on than we even know about because Obama has crippled the energy industry.
Obama has wantonly, deliberately put us into this position to promote his green dream agenda. It has become out of control, with no relief in sight - so now he tries to politically cover his butt.
Biofuels? What a joke - even Al Gore knows this is ignorant. BTW - How about them food prices with all the crops being turned over for biofuel.
And this was wanton - deliberate. Dispicable.
What a leader. And you joke about Bush?
Amy, you're correct, my George Jetson breifcase is a figment of my Childish Cartoon memory's.I don't know what the future holds with energy sources, but Coal has been used for a long, long time. This process of America financing the Terrorism that came back to bite us in the A$$ on 911, has gotta STOP!
When was a New Refinery built in the last 30 years? I know of NONE, but maybe someone else does.
America is held Hostage by many things, but our Dependence on Foreign Oil will ultimately be our Downfall. Drill Baby Drill is'nt doable, unless new refinery's come onboard.
Liberals cried when gas was $1.86 on Jan 18th 2009, Obama takes office and it's what now, $4.00 and you want to praise him? A gallon of gas here is .$90.
Don't forget Bush had a democratic congress and senate in the last 2 years. It is those yahoo socialist who say no no no to oil drilling. You know, you got to save the toads, can't drill there, can't drill here, what a crock they all need to fall in a sink hole. Those extremest democrats will most likely blame Bush for the oil prices. When will Barry see that he is responsible for the manure pile we are now standing in.
Rick Ky
Expansion, but no new ones. Port Arthur Texas had one double in capacity.
Rick,
You mention coal?
We have 28% of the world's coal supply. Clean coal is there, yet Obama threatens to bankrupt any company that tries it and pulls permits on companies with perfect compliance. Asinine.
Bob, don't know where you get your info from, but Railroads are Hireing because the Coal business is BOOMING. Wanna know how I Know, it's because I have a Son thats a Railroader & a son-In-law thats a Coal Miner. I also have many friends in the area we are, that are continuing to work because NEW Mines are opening Everywhere.
So, keep on beleiving what you're being told & I'll beleive what I know to be True!
Thanx, Salt Grass!
Can't wait to hear the wailing when GE uses its Bio-fuel tax credits to avoid paying taxes.
They heard it on the Rush Vine.
Great Amy, but really no car and lives in an apartment - no dog in this here fight.
Say when was the last time you filled up your , ummmm, car?
all of obumas talk of green this andenergy efiecient veh,s when he knows very few can afford those veh,s all those rigs just sitting inthe gulf ready to produce oil and thousands of jobs,if it were bush the left would be screaming.And by the way obuma needs to set an example but instead his enterouge of veh,s has used more fuel in the last year than any other presidents enterouge before, just more of do what i say not what I do.
Steve-505729
What a Crock, While Obama Preaches to the American people that we need to get off Oil he is down in Brazil promising them Billions of Dollars for Research and Development of their Oil Production. What a great Message to the American People. You stop using it while we Use American Dollars so other countries can Produce more of it...............
The loan to Potroleo is made from the Import-Export Bank. They are primarily funded by commercial banks - not from Congress (taxpayers).
This particular loan was promised in 2009 by the directors of the Im-Ex Bank who were, at the time, all appointees of the Bush Administration.
It's PURPOSE is to encourage US job creation by exporting our products to Brazil.
You do want them to buy from us as opposed to another country don't you?
The United States does not have its own banks, we have the Federal reserve which is made of Foreign Investor's. My opinion is these investor's bankroll 2 candidates for the President of the United States and the President does the bidding of the Investors through the President's Policy. In 1991 President George Bush Sr. Talked about a New World Order. My question is the United States of America getting stronger or weaker? My answer is weaker. We need to wake up to the fact that the goal of these people is One World Goverment . That is why we will not expand drilling instead the President promotes green energy which harm the US causing energy prices to spike. Think about the Federal Reserves Policy of Quantum easing this is making the Dollar's value lower. We pay for gas in Dollar's. This is a very dangerous policy and could lead to hyper Inflation. The United States is 14 Trillion in debt and counting. If this goverment goes bankrupt What will be our rights in the next government?
