The silver linings are there if we look for them
If you watch the broadcast media and read most newspapers, it is very easy to become depressed and sometimes have feelings of hopelessness regarding the current state of affairs in the world.
I usually pride myself on being optimistic no matter what the situation, yet I find myself looking very hard for the silver lining in the clouds that sometimes gather. From the war on terrorism to the economy to record high gas prices, it appears that pundits and politicians alike are more intent on casting blame and focusing on the negative than trying to find realistic solutions to the problems plaguing us.
In a recent story regarding the statement by Iraq’s prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, discussing the withdrawal of U.S. and coalition forces from Iraq, the focus appeared to be on the Bush administration’s opposition to stating publicly the exact date the troop withdrawals would begin.
Shouldn’t the story have been about the positive and confident outlook of the Iraqi prime minister on the development of his nation’s military and police force and its ability to be self-sufficient when it comes to the security of the country? There are still issues within the nation of Iraq, but for the first time since the removal of Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi government appears to be confident in its ability to handle its security without U.S. assistance. Wasn’t this the stated goal all along?
The Iraq oil ministry announced on July 1 that it was opening six key oil production fields to more than 30 foreign companies, not just U.S. companies. Iraq’s oil minister, Hussain al-Shahristani, said Iraq would begin taking bids later this year for longer-term contracts on six of its oil fields.
Thirty-five foreign companies have qualified to participate. Iraq hopes to almost double its production, to 4.5 million barrels of oil a day over the next five years, from the current 2.5 million barrels. Oil is the Iraqi economy and always has been. I wonder what impact this new Iraq will have on the international market with its proven second-largest oil reserves in the world now that the country can secure this industry itself.
But, this leads us to the topic of what to do about America and the world’s dependence on oil and how it affects the environment.
Now, if you are one of those people who believe man is actually responsible for the current warming trend of the earth, good for you. You are no doubt riding your bike, planting trees by the hundreds, purchasing carbon credits from homeless people without cars, growing hemp and weaving it into your own clothes and attempting to plug the top of the Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii. Recent studies have found a new carbon dioxide emission rate of 8,500 tons a day from the volcano’s summit. Are these natural phenomena taken into account by the global warming fatalists?
I am all for reducing dependence on fossil fuels and improving the air we breathe. Build me a truck that is affordable and runs on water or pine cones or peanut butter and I’ll buy it, but in the meantime let’s use our technology and science to build some new oil refineries without taking 25 years and costing the builder millions of dollars just to obtain the permits. I can’t imagine why some people are hesitant to take on that challenge.
Can we stop burning coal for electrical power and build a few clean nuclear power plants? I know there are some in our nation who are stuck with the “China Syndrome” mentality, but look at France. They have 59 nuclear reactors that supply more than 430 billion kWh per year of electricity, 78 percent of the total generated there. As a result, France is said to have a substantial level of energy independence and almost the lowest-cost electricity in Europe, according to the World Nuclear Association. It also has an extremely low level of carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation because more than 90 percent of its electricity is nuclear or hydroelectric.
Now, I really don’t like much about France, but you have to admit that it appears to have figured out how to generate clean and safe electrical power.
Folks, if you think the government will solve all your problems, provide your insurance, reopen closed factories and bail you out of irresponsible home loans, then you already know for whom to vote.
Raising taxes on the industries and businesses that employ America is not going to create more jobs; it will cost them. It will not cause the economy to grow; it will shrink even more. I would prefer that the government make opportunities available and affordable for all the people of this nation to succeed in whatever endeavor they pursue, whether it be business, politics or turning wrenches, and then get the heck out of the way.
Be positive. Be responsible. Be proud of this country (unless you are Michelle Obama).
Enjoy life. It’s much too short to be spent walking around hating the nation in which you live.
Roger Conrad is a Marine Corps veteran who served a tour of duty in Iraq and works for the Nebraska Department of Corrections.
I usually pride myself on being optimistic no matter what the situation, yet I find myself looking very hard for the silver lining in the clouds that sometimes gather. From the war on terrorism to the economy to record high gas prices, it appears that pundits and politicians alike are more intent on casting blame and focusing on the negative than trying to find realistic solutions to the problems plaguing us.
In a recent story regarding the statement by Iraq’s prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, discussing the withdrawal of U.S. and coalition forces from Iraq, the focus appeared to be on the Bush administration’s opposition to stating publicly the exact date the troop withdrawals would begin.
Shouldn’t the story have been about the positive and confident outlook of the Iraqi prime minister on the development of his nation’s military and police force and its ability to be self-sufficient when it comes to the security of the country? There are still issues within the nation of Iraq, but for the first time since the removal of Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi government appears to be confident in its ability to handle its security without U.S. assistance. Wasn’t this the stated goal all along?
The Iraq oil ministry announced on July 1 that it was opening six key oil production fields to more than 30 foreign companies, not just U.S. companies. Iraq’s oil minister, Hussain al-Shahristani, said Iraq would begin taking bids later this year for longer-term contracts on six of its oil fields.
Thirty-five foreign companies have qualified to participate. Iraq hopes to almost double its production, to 4.5 million barrels of oil a day over the next five years, from the current 2.5 million barrels. Oil is the Iraqi economy and always has been. I wonder what impact this new Iraq will have on the international market with its proven second-largest oil reserves in the world now that the country can secure this industry itself.
But, this leads us to the topic of what to do about America and the world’s dependence on oil and how it affects the environment.
Now, if you are one of those people who believe man is actually responsible for the current warming trend of the earth, good for you. You are no doubt riding your bike, planting trees by the hundreds, purchasing carbon credits from homeless people without cars, growing hemp and weaving it into your own clothes and attempting to plug the top of the Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii. Recent studies have found a new carbon dioxide emission rate of 8,500 tons a day from the volcano’s summit. Are these natural phenomena taken into account by the global warming fatalists?
I am all for reducing dependence on fossil fuels and improving the air we breathe. Build me a truck that is affordable and runs on water or pine cones or peanut butter and I’ll buy it, but in the meantime let’s use our technology and science to build some new oil refineries without taking 25 years and costing the builder millions of dollars just to obtain the permits. I can’t imagine why some people are hesitant to take on that challenge.
Can we stop burning coal for electrical power and build a few clean nuclear power plants? I know there are some in our nation who are stuck with the “China Syndrome” mentality, but look at France. They have 59 nuclear reactors that supply more than 430 billion kWh per year of electricity, 78 percent of the total generated there. As a result, France is said to have a substantial level of energy independence and almost the lowest-cost electricity in Europe, according to the World Nuclear Association. It also has an extremely low level of carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation because more than 90 percent of its electricity is nuclear or hydroelectric.
Now, I really don’t like much about France, but you have to admit that it appears to have figured out how to generate clean and safe electrical power.
Folks, if you think the government will solve all your problems, provide your insurance, reopen closed factories and bail you out of irresponsible home loans, then you already know for whom to vote.
Raising taxes on the industries and businesses that employ America is not going to create more jobs; it will cost them. It will not cause the economy to grow; it will shrink even more. I would prefer that the government make opportunities available and affordable for all the people of this nation to succeed in whatever endeavor they pursue, whether it be business, politics or turning wrenches, and then get the heck out of the way.
Be positive. Be responsible. Be proud of this country (unless you are Michelle Obama).
Enjoy life. It’s much too short to be spent walking around hating the nation in which you live.
Roger Conrad is a Marine Corps veteran who served a tour of duty in Iraq and works for the Nebraska Department of Corrections.
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