Richard Pagano – 8/20/08

This page was last updated on August 26, 2008.

Bush worshippers can’t handle truth; Richard Pagano; Beaver County Times; August 20, 2008.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“I’m getting sick and tired of the whiners writing letters to the editor saying we need to drill, drill, drill.”

[RWC] Leading off with name-calling is always a good sign.

Has Mr. Pagano not heard/seen the commercials (both radio and TV) in which Mr. Pickens says, “I say drill, drill, drill?” I’m not kidding; it’s in both the radio and TV versions of at least one of the Pickens commercials.

“Even the great and powerful George W. Bush and his energy secretary have stated that we cannot drill our way out of this energy crisis. T. Boone Pickens, a billionaire oilman and staunch Republican, has stated that we can’t drill our way out of this mess.”

[RWC] Hmm, Mr. Pickens concern couldn’t be motivated by his investments in natural gas and West Texas wind farms could it? In any case, as noted above, Mr. Pickens is still in favor of extensive domestic oil and gas exploration and production.

“After almost eight years of these Republican lemmings believing every lie and half-truth Bush says, when he finally tells the truth, these Bush worshipers don’t believe him.”

[RWC] More name-calling. This is the first letter I’ve noticed from Mr. Pagano, but it appears his position is that if you don’t view President Bush as the spawn of Satan, you’re a “Republican lemming” and a “Bush worshiper.”

Mr. Pagano apparently takes the position that if you believe in drilling, you believe we can “drill our way out of this mess.”

“Amazing!

“Let me remind all of you that from 2000 to 2006 the Republicans held majorities in both the House and the Senate. They could have easily lifted the congressional ban on offshore drilling very simply without the fear of a veto.”

[RWC] Mr. Pagano needs to check his facts. Democrats were the majority in the Senate from May 2001 to January 2003. In any case, he’s correct that Republicans could have done more. That said, to lift the ban would have required 60 votes in the Senate, something that would not have happened. The most seats held by Republicans were 55 (2005-2007), and some of those 55 were RINOs.

“Bush could have lifted the presidential ban, implemented by his Republican father George H. W. Bush in 1990.

“So why didn’t they lift the ban? Maybe they were waiting for oil to hit $140 a barrel so that their masters, the oil companies, would make more money on the backs of the middle class and poor.”

[RWC] So could have Bill Clinton, but he didn’t. Further, Mr. Clinton vetoed the bill Congress passed to allow drilling in ANWR. I guess that makes “the oil companies” “masters” of Mr. Clinton, correct?

Just out of curiosity, when has anyone heard of an oil company lobby against repealing drilling bans? Further, if the oil companies didn’t want to drill in the banned areas, why were the bans necessary? Funny how logic gets in the way of Mr. Pagano’s arguments, isn’t it?

“The Democrats are not against drilling for more oil. They want to tie the additional drilling into a comprehensive package that will wean us off foreign petroleum. The technology exists and is proven to operate motor vehicles using hydrogen; however, as long as we have oilmen in the White House protecting the profits of oil companies, this will never happen.”

[RWC] “The Democrats are not against drilling for more oil?” Ignoring some recent defections, whom does Mr. Pagano believe he’s kidding? Does Mr. Pagano believe we don’t listen, read, and watch the news?

Mr. Pagano, from where does the hydrogen come? It requires energy to extract hydrogen, and that energy isn’t cheap. While it’s true “technology exists and is proven to operate motor vehicles using hydrogen” (fuel cells and traditional engines), it’s not yet economically viable. It doesn’t matter if something is technically feasible if it isn’t also economically viable.