Every poster who is about agressively expanding our domestic drilling and the clown who supports the extraction of oil from shale, they and their families will be immeadiately relocated to the site of all drilling so it's directly in their back yard. They will have to drink from the same aquifer that will over time become poisoned due to the extraction processes and look out upon miles upon miles of strip mined land in order to get to the shale. You will also have the refineries to look out upon and inhale the aroma of sweet crude oil being converted into refined oil and gasoline. You will not be able to move when you and your children start coming down with illnesses related to the pollutants in the ground, water and air from drilling and refining. Subsequently, when you and your children begin to die of cancer because of the known carcinogens found in the water and air around such sites, you will not be able to get any form of govt. assistance from 'we the taxpayer' for your healthcare, because fully endorsed America stepping up it's domestic oil production.
I like any great American would love to see us totally self reliant for our energy needs, just so long as it's not in the state that I live. Do yourself a favor and go visit a large refinery or mining site and ask the families who are forced to live by them because they are always in the lowest percentile financially and ask them what it's like living there, you just might learn something.
Craig if your so against your state helping to support and provide to the country as a whole perhaps you need to move to Mexico. I am pretty confident that the U.S government provides relief and tax dollars to your state to support a large number of agenda's, and if your bleeding heart bunny loving tree hugging attitude is that you don't drive a car, don't use electricity and don't use any sort of petroleum product to heat your home, provide plastics for your medical products, your food wrappings or any other common plastic product or use ANY other petroleum or fossil fuel related product than great. You make sense. Otherwise you are obviously an idiot that needs to move somewhere else. A great American you are not.
Guess all those people in NH affected by the new electrical lines don't fit into your plans. It's always "I support it as long as it's in someone else's backyard". Better yet, prove to me we have all these resources to cover our oil needs. Stop believing everything you read on some off the wall INTERNET site.
Nothing was done when gas prices doubled in 2066-2007 when Bush was in charge. If US companies start producing oil, they will be selling them on the same world markets. I want maximum profits from my stock holding so TS.
Unless you think we should change over to ssocialismand take over all the oil wells. Welcome Back Chavez.
The only problem I see is that any solution to our problems takes agreement, INVESTMENT and cooperation between the two political parties, other than that it is smooth sailing to energy independence...uh-oh...
I listened to the speech. President Obama is certainly right. Since the gas shortages of the 70's, Americans complain, yelp, scream demanding something be done but as soon as the crisis ends, all thoughts of alternative energy, improved mass transit goes quietly into the night. Every president since Nixon has promised to move the country away from oil dependence yet we return to the old habits quickly once the price drops. Of course, in order for the President do actually do something requires cooperation and working together by both parties. Once again an election, even if it is over a year away, will interfere with doing something.
Of course, in order for the President do actually do something requires cooperation and working together by both parties.
How ignorant, Obama has defied court orders to restore drilling in the Gulf - has been in contempt. The EPA is holding up opportunities to even file for a permit - permits which are not being granted. the Interior Department has cancelled approved leases, has put more areas off limits.
Nope this is all on Obama. This all part of the "more than one way to skin the (cap and trade) cat." Obama promised.
We can be energy independent for hundreds of years - just the resources we have alone. FACT.
About the election - This will be Obama's real noose. The facts are coming out, the quotes, the actions of this administration .....will all come out ........ Americans will not be happy.
And Bob don't forget to mention that CHINA is drilling 36 miles off the Florida coast!!!@!@
And don't forget the $2 billion Obama gave Brazil to drill with the promise of more to come - "We want to be your best customer!"
That oil is going to ........China.
Several months ago there were articles about an export terminal for coal being built in Washington. Who were we going to ship all our coal to ......... China.
And people think no one could ever be as bad a President as Carter?
Bad isn't even in the same league as disaster.
Bob - China has their own deal going with Petroleo....they loaned them $10B...that has nothing to do with us.
The loan from the IM-EX bank was done to encourage Petroleo to purchase goods from us...you know...our exports.
As far as permits are concerned, onshore permits are being granted as quickly as they are received. Offshore permits are, in fact, being granted. This information comes from the Dept of Int. Check it out at their .gov site.
permits are being granted as quicklyas recieved....... name one that has been granted..obuma defied court orders to keep the rigs shut down while thousands of people still have no work and we cannot afford to drive across town because of gas prices. he dont want gas to go down dont you know he has aq lot of money invested in GE which is also with nBc who we all know is in the tank for the weak nogood american hateing inexperinced crybaby.
