Whether or not Marie Antoinette said rioting French peasants upset about the shortage of bread to feed their families should “eat cake” instead is not important. The idea that she did has been passed down, generation to generation, as the perfect illustration of how the isolated elites in a society can become hopelessly out of touch.
This is not just a problem for the rich but also for the powerful, who use their positions to grant themselves perks that alleviate the need for them to worry about the kinds of things that keep the rest of us at night.
Like whether we’re going to have enough gas in the car to get to work in the morning.
Since coming into office, the Biden Administration has been at war with the American energy sector. Following the President’s lead, they believe climate change is an existential threat to the continued well-being of mankind that can only be thwarted if Americans are forced to go green.
That’s what’s really behind the sudden, continuing rise in the price of gasoline. It’s not, as President Joe Biden continues to assert, a transitory thing caused by Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. It is the result of calculated policy decisions intended to roll back the energy independence that became a reality by the end of the Trump Administration.
There’s nothing wrong with green energy per se. Indeed, the United States would realize considerable benefit from the ability to rely on fuel coming from renewable sources like wind and solar and to be more efficient in the generation and use of power from fossil fuels so that less of it is wasted.
All that can be achieved by market forces a lot faster and cheaper than by government mandates. The Biden Administration has chosen – regardless of the consequences – to force this upon us all, meaning that some people are now, in a period of inflation unseen for at least 40 years, to face the very real choice between putting gas in the car and food on the table.
Too many Democrats regard that as a good thing. They don’t blame the government for the problem. They blame the energy sector, which it criticizes for earning record profits because the price at the pump is up thanks to the shrinkage Biden and his cohorts have forced on the industry. The cancelation of new pipelines and oil and gas leases on federal lands are two among a handful of reasons domestic energy producers cannot respond to the increase in demand by increasing the supply to keep prices stable.
The energy markets are behaving as the President wants, given his belief, he can prioritize his strategy to increase the use of energy made from renewables and the need to bring down the price of gasoline.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre seemed badly ignorant of economic reality when she insisted during a recent press briefing that there was nothing inherently problematic with pursuing both objectives at the same time.
“What we’re trying to deal with right now is how do we lower costs for American families,” she said. “One of the things that we are seeing currently right now with oil refiners is they are using this moment,” she continued, “to actually make a profit.”
She can get away with shifting blame for a while but what does she suggest as an alternative? Does she think the energy sector should sell gasoline and other fuels at a loss? That’s a recipe for economic catastrophe, as would be the kind of nationalization of the sector that exists in so many other countries.
The problem is that Biden and Jean-Pierre and so many others are out of touch with what’s going on. The people aren’t rioting for gas yet, but it may just be a matter of time.
Consider the comments of Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who recently described a drive she made from her home state to Washington in an electric vehicle.
“After waiting for a long time to have enough chips in this country to finally get my electric vehicle,” the state’s senior elected Democrat said during a June 7 meeting of the Senate Finance Committee. “I got it and drove it from Michigan to here last weekend and went by every gas station and it didn’t matter how high it was.”
Stabenow doesn’t have to choose between putting food on her table and putting gas in her car. Rather than being grateful and understanding she’s insulated from reality because she enjoys elected privilege, she claims she’s mystified by the expressions of concern coming from the American people because they are routinely paying more than $100 for a full tank of gas. Wonderful.
An elected official, whose annual salary is just shy of $200,000, is driving a car that cost more than most Americans make in a year that the taxpayers probably pay for her to use, thinks high gas prices aren’t a problem because she doesn’t have to pay them anymore. That’s the kind of leadership that causes politicians to lose their heads.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
Peter Roff can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @TheRoffDraft.
Peter Roff is a longtime political columnist currently affiliated with several Washington, D.C.-based public policy organizations.
You can reach him by email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @TheRoffDraft.
Notice that Stabenow didn’t mention how many times she had to stop to recharge the batteries, how long each charging stop took, how many nights she had to stop and pay for a hotel room because she had spent so long waiting for her car to recharge, what she (the taxpayers) paid per charge and, of course, never mentioned the fact that the electricity was, quite possibly, generated at a power plan that runs on fossil fuels. Also, there is never any mention of the petroleum-based lubricants that keep her electric vehicle running smoothly. Nor the petroleum-based plastics that are all over the place in her vehicle, her credit card, her clothing, her shoes, her sunglasses, the packaging of her snacks, her bottled water, her coffee and other beverages. All those go away when “government that knows best” gets rid of the energy and petro-chemical sectors of the economy. Just as we have become reliant upon electricity and technology, so too have we become reliant upon the petroleum industry.
Somebody/everybody in the Progressive movement and the Biden administration needs to get a “clue x 4” upside the head.
Most of the components used in electric car batteries come from Red China. Almost all solar cells, likewise, hail from Crack Hunter’s leading benefactor. 10% for the Big Guy.
Good comment. Right on!
First Problem is Stabenow ” had to wait for enough chips to come in this country to get her electric vehicle ” – This is another problem Demoncrats and Biden have no plan to fix and no ideas on how to fix it .
Second – to drive from Mich to DC wouldn’t you need to stop at least once or twice to charge ? I don’t know a electric car that goes more that 250 miles before needing a charge . Some one should fact check her . I think she is lying .
Somebody needs to investigate her story . I think she is lying .
The democrats haven’t cared about the middle and poorer classes in years. They could care less if the classes of people die because of their unconstitutional policies. They seem to forget that the middle class income is on average 60,000.00 an electric vehicle costs on average of 67 thousand dollars. They also don’t see the amount of tax revenue they will lose when more and more people can’t get to work because of stupid energy policies, they don’t seem to understand their food, electricity and other necessities come from fossil fuels. Farmers can’t afford to grow crops without fuel for their equipment. They also don’t realize you have to have something in place to replace what they are unintelligently doing away with. This country is not ready to embrace electric vehicles because of costs of electricity and costs of electric vehicles. Obiden not taking responsibility of his actions proves the democrats could care less about the American citizens.
Tucker Carlson said average income is $44k. I wonder were we can find the correct figure. I like Tucker but Fox is not completely unbiased. I would still rather throw my set over a cliff than listen to the big three or any of their affiliates. I’ll stick with Fox for now, $40k + wasn’t all that bad for your average worker when Trump was in office. These communists have really rolled over on us.
Awaiting local brown/blackouts in her area
Crowded charging centers
Traffic
stuck in & using AC or heater
No road emerg service
In for repairs
Then see her actions then
The arrogance of Democrat Communists like this babe is impossible to stomach any longer. Buttegig’s flight to NYC gets cancelled, & the ignorant idiot has to “drive.” Like AOC, he can’t take a train because that would mean riding with the sweaty Walmart-shopping people.
I truly think these elites have no idea how much hate & anger they are generating among the rest of us. They are so out of touch in their crusade for power & control they don’t even see their hypocrisy. And when there are severe shortages in fuel & food, they won’t even notice because nothing affects their lives.
Remember folks these lawmakers enjoy all the perks we pay for yet cannot afford for ourselves.
Remember in November.
Let’s go, Brandon!