William G. Horter – 1/25/09

This page was last updated on January 25, 2009.

Oil ripoff could be the perfect crime; William G. Horter; Beaver County Times; January 25, 2009.

When Mr. Horter isn’t bashing Republicans in general, and former President Bush specifically, he tries to push a taxpayer-funded, government-run healthcare system (some examples are here, here, and here) on U.S. citizens. As time has progressed, Mr. Horter has increasingly resorted to name-calling and personal attacks, especially in his comments on the Times website. Since I don’t know Mr. Horter, I don’t know if he actually believes all the stuff he writes or if he just likes to stir things up. If I were the type to run a disinformation campaign, I’d invent someone like Mr. Horter. After all, the image Mr. Horter projects is a caricature of the stereotypical lefty. I have to believe a large number of lefties cringe whenever they read a comment or letter from Mr. Horter. I know I cringe whenever I read a Horter-quality comment from an alleged righty. Then again, perhaps I’ve overestimating lefties. <g>

Mr. Horter used to be one of our local Republican impersonators (The group also includes Messrs. William A. Alexander, Arthur Brown, Edward “Fellow Republicans” Hum, and George Reese.) who write claiming to be disgruntled Republicans. In June 2008 Mr. Horter wrote, “So after 50 years of being a Republican, I have changed my party. I am now a Democrat.”

History also shows you need to do your own due diligence regarding the “facts” Mr. Horter presents in his letters and the comments he posts on the Times website. Here’s just one example.

Along with other letter writers I’ve mentioned, I wish Mr. Horter could get a regular column in the Times.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“My guess is that it has been one of the greatest robberies ever pulled off, and right in front of all of our eyes, and seemingly will go unpunished.”

[RWC] What Mr. Horter’s letters lack in accurate facts, history, and logic, they usually make up for in entertainment value.

“What am I talking about? The recent run-up of energy prices, mainly heating oil and gasoline.”

[RWC] Hmm, I thought prices had just done a freefall. I guess Mr. Horter is still living in the past.

“It is a robbery that has affected prices all over the globe, not just in America.

“It seems to me that it is probably the precursor to the latest economic meltdown, also with global consequences.”

[RWC] OK, the whole world knows the current problem is primarily the result of toxic mortgage-backed securities, and Mr. Horter wants to lay the primary blame on oil prices. Ask yourself why. I’ll provide the answer at the end of the critique.

“I read something recently where it is now certain that speculators, some from the biggest banking firms who have received bailout money from the Bush government, secretly manipulated, speculated their way to almost $150 a barrel oil, buying futures even as they had no way to use or store the oil they had contracted for.”

[RWC] Notice Mr. Horter didn’t tell us where he “read something recently.” Citing sources is not a trait of Mr. Horter’s letters.

As for “bailout money from the Bush government,” Mr. Horter fails to note then-Sens. Joe Biden and Barack Obama supported and voted for the bailout. A majority of Republicans in Congress voted against it.

“[S]ecretly manipulated …?” It should come as no surprise Mr. Horter has no understanding of how commodity – including oil – trading works. In the normal course of business, lots of traders have “no way to use or store the oil they” purchase. They make their money by matching buyers and sellers. Frequently this involves buying either crude or finished products in anticipation of selling them to known consumers. If the market price goes up between the time the trader contracts for the oil and when the consumer takes delivery, the trader makes more profit. If the price goes down, he makes less profit or loses on the transaction.

“It got even more sinister as those speculators planted stories about increased Indian and Chinese use, leading to a supposed world shortage that would last almost forever.”

[RWC] Is Mr. Horter telling us worldwide demand – including that in India and Red China – wasn’t increasing?

FYI, his comments on various Times website threads indicate Mr. Horter has a history of believing in oil price conspiracies.

“It seems there never was any shortage at all. Now, there is a glut of oil, so much that some of it now is stored offshore in tankers.”

[RWC] Does Mr. Horter believe demand should be the same regardless of whether the economy is doing well or not? Could it be “there is a glut of oil” because high prices and then a poor world economy drove down demand?

“But I see no move toward investigation of this robbery. No hearings in the Congress, no investigation by any mainstream press. Almost the perfect crime? But it sure has had a terrible effect on our world.”

[RWC] Note Mr. Horter refers to “robberies” and the almost “perfect crime,” but nowhere in the letter does he describe any illegal activity. Keep in mind many lefties believe that anything that doesn’t go the way they want is a “crime.”

Here’s the answer to the question I posed above. In various threads on the Times website, Mr. Horter tried to blame President Bush and Republicans for the economic mess caused largely by policies implemented by Democrats since the late 1970s. Unfortunately for Mr. Horter, the tracks are well documented and they lead to Democrats and leftist policies, not Republicans. That eventually resulted in his letter entitled “Don’t put blame on government.” As a result, Mr. Horter needs to find another reason for the economic mess that he believes doesn’t include his fellow travelers. Note Mr. Horter never wrote a letter calling for “hearings in the Congress” regarding the mortgage mess. You have three chances to guess why, and the first two don’t count.