@Antisocialist: You are in error. Besides, why is gas 11 cents in Saudi? 16 cents in Iraq? 9 cents in H. Chaves land? This new fangled "free market capitalism", how's that working out for ya, baby? Drill baby drill is so moronic. US govt. does not have any drilling rigs. But they ought to. We could do it better, cleaner and a hell of a lot more less expensive than those oil billionaires. Where do you think those crooks got their money anyway? The moon? And you get your talking points from a 1/2 governor? Thats a hoot!
He's always given great speech. A president with innovative ideas. But with Republicants the party of NO always YES to the rich, let see how this pans out.
Then why in the world won't he allow us to drill in our own country? He can give 2 billion to Brazil to drill down there but doesn't issue any permits to our own people. Could it be that George Soros invested millions in the Brazilian oil company and he has to get his payback
http://www.factcheck.org/2009/09/bogus-brazilian-oil-claims/
Soros sold his Petrobras holdings, he has nothing to gain in current situation.
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-08-17/soros-sells-petrobras-dumps-biggest-company-holding.html
Openmind...as I posted above...
The loan to Potroleo is made from the Import-Export Bank. They are primarily funded by commercial banks - not from Congress (taxpayers).
This particular loan was promised in 2009 by the directors of the Im-Ex Bank who were, at the time, all appointees of the Bush Administration.
It's PURPOSE is to encourage US job creation by exporting our products to Brazil.
You do want them to buy from us as opposed to another country don't you?
I am not willing to give up on green energy. I live on 85 acres and we have 3 houses on the property. We run on Hydro from a year round stream and never run above 19% of capacity. For 3 years we've never used a backup generator. We do not dam, we use the slope of the land to bring the water into the mini-plant and it returns after it turns the turbines without polluting the water.
This is a step backwards.
sandtrich,
I too believe in green energy. I have a bank of PV panels and am getting paid by the electric provider for the excess we produce. I haven't had a bill in over two years. It helps that I live in the southwest as we have abundant sunshine but if there can be a better storage and distribution system developed this could add significantly in lessening our use of fossil fuels.
The biggest problem I see from the detractors is that it's not immediate so we should do nothing. The time is coming and we're behind some others in the world.
@vwterry
have you recouped your capital yet? Did you get a tax write-off or did you pay the full cost of the PV panels?
Alan -
No offense, but this seems to be a classic example of the conservative view of the world vs. the liberal one. I read vwterry's post and my first thought was "Cool! Helping the environment AND not paying an electric bill for two years AND getting paid by the provider for the excess they produce" - sounds like a win/win all around.
Your first thought was "Have you recouped your capital yet?"
Glass half full, or half empty?
I am recouping my capital and should be paid back in about 4 more years. I did take advantage of the tax incentives when I bought and installed the panels.
VWterry--In my case, I repurposed materials when possible. In as much as we don't have a need for heat or AC in Hawaii, (East side of the The Big Island), the electricity bills were around $125/house/mth. I recouped all $ output in 18 months. To be fair--I did 90% of the work myself. I can change or divert power via a simple control in the main house. Remarkably low maintenance and I could power way more than I will ever need. HELCO, the power company on the Island has 2 wind farms, one at South Point and another in S Kahola and many people have solar panels--pretty green state, 47th in violent crime, #1 in organic crops and the cost of housing has dropped dramatically--more so that Maui, Oahu, etc.
VWTerry---don't give up. We are a breed unto ourselves and there are not enough of us. My kids, all 4 grown, get compact fluorescent bulbs, programmable thermostats, etc for birthday presents my me and they have seen the "light" to some degree. My oldest son bought a Civic Hybrid and traded in his GMC Yukon. Peace
I have no intention of giving up. I live in a straw bale home that has no air conditioning, we heat with a single catalytic wood burning stove and use total water harvesting for our water use. It's not cheap or easy, it's just the right thing to do.
