You and every president since Nixon

Yep I am Sisyphus- either that or just a fool--- or is there really any difference between the two?  I write to politicians; and they write back.  Well, some of them write back.  Some write personally, and others have their surrogates write, depending from whence on the food chain they rule.  


A few months ago I dashed a very pissed-off letter about our government's decades long  inaction on the energy front to my congressional senators, representative, and pedantic president.  One senator and my representative responded immediately.  The senator I actually have some respect for did not; which actually makes me respect him more, since the letter I sent was not very nice.  


Today, Obama's office finally got around to sending me an email; not that I asked for one.  When I wrote about our dependency on foreign oil to my governing officials, I was just blowing off steam, and, as mentioned, not in a very polite manner either.  If I recall correctly, I called them all a bunch of corrupted bureaucrats in the pockets of the oil companies, though I don't recall putting it this nicely. 


Having grown up under a military dictatorship in Brazil, I just can't help myself.  It's like going to Wal-mart for the first time, I couldn't believe there could be so much stuff under one roof.  And here, I just can't believe that I can actually write expressing an opinion to the governing body of the US of A.  And that someone actually reads these letters in order to tally them in some way or another to use as a guide in the formation of whatever future bullshit will come out of said office!   ... Hey, I guess that's the nature of representative government!  
Fascinating.


So I got "Obama's" letter this morning, and yep, The Man is definitely campaigning again.  Not that we would notice the difference; the man campaigns 24/7/365.  It's just that his rhetoric gets a little more strident when elections are looming.  ...It's gonna be a long year and a half....  Like all presidents since Nixon, Obama is promising to cut our dependence on foreign oil.  Given that American dependence on imports grew from 10% in 1970 to 65% by the end of 2004, I'm not holding my breath on this one.  


The letter hereunder containing The President's new campaign promises is illegible in its current pasted form.  It would take my turning it into a jpeg and reducing it to fit it legibly onto my blog's format, and the time waste is not worth it.  Plus, I've decided to leave it this way because, heck, very little of it will come true. Having the letter be only half visible acts as an apt metaphor for our future failure in curbing our appetite for oil.  Of course, the failure to implement "his vision" will not entirely be the president's fault, but will also very much lie in the hands of that bickering dysfunctional body we call a Congress.  A body of representatives that, yes, are attached to different deep pockets whose owners manipulate them to do their bidding, and who are thus incapable of concentrating on solving one or two problems without attaching a bunch of riders to a piece of legislation that makes all parties sick at the thought of passing anything.  A body intent on simplifying the world into sound bites that appeal to a population rapidly losing the ability to think critically for more than 60 seconds straight.  


It sure sucks living in a country in decline.  Oh well, where's my boulder...

April 22, 2011 Dear Friend:  Thank you for writing.  I appreciate hearing from you, and I share the vision of millions of Americans who want to secure our Nation's energy future.  We must seize this important opportunity to create new jobs and industries, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and protect the public health and our environment.  My Administration's energy plan relies on harnessing the resources we have available, embracing a diverse energy portfolio, and becoming a global leader in developing new sources of clean energy.   I understand the impact gas prices have on families and businesses across our country, and that is why I am committed to developing our capacity for domestic energy production.  My Administration is working to expand responsible oil and gas development in the United States, ensuring this is done safely and responsibly.  This includes a focus on natural gas, while also building production capacity for biofuels. In addition to increased domestic energy production, my plan calls for a reduction in demand of foreign oil.  Since transportation is responsible for 70 percent of our petroleum consumption, one of the quickest and easiest ways to reduce our dependence on foreign oil is to make transportation more efficient.  That is why my Administration established groundbreaking national fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks, which will reduce consumption by 1.8 billion barrels of oil and save consumers thousands of dollars.  We are also making investments in electric vehicles and the advanced batteries that power them to ensure high-quality, fuel-efficient cars and trucks are built right here in America. To secure our Nation's energy future, we also need to increase production of clean energy.  I have set a goal that by 2035, 80 percent of our electricity will come from clean energy, including renewable sources like wind and solar power, nuclear energy, efficient natural gas, and clean coal.  This goal is not about picking one energy source over another, but rather leveraging a broad range of sources and providing industry the flexibility to decide how best to increase their clean energy share.  The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act also included over $90 billion in clean energy investments.  A 21st-century energy policy is an investment in our economy, national security, health, and environment.  I encourage you to read more about my Administration's blueprint for a secure energy future here:  www.WhiteHouse.gov/issues/blueprint-secure-energy-future.  For more information on government grants, please visit e-center.doe.gov.   Thank you, again, for writing.  Sincerely, Barack Obama