Michelle Bachman will bring back 2 dollar a galon gasoline

[ryan costa]

Michelle Bachman will bring back 2 dollar a gallon gasoline.
Price ceilings on oil and gas worked well during the Nixon Administration. or not. I don't remember.

[Stan Austin]

What is so fascinating about her proposition is that she offers no plan as to how this dubious goal should be achieved. In this REAL world, not the other strange realm in which she exists most respected economists, most notably Thomas Friedman, indicate that we should do just the opposite. Through taxes, there should be a floor of $4/ gallon so that the price mechanism shifts us AWAY from oil.
What she and her ilk apparently don't realize is that today's car marketing emphasizes mile per gallon with 40mpg being the base entry point.
But in a larger sense, this idea of hers is emblematic of her disregard of the environment. And she calls herself religious? WTF

[Roy Pitchford]

Does someone have a link to an article where she talked about $2/gallon gas?
...
Nevermind, found one from Washington Times:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/aug/19/michele-bachmann-stands-by-2-a-gallon-gas-pledge/

reads article

What is so fascinating about her proposition is that she offers no plan as to how this dubious goal should be achieved.

Really, Stan? She's not offering a plan? I see a plan. Use the resources we have. Do you use only the first floor of your house (assuming you have a house) or do you use the whole thing?

“What Barack Obama has done is lock up America’s eneregy reserves. We’re the No. 1 energy-resource-rich nation in the world. We have more oil in three Western states in the form of shale oil than all the oil in Saudi Arabia. That doesn’t include the Bakken oil field in North Dakota or the eastern Gulf region or the Atlantic or the Pacific or Anwar or the Arctic region,” she said.

“We also have a brand-new natural gas find in Pennsylvania with over a trillion cubic feet of natural gas. We also have 25 percent of all the coal in the world. We just aren’t accessing or utilizing our energy. Energy could be one of the most stable, accessible forms of resources for business in the United States. …And we would create millions of high-paying jobs instantly,” she said.

Fundamental economic principle of supply and demand. Increase supply and the price will fall.

However, I'd like to play some devil's advocate:
Let say that the government does precisely what you suggest and jacks up taxes so gas is $4 per gallon. The government will increase its tax revenue, right? What will it do with that revenue? It will spend the money...probably find some new social program for it.

Government doesn't tax to get the money it needs, government will always find a need for the money it gets.

Well, your plan intentionally forced down demand, as you said. That tax revenue to the government will shrink. How will it pay for the plan now? They couldn't possibly get rid of it. They'll have to find some new way to tax us.

What she and her ilk apparently don't realize is that today's car marketing emphasizes mile per gallon with 40mpg being the base entry point.

Only because of government (i.e. EPA) mandates.

If gas-guzzling SUVs weren't popular, no one would make them, because they are high-cost. To some people, its worth that increased cost when compared to issues like like crash safety, passenger capacity, road visibility or "street cred". To some, it isn't.
That is how the free market works.

You're essentially talking about social engineering. When you ultimately boil the issue down, you don't trust the people to make the right decisions, so you need to force (or nudge, as Cass Sunstein would put it) them to make the "right" one. Who are you...who is the government to tell me or anyone else what is right for me?

Let me recommend you watch Miilton Friedman's Free to Choose, episode 1:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2024617864923164175

But in a larger sense, this idea of hers is emblematic of her disregard of the environment. And she calls herself religious? WTF

Could you explain that a little better?

[Stan Austin]

Yes, Bachman, Palin, et al are plunderers. The cleanest fuel is that which isn't used. That is the main reason behind establishing mpg standards.
Faux religionists assert a morality. Bachman wants government intervention in the market to promote the use of oil.
I posit that that is wrong, daresay-immoral.
I sort of like the Boy Scout motto - leave the campsite a little better than you found it.

[Roy Pitchford]

Yes, Bachman, Palin, et al are plunderers. The cleanest fuel is that which isn't used. That is the main reason behind establishing mpg standards.

Why don't we go back to the horse-and-buggy then?
Oh, wait a second, won't horse farts promote the deterioration of the ozone layer?

Faux religionists assert a morality. Bachman wants government intervention in the market to promote the use of oil.

Wrong. Bachmann wants to reduce government intervention, regulation and legislation so that companies have the freedom to explore all energy possibilities.
If a company feels that oil is the best choice, that's up to them. If another company believes in solar or hydro-electric, or even harnessing the hot air that blows out of the offices at the Capitol building, that is their choice. Maybe they succeed, maybe they fail, but at least they had the freedom to do it.

I sort of like the Boy Scout motto - leave the campsite a little better than you found it.