Plus, I'm ahead of the curve when these things become necessary and not a choice.
 closedminded--watching that faux news again? You know they make up what they want. We need to regulate drilling to make it safe as well as productive. Near as I can tell, the fox is still in charge of the henhouse with permits being awarded based on technology that is obsolete and not safe. AND let's not forget about the fracturing compounds used to extract natural gas from rock underground. Cheney got it into the law that they don't have to reveal what chemicals are being used. Have you seen the videos of water coming out of the faucet on fire like gasoline?
Opajack--- Please stop stating facts, Teabaggers want nothing but Faux News facts. They can't handle the truth. Geologists have determined that even if we drilled in everyone's backyard we wouldn't be able to supply but 5% to 10% of our needs. We consume an incredible amount of oil but now the rest of the world is too. We can't keep growing our economy under the same old rules. Something has got to change and the solution can't be "Drill Baby Drill".President Obama can't change the mindset by himself and Republicans spouting the oil company line isn't very helpful.
And lets not forget that Fox is owned in part by Saudi Arabia, it's not in their best interest to report on how to go green, they like it black.
Really? I thought we were all racists.
"We've been having this conversation for nearly four decades now," Mr. Obama said during a March 11 news conference. "Every few years, gas prices go up; politicians pull out the same old political playbook, and then nothing changes."
Now President Obama continues the proud 40 year tradition of his esteemed predecessors...
You know dam well the oils company's buy the technology and shelf it ... oxygenation of gasoline should be giving over 40 mpg .. for every gallon of gas buttttt ...the true formula to do this... was bought and shelved years ago .....i mean they are exploring the possibility's of its value ....wink wink !
Where is that documentation
Oliver Stine, is that you?
Yep they got a car that'll run on one drop of water for a whole year.
Those bastards!
Oliver Stine, is that you?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Who Dat?......
There was a restaurant in Brooklyn called "Frank and STINE"...Was Oliver the proprietor?...
I must be dreaming, look into the movie, "Who killed the electric car?" Texaco owns I believe an 80% share in a company that once upon a time ago (in the 90's) produced an electric car battery. They bought the shares from another company, I believe the car company that was producing electric cars, and then put it in the vault and threw away the key.
 Unless all US oil and gas is nationalized by the gov't, alloil and gas drilled from US will go into the open market, and used by other countries, not necessarily us, and will not do squat about dependence on foreign oil and gas, especially when the so called increase to the market will be subsumed by the ever increasing demands of countries like China and India. Drill baby drill clearly will not be the answer.
Now you can't have it both ways You don't want us to buy oil from foreign countries but you don't want us to drill here in our own country
No, no Pat it clearly is the answer, just as long as the drilling is in Brazil.
Don't you even listen to your president?
Pat--I say "nationalize it". If they want to drill on Federal land--that belongs to the taxpayers. Big oil hasn't proved that they can do anything with safety nor are they consumer friendly. Give the jobs to returning Veterans. I say our brand of capitalism has failed us miserably.
"These are massive supplies of American energy just waiting to be tapped," the official said.
No kidding. We can be energy independent, just unleash the private sector to do it. Yet for 30 years, liberal Democrats, liberal bureaucrats and environmental extremists have blocked every effort to tap into our energy resources.
The President is disingenous at best; his Administration is filled with zealots who block development of new energy.
As to 'electric cars', the embarassing disaster that is the "Volt", built with wasted billions of tax dollars, speaks louder than the President's words....it screams "YUGO"
What? No liberal loony moonbats?
And I guess that all depends on how you define "new energy," doesn't it?
Or is your definition the only that matters?
Bob---You are lost in the woods--but like any environmental rapist, you'll saw your way out in no time.
why dont the liberal idiots ask how much oil he and his family have used flying around the world on his vacations ans his wifes enterouge and flying twenty family members every other month,why dont they walk.
I agree with carlyssman.....very interesting how the media would be all over it if a Republican Presidental family vacationed and traveled as much as the Royal oh excuse me Presidential family does now. But hey can't say anything negitive about Obama or your a racist. I even voted for him, but I will not again.
Mr. President (Our Leader)
Why not cut out Wall Street from using oil as a "Speculative Commodity"
Excellent use of the rhetorical question. It's for sure that the President won't answer it.
q
Hahahaha,,,Republicans would defend Republican politicians through ANYTHING they wanted to do, Take my house, Take my car, take my job, Take my guns,,,,,,,PLEASE!!!!!
