Letter to the Editor: Where are we Headed?

Dear Editor:

Where are we headed? As we look for solutions to our Nation’s problems, it is important to know who we are and where we are headed.

Our form of government, our ideals and our essential freedoms are made for moments like those before us. They are not problems, but roadmaps to solutions only if we follow the right road.

When you hear that we should pack the Supreme Court, that we should censor speech and expression, that we should eliminate the Senate Filibuster, that we should ignore our borders or that we should scorn our laws and vilify our police; you know we are approaching a tipping point.

These are not the ideas of people honestly seeking solutions; these are ideas of people who want to undo this Nation as we have known it. This describes the ambitions of the Democrat Left; the Progressive- Marxists – the “Squad” – the George Soros backed Political Action Committees and other anti-American groups.

The Portrayers of these ideas are not the voices of people who are acting in good faith, but instead voices of people who shift blame from policies they themselves promote that have proved to fail the working middle class.

Our out-of-control inflation started on the very first day of President Biden’s Administration.

1. Canceling the Keystone XL pipeline.

2. The canceling of petroleum leases on government-owned lands.

3. The withdrawal of drilling permits on these grounds.

4. Government pressure on the big banks to withhold operating capital from petroleum drilling companies.

5. Disallowing oil exploration on coastal waters (East and West) including the Gulf of Mexico.

6. The many exec orders that got in the way of producing goods and services.

Energy prices and ending unnecessary government spending are the two keys that will reduce inflation to tolerable levels. All of the increases in the cost of living can be laid at the foot of the price of energy!

Three weeks ago I purchased 10 gallons of 91 octane gasoline for my lawn mower – North of $40 this week the same quantity was North of $50 – there is no end to this escalation in sight. I am retired and living on fixed income, but I am able to make adjustments, others who are still working are not able to make adjustments, so they may find that in order to make the mortgage and buy the groceries – fuel to go to work may be an impossibility. Something will have to be eliminated, but what?

Government policies have led to this economy, Government policy changes can also end the problem. This Administration does not have the will or intelligence to PIVOT – similar to President Bill Clinton in ’94. We will have to wait until this November for the people to voice their opinion with their VOTE. Do we continue or will it be the will of the people to change direction?

Regards,

John Stiegelmeyer

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JS July 27, 2022, 10:30 am No one has yet answered the question of what caused our current INFLATION now over 8.5% and going higher. Is it one factor or perhaps two? And no one has answered the question "where are we headed", and have we reached a "tipping point" and is it the wrong "tipping point"? All you have done is criticize without offering an alternative. Easy to criticize more difficult to offer an alternative. Let's hear it. Regards,

TW July 24, 2022, 1:33 pm Steigelmeyer - The big oil companies will never hurt for profits. What goes up always comes down. They should use those big subsidies they get from our government more wisely. Just curious….if Canada came knocking and wanted to put a pipeline under your farm ground, would you agree for the sake of your oil stocks and the rest of us who might not be as fortunate?

RB July 22, 2022, 9:32 pm You conveniently didn't mention the invasion of Ukraine as a factor in the price of oil. A barrel of oil cost around $80 in January and $120 in March. Guess what happened at the end of February? Ukraine! The major oil producers, including the United States, experienced a significant reduction in production during the pandemic. Saudi Arabia, for example has never returned to pre-pandemic levels. Why would they? They can make more money producing less. Biden orchestrated an economic growth of nearly 7% early in his presidency. More jobs were created in his first year than every before. He has already help created more jobs than Trump did in four years. Why do I mention that? The supply remained lower than in 2019 but the demand exploded. John, if you understood supply/demand you might have your answer. The pipeline, as I understand it, was more about moving Canadian oil. John, I do have one question as you continue to blast Democrats. Will I ever read a letter-to-the-editor about the Trump-led failed coup? Will I read how many republicans in Congress helped orchestrate this fraud and about your take on fake electors or Trump's calls to the Georgia SOS? Will I read about the GOP taking away Liz Cheney's leadership assignments because she speaks the truth? If Obama had done 1/100th what Trump has done you'd be hyperventilating! I'm waiting John!!

DL July 22, 2022, 8:40 pm Get off the Keystone XL pipeline! At the same time that Biden revoked the permit, TC Energy, the Canadian company that was building it, started the process of ending there association with the XL section. They had discovered that the pipes that had been layed already, were severely corided, and would need to be replaced. Tar sands oil, which is what the pipeline was going to be used for, consists of a high percentage of Bitumen. That's a sticky, gummy and acidic product that makes the oil harder to run through pipes. It's the same product that Russia is using out of the Red Sea and Siberia. Even if the XL was able to get up and running, the tar sands oil would be refined in refineries on the Gulf of Mexico, and shipped over seas. There are fuels that can be made with tar sands oil, but gasoline for our vehicles is not one of them.

AB July 22, 2022, 6:49 pm "When you hear that we should pack the Supreme Court, that we should censor speech and expression, that we should eliminate the Senate Filibuster, that we should ignore our borders or that we should scorn our laws and vilify our police; you know we are approaching a tipping point." Unfortunately, it is the Right that has done or advocates doing most of those things (how many librarians has this community lost in the name of free speech?), and the consequent tipping point is away from American ideals rather than toward them. I'm not aware of anyone advocating vilified the police, for example, except when they need to be vilified as a result of their disregard for rights.

DC July 22, 2022, 6:46 pm I took one step to the Left of American Progress.org and found myself in the Pacific Ocean. Later Dave

GS July 22, 2022, 5:52 pm You don't have to look very hard to refute your specious arguments; I'd recommend you expand your sources. According the AP, about as agnostic a news source you can find: “Problem with the Keystone: It’s like saying a highway that was built but never completed is somehow making your commute to work way longer. You never got to ride on that highway. It was never opened. It was never relied on,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy.com, referring to the Keystone XL pipeline. Further: "Instead, the current surge in gas prices can be attributed to other factors. One of the biggest drivers of gas prices is the price of crude oil, which has been rising over the past year. Gas prices have been steadily increasing due to the high demand after the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown restrictions were removed."

JS July 22, 2022, 5:11 pm Walker: So it would be better if they made nothing. Seems the first year of the pandemic was pretty lean. I own a few big oil stocks - total portfolio down 30% for the year. Maybe oil will pick up. Otherwise what's your point?

TW July 22, 2022, 2:46 pm https://www.americanprogress.org: These Top 5 Oil Companies Just Raked In $35 Billion While Americans Pay More at the Pump

Opinion : Letter to the Editor: Where are we Headed?

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