No Runny Eggs

A couple of days ago, Politico.comreported that while Nancy Pelosi was not going to allow a vote on expanding drilling, she was giving dispensation to her followers to campaign on expanded drilling…of course knowing that it would never happen:

But what looks like intraparty tension on the surface is part of an intentional strategy in which Pelosi takes the heat on energy policy, while behind the scenes she’s encouraging vulnerable Democrats to express their independence if it helps them politically, according to Democratic aides on and off Capitol Hill.

So I’m wondering…how to ferret out the truly converted from the convieniently converted? Simple!

If a Representative Dummycrat claims they are converted on drilling ask them if they’ve signed on to the discharge petition.

A discharge petition allows legislation to bypass committees, in essence bypassing Nancy’s stonewalling, and move directly to a floor vote. A discharge petition only needs a simple majority of Representatives signing on to enact it.

The last time I looked, most if not all of the Republicans had signed on but few if any Democrats had. If all of the Republicans sign up we would only need 17 Democrats to sign on to get a vote on drilling. I’ll be generous and say there are a few ultra RINOS so maybe we need 25 Democrats. Seems like a whole lot more than that number have been chatting up their support of drilling while back home on their recess.

I like to call this “Russian Roulette, Pelosi style.” If a Democrat wants us to believe they now support drilling, they sign the discharge petition. They only get one try. If they don’t sign, there’s no truth in their statement.

How many do you think will “pull the trigger?”

Of all the cliches uttered by political types, the one that causes me to scream “NOOOOOOOOOOOO” immediately upon hearing it is the word “Comprehensive.”

Just like how the word “Progressive” has become code for

“I’m a leftist who hates America but I can’t get elected if I say that,”

the word “Comprehensive” has come to mean,

“legislation that will be portrayed as addressing something America needs but will really be a bamboozling of the American people because we elected officials are much smarter than you!”

You doubt me? Think back over the past couple of years of how “Comprehensive” has been used to sell some of the most misrepresented legislation….

Comprehensive Immigration Reform – this wasn’t immigration reform, this was amnesty. John McCain and Bill Clinton can argue over the definition of “amnesty” but we all know it was and as written, it had little to do with reform.

Comprehensive Mortgage Reform Package – This didn’t “reform” mortgages, it wrote them off and bailed them out!

And the latest: Comprehensive Energy Plan.

A Bipartisan (there’s another word that doesn’t mean what you think it does. Bipartisan now means a Dummycrat idea that includes a few rotting carrots to get a few Rinos to go along,) committee has proposed an energy package that they are labeling “comprehensive” with the suggestion that it has the solutions for our energy problems. you can read the press release here.

There are some good things in here:

• It does authorize additional leasing of offshore areas,
• it allows federal agencies to contract for synthetic or alternative fuels
• it requires the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Defense to get their act coordinated so that the Federal government doesn’t get in the way of offshore leasing.

And that’s where the comprehension ends.

Amongst the non comprehensible parts of the bill are:

• There is no legislative mandate to prevent the nuisance lawsuits that will slow and bring to reality Obama’s claim that we get no oil from new drilling for at least ten years
• There’s no increased authorization for nuclear plants even though the plans set aside an estimated $130B for Carbon Capture/Sequestration and Nuclear Waste storage.
• While it opens drilling outside of 25 miles it does not even allow the states to open up the area inside of the 25 mile limit.   Worse, the states can veto drilling from 25 to 50 miles.   Can anyone see an oil rig once its 25 miles offshore?

But, perhaps the most offensive is taking a projected $260B of leasing revenues and use it for the Environment Restoration Reserve. “What the heck is that,” you ask?

The Environment Restoration Reserve offsets the cost of legislation enacted after the date of the enactment of the National Conservation, Environment and Energy Independence Act to conduct restoration activities to improve the overall health of the ecosystems primarily or entirely within our wildlife refuges, national parks, lakes, bays , rivers and streams with emphases on the Great Lakes, the Chesapeake, Delaware and San Francisco Bay/Sacramento San-Joaquin Bay Delta, the Florida Everglades, New York Harbor, Colorado River Basin and Intercoastal Waterways and adjoining inlets.

What the hell has any of that to do with energy production in America? Why wouldn’t that money go to the general fund to reduce the debt? Or maybe, if you wanted to maintain the new definition of “comprehensive” and lie to the American people, put the money into the Social Security trust fund? You remember that other issue that needs a “comprehensive” solution right?

The next time you hear someone in Washington, or your state capital, saying they have a “comprehensive” solution, grab your wallet, hold your spouse and family near and check your ammunition level. It’s a sure bet that any “comprehensive” solution is going to impact at least one of those three!