If Republican voters do not wake up and look at what their own politicians are doing to them daily they will wake up one day and find they live in the one thing Republican politicians scream loudest against, A TRUE Republic!!!!
bo,,,IT's YOU socialist lib talaban mooching democrats that are trying to take things away or FORCE things upon the American people. After 2012,,, YOU WILL BE THE ONE WHO HEARS " WE WON, YOU LOST, GET OVER IT!!!!!!!!
Right and, Obama should not be going from Dumb to Dumber either....
Hmmm..it's a good thing we live in a democracy and we all get to have an opinion. I assume the loving comments are coming from Christians. Cuz that's what they learn in church and reading the Bible.
easy for him not to get excited on these issues we the taxpayers pay his fuel bills and his utilities of course he's not upset
Liberals have Euro envy. They want us to be like Europe, what they will do is get the gas up to over $6 a gallon and then tax us on horsepower so we will all be forced to drive VW and Smart cars or the clusterf&^k Volt electric cars.
Mistakes Obama has made have been surrounding himself with the corporate elitists like Bill Daley! Guys like this will always work for the big CEOs and forget about the American that really works.
Biofuels require tremendous amounts of farmland to produce relatively little diesel; and it raises food prices. Electric cars simply shift our dependence from middle east oil to south american lithium; which the planet has much less of than oil. It's a catch 22 people. There are no good answers at this time. I would say in the near future, our best bet is to increase our fleet of natural gas operated vehicles.
All 451 members of congress need to freeze their cost of living raise, cut their expence accounts by 25% and also reduce aid to other countries by 30 % for the next 10 years. I have been working without a raise for the last 6 years . all while congress enjoy that aprox. $3000.00 cost of living alowance and those nice trips overseas to do alot of nothing!
He does not know his ass from a hole in the ground - what does he know about energy?
It's to bad this country is broke when we need help with modes of transportation like TRAIN PASSENGER SERVICE needs to come back like it used to be prior to the mid 1960's when rrd companies were running passengers & hauling freight. There are so many home owners who can't afford solar rooftops, thermal windows etc. The whole oil business from OPEC to other oil companies is so crooked, it doesn't matter anymore how much less Americans were willing to drive. If it's not China's consumption of oil it's the speculators & Wall Street shoving prices higher. This isn't Capitalism at all anymore, it's robbery. We now have people driving under necessity. It is all about money including getting private investments towards this problem with oil. They have been trying to get high speed train service in this country for the last 20 years it's been talked about. We fall in last for train service for the public & the reason why, other countries subsidized all their train even Canada, along with Europe, Japan & China is now venturing into it. This country has two major malfunctions, revenue & spending. republicans only want to look at it one way, spending & they want that permanent tax break for the wealthy. This is their main reason for wanting Obama out of office, permanent tax breaks for the wealthy. I would bet if the wealthy had to pay taxes on wars we wouldn't be in them as we are now upto our necks, draining the economy. We got more going against us then spending & this economy will never have any hope of recovery unless money is put up for investments. I haven't seen this yet happen since Bush's tax cuts. Oil is so powerful in this country's markets that no one with political power will change it especially the ten's of thousands getting rich fast off the oil with influence on Wall Street & Capital Hill. We all are paying for BP's mistakes as of this second, because million to billions mean nothing to them. Who would really care about deficets if one is a millionaire 10 times over. This isn't the Republican party we once had prior to George W, the most intellectual president we have all had in our lifetime. The whole thing stinks with corruption since the turn of the century. I don't know the answers, but I do know what has happpened to this country was criminal and us Peons are innocent.
Wrong President Obama. What you and the legislative branch are doing is running away from your immediate responsibilities as elected officials, to keep us a vibrant sovereign nation. You both "Fiddle while Rome burns" as our economy is destroyed and middle class wealth is stolen by the elite 1%. Democrats, Republicans give up your campaign buttons, stop trying to destroy the good that each party is capable of, and become meaningful patriotic citizens. Start working toghether before Corporate America buries US (as in WE). JMJ
I sent an online E-mail to the official White House web site reminding the President about a young Senator from Illinois who while campaigning for his parties nomination for President, said on camera/TV, "The Oil Companies don't own me!" I sent it weeks ago. I have as yet to received a response. ? I vote faithfully.. JMJ