* In 1974 with 36.1% of oil from foreign sources, President Richard Nixon said, “At the end of this decade, in the year 1980, the United States will not be dependent on any other country for the energy we need.”From a presentation by Mike Milken posted at The Money Game, via The Christian Science Monitor, via Oregon Expat.
* In 1975 with 36.1% of oil from foreign sources, President Gerald Ford said, “We must reduce oil imports by one million barrels per day by the end of this year and by two million barrels per day by the end of 1977.”
* In 1979 with 40.5% of oil from foreign sources, President Jimmy Carter said, “Beginning this moment, this nation will never use more foreign oil than we did in 1977 – never.”
* In 1981 with 43.6% of oil from foreign sources, President Ronald Reagan said, “While conservation is worthy in itself, the best answer is to try to make us independent of outside sources to the greatest extent possible for our energy.”
* In 1992 with 47.2% of oil from foreign sources, President George Bush said, “When our administration developed our national energy strategy, three principles guided our policy: reducing our dependence on foreign oil…”
* In 1995 with 49.8% of oil from foreign sources, President Bill Clinton said, “The nation’s growing reliance on imports of oil…threatens the nation’s security…[we] will continue efforts to…enhance domestic energy production.”
* In 2006 with 65.5% of oil from foreign sources, President George W. Bush said, “Breakthroughs…will help us reach another great goal: to replace more than 75 percent of our oil imports from the Middle East by 2025.”
* In 2009 with 66.2% of oil from foreign sources, President Barack Obama said, “It will be the policy of my administration to reverse our dependence on foreign oil while building a new energy economy that will create millions of jobs.”
Cute, but deceptive. The statistic really should show foreign oil as a percent of all energy consumed in the US.
ReplyDeleteIt's also worth noting that of those 8 statements, only 2 can be construed as promises. The other 6 are statements of fact or intention. The two promises can be viewed as broken promises, but of the remaining 6 statements, 3 have a future expiration date or no specific time frame.
ReplyDeletePercent of all consumption from DOE makes it seem this is not deceptive
ReplyDeleteReagan's comment stands out the most. It's not anything close to a promise but a general philosophy that America has always had.
ReplyDeleteWe've shot ourselves in the foot on this one. Why aren't we drilling for oil in Alaska and off shore? Because enviro-idiots have stopped it.
More off shore like in the Mexican Gulf?
ReplyDeleteYou know there is no way *not* to use foreign oil.
ReplyDeleteAs it goes into the international oil market.
Say you find a well in Utah - The oil found within it is not going to stay in the US; As I said it`s going to go on the market and sold.
to Quote Tony...
ReplyDelete"We've shot ourselves in the foot on this one. Why aren't we drilling for oil in Alaska and off shore? Because enviro-idiots have stopped it."
I would simply point in the direction of the Gulf of Mexico....
Im no enviro-nut, but look at that... No Bueno
is it totally fair to Obama has failed on a promise while he's still in office?
ReplyDeleteClearly, deep sea drilling is a great idea.
ReplyDeleteSo, by foreign oil, you mean Canada and Mexico?
ReplyDeleteI guess is too late to comment... but of course depending on more foreign oil is better for the economy. It preserves a finite natural resource, while holding power over other countries' resources. Much like the Adam Smith's debate over import of agricultural goods, importing energy is also a matter of importing goods needed for production and development. Why people believe the very set of ideas that claim a country should depend less on foreign energy is beyond me.
ReplyDeleteNever too late to comment. I read every comment on the blog.
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