Moratorium on Brains

President Obama waving goodbye to American jobs

The Washington Post reports today that Obama’s deep-water drilling moratorium is creating plenty of new jobs--in Egypt, and elsewhere abroad:

This month, Diamond Offshore Drilling announced that it is sending one of its deep-water drilling rigs from the Gulf of Mexico to Egypt. The rig, which can work in water up to 10,000 feet deep, has a new contract running at least through June 2011. On Monday, Diamond said another Gulf of Mexico rig called the Ocean Confidence would depart for Congo.

Diamond said it might move more of its three remaining Gulf of Mexico rigs to foreign countries. While apologizing for the loss of jobs in the United States, Diamond chief executive Larry Dickerson said, "We are actively seeking international opportunities to keep our rigs fully employed."

That should help jump-start the ailing economy!

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The Real Enemy is Cynicism

President Obama famously said while still a candidate that, "...our rivals won't be one another, and I would assert it won't even be the other party.  It's going to be cynicism that we're fighting against."  Apparently he is waging an epic internal struggle against himself.  The Washington Post reports today that Obama has realized that the crude oil bubbling up in the Gulf of Mexico is destroying more than federally protected wetlands.  In response, he is now going to press for climate change legislation in a cynical move to deflect public anger away from himself.

President Obama tried Wednesday to channel public outrage about the Gulf of Mexico oil spill into support for a climate-change bill, seeking to redefine an issue that threatens to tarnish his presidency.

...Allies of the president have argued for weeks that the administration should stop talking about BP, the oil company responsible for the spill, and instead tap into the public attention to the catastrophe in hopes of giving it at least some redemptive value in the long term.

Obama fears that this crisis could destroy what little credibility he has left with an angry American public.  President Obama made a big point during his press conference to tell the nation that he's "in charge," but after spending so much time trying to convince the American people that he can do anything, Obama now must grapple with the limits of the government's power.  Congress can pass as many laws as they would like and the Justice Department can sue everything in sight, but the oil keeps bubbling up.

When a disaster strikes, people often look to the government for help.  Floods and earthquakes are acts of God and only a few fringe crackpots would think of blaming the government in their aftermath.  This disaster is different.  Although Obama claims that BP bears full responsibility, it is clear that government regulations meant to avert this type of spill were not being enforced.  Few people will be fooled by a cynical ploy to divert attention away from the spill and the government failures which contributed to it.  Obama can talk himself blue in the face about punishing BP, but what about reforming government?

Presumably, Democrats in the House of Representatives did not anticipate a massive oil spill when they passed their version of the climate change legislation almost a year ago.  Jamming the same legislation through the Senate would be a naked power grab, and would do nothing to reduce the dangers of another spill.  Furthermore, as long as the sludgy crude oil is washing ashore, it is ludicrous for Obama to ask people to entrust the government with even more power when his administration is so obviously unable to wield the power it already has.

[Editor's Note: if you would like to help the cleanup efforts in the Gulf, please support one of the charities listed in an earlier post here on the Prolix Patriot.]

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We Only Have One Planet

Tomorrow, billions of people around the world will be turning off their lights for an hour to promote awareness that we live on a planet called Earth.  This is distinct from other "holidays" in the cult of Gaia such as Earth Day (April 22), Arbor Day (April 30), National Environmental Education Week (April 11-17), National Conservation Day (October 28), World Environment Day (June 5), and the list goes on and on.

Apparently, this profusion of earth-loving "holidays" has failed to raise awareness to a sufficient level, so it is doubtful whether the so-called "Earth Hour" will be any more lasting.  Still, we should all do our part, so here are some helpful suggestions on how you can participate.  Your planet will thank you!

• Drive your car at night with the headlights off
• Perform brain surgery in the dark
• Go jogging in the middle of a dark country road
• Unplug all clocks that have a light-emitting display
• Go to a bar and turn off the TV during the final minutes of an NCAA basketball game

Of course, if you don't buy into this whole love your earth-mother, happy-clappy, kumbaya movement, it turns out you are not alone.  Many people will be actively protesting this day of global awareness by turning on their lights and appliances to celebrate the technological triumph of mankind.  Both sides are in agreement on one thing though: stay away from paraffin candles.  "WWF recommends using non-petroleum based candles, like sustainably sourced soy candles, during Earth Hour."

Who knew that there was such a thing as soy candles?  I guess Earth Hour is raising awareness after all.

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Le Roi Soleil

Daylight Saving Time begins this weekend. Congress, with its usual hubris, believes that by forcing us all to change our clocks a month early, it can actually create sunlight. Lest you think I exaggerate, here is the relevant quote from a press release by the bill’s sponsor, Fred Upton (R-MI):

The more daylight we have, the less electricity we use. It is that simple. Not only will Americans have more light at their disposal during March and November days, we will also be keeping our energy consumption as a nation down.

If this were not an elected official with real power to affect the lives of the American people, this would be hilarious. However, WebMD reports that the real impact of Daylight Saving Time is about as funny as a heart attack--literally:

When researchers in Sweden examined the impact of daylight saving time on heart attack rates in that country, they discovered that people had slightly fewer heart attacks on the Monday after they set their clocks back in the fall and slightly more heart attacks in the days after they set their clocks ahead in the spring.

As for the predicted savings, computer geeks around the world had to scramble to patch all the databases and servers that keep the world running in an effort comparable to the Y2K bug. By some estimates, the cost to businesses for the 2007 DST changes was anywhere from $200 million to $1 billion.

To make matters worse, the new dates for the big switch are nothing more than a massive national experiment. According to the bill’s text, “Not later than 9 months after the effective date stated in subsection (b), the Secretary [of Energy] shall report to Congress on the impact of this section on energy consumption in the United States.”

The result of the study? The nation saved an incredible 0.03% of electricity consumption in 2007. The national average retail price for electricity in 2007 was 9.13 cents per kilowatt-hour, which translates to a total savings of roughly $119 million. At that rate, it could take up to a decade for businesses to recoup their losses.

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