By substituting 'we' for 'I' politicians have doomed us all to a dirty campsite.

But again I say, its not the place of the government to make my choices for me.
It is not the government's place to reap the rewards of my success.
It is not the government's place to take on itself the consequences of my actions.

[ryan costa]

any thing a group of people decide to build together is social engineering.

The biggest social engineering project is the interstate highway system. building it. even if you sell the pieces of it to "private sector" giants, it will always be the biggest social engineering project. let alone the federal finance that built most of the power plants, dams, and water treatment plants in this country over the last 80 years. particularly the west and the sunbelt. Let alone the financing that let most white folks afford to move there. and the pre-post-industrial wages and union success that allowed them to afford it. you're drinkin' too much kool-aid, Roy.

Americans want most of the new deal type projects and cold war level spending. they just don't wanna pay for it. you wanna pay for it, we'll have to approach the 1950s tax-tables.

Michelle Bachman is the white Al Sharpton. in terms of how much sense she makes, and how much sense her followers make. I guess the same can be said of Rick Perry.

The last fiscally conservative President the Republicans had was Ike Eisenhower.

We import abouts 2/3 of oil. don't see how you're gonna ramp up production to anything close to that. its more expensive oil. but if by some miracle it becomes 2 dollars a gallon again, America will blow it on 50 million more cars that are too big or go too fast. it is a spaceball mindlessness mentality. smoke if you got 'em.

The ideologues have stolen history from Michelle Bachman. she's a zombie. Maybe she represents the real america. once she or perry are elected, the real Jesus Christ and real Founding Fathers will shine in approval over America, and real americans can have limitless 2 dollar gallon gasoline again. because the bible and constitution say they deserve it. or something.

[Valerie Molinski]

She fascinates me. And not in a good way. Do people actually take her seriously?

"I don't know how much God has to do to get the attention of the politicians. We've had an earthquake; we've had a hurricane. He said, 'Are you going to start listening to me here?'" Bachmann said at a campaign event in Sarasota, Florida on Sunday.

"Listen to the American people because the American people are roaring right now..."

[Stan Austin]

Valerie asked:

Do people actually take her seriously

Yup------ How would you like like someone who believes in Armageddon, the second coming, the end days being around nuclear weapons?

[Ryan Salo]

Yup------ How would you like like someone who believes in Armageddon, the second coming, the end days being around nuclear weapons?

Stan,

84%+ of the worlds population believe in some higher power.

70%+ of Americans consider themselves Christian.

Your attitude and remarks are very offensive to people of faith. What is missing in you that makes you want to ridicule people who find fulfillment & peace through a relationship/believe in a higher power?

That being said I am not a supporter of Bachmann, but not because she has faith.

Sidenote - Obama is a practicing Christian, just because he doesn't talk about it, I would assume he believes the things you find so ridiculous... Are you scared with him in power?

[Stan Austin]

Ryan--- If peace and fulfillment were the aims of people "of faith" then we would certainly have a better world. Unfortunately, power and control seem to be just as popular a goal of people of so called faith.
And, I do not think that it is ridicule to ask an extremely serious question, namely do you want someone who is basically suicidal around the command and control structure of nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction.
You refer to Obama as a practicing Christian. To me that means he is constantly learning as in the same sense as a doctor who practices. I find that those friends of mine who are religious and practice to be among some of the most moral and thoughtful people I know.
People who blindly accept and follow are idiots and I have no time for them and they usually extend this brain dead approach to government.
And, if ridicule exposes these clowns for what they are then fine and dandy - I've done my part as an American.
Yours Truly---

Stan

[Ryan Salo]

Stan,
So do you think Obama believes those "crazy events" you mentioned are really going to happen? If so are you scared he is in office? I agree there are religious crazies but you just mentioned a couple events most Christians believe in. I would dare say there have been very few presidents that don't believe these events will happen.
Ryan

[Jim DeVito]

I am hesitant to wade into the mess. But did any one tell bachman that oil prices are set on the international markets and short of (more) massive government subsidization she has little control over those markets?

[Grace O'Malley]

Michele Bachmann is dumb like a fox. Here's a good analysis of why she said what she said, why it will never happen, and why some people want to believe her:

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/08/note-to-obama-try-channeling-michele-bachmanns-gassy-genius/244196/

[Stephen Eisel]

When Bush left office, gas was a $1.60 a gallon.. just sayin

[Stephen Eisel]

How about issuing more drilling permits in the Gulf? Or allowing drilling in the Artic (ANWR)? Nevermind that US Government missed out on billions of dollars in government