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8
Presidents over 36 Years
June
19, 2010
On
the Daily Show the other day, Jon Stewart pointed out some very
interesting information, something I had not thought of. Over the
course of the last 36 years and through 8 presidencies, there has been
a running theme. For those of you that did not see the show, please
allow me to elaborate.
The
following are excerpts from various presidential speeches.
President
Richard Nixon
January
30, 1974
“As
we move toward the celebration 2 years from now of the 200th
anniversary of this Nation's independence, let us press vigorously on
toward the goal I announced last November for Project Independence.
Let this be our national goal: At the end of this decade, in the year
1980, the United States will not be dependent on any other country for
the energy we need to provide our jobs, to heat our homes, and to keep
our transportation moving.”
President
Gerald Ford
April
23, 1975
“I
am determined to seek self-sufficiency in energy as an urgent national
priority. My goal is to make America independent of foreign energy
sources by 1985.”
President
Jimmy Carter
“I
am tonight setting a clear goal for the energy policy of the United
States. Beginning this moment, this nation will never use more foreign
oil than we did in 1977 -- never.”
President
Ronald Reagan
Feb
18, 1981
“We
will continue support of research leading to development of new
technologies and more independence from foreign oil.”
President
George Herbert Walker Bush
August
18, 1988
“And
I’ll put incentives back into the domestic energy industry, for I
know from personal experience, there is no security for the United
States in further dependence on foreign oil.”
President
William Jefferson Clinton
June
28, 2000
We
need a long term energy strategy to maximize conservation and maximize
alternative sources of energy
President
George Walker Bush
January
31, 2006
“America
is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable parts of the
world.”
“We
must also change how we power our automobiles. We will increase our
research in better batteries for hybrid and electric cars, and in
pollution-free cars that run on hydrogen. We'll also fund additional
research in cutting-edge methods of producing ethanol, not just from
corn, but from wood chips and stalks, or switch grass. Our goal is to
make this new kind of ethanol practical and competitive within six
years.”
“Breakthroughs
on this and other new technologies will help us reach another great
goal: to replace more than 75 percent of our oil imports from the
Middle East by 2025.”
President
Barrack Obama
June
15, 2010
“For
decades, we have known the days of cheap and easily accessible oil
were numbered. For decades, we’ve talked and talked about the
need to end America’s century-long addiction to fossil fuels.
And for decades, we have failed to act with the sense of urgency that
this challenge requires. Time and again, the path forward has
been blocked -- not only by oil industry lobbyists, but also by a lack
of political courage and candor.
The
consequences of our inaction are now in plain sight. Countries
like China are investing in clean energy jobs and industries that
should be right here in America. Each day, we send nearly $1
billion of our wealth to foreign countries for their oil. And
today, as we look to the Gulf, we see an entire way of life being
threatened by a menacing cloud of black crude.
We
cannot consign our children to this future. The tragedy
unfolding on our coast is the most painful and powerful reminder yet
that the time to embrace a clean energy future is now. Now is
the moment for this generation to embark on a national mission to
unleash America’s innovation and seize control of our own
destiny.”
Does
anyone find this as interesting as I do?
Here
are some alarming some statistics.
US
Oil Imports (barrels)
2004
4,811,104,000
2005
5,005,541,000
2006
5,003,082,000
2007
4,915,957,000
2008
4,726,994,000
2009
4,279,908,000
What
Happened?
Mr.
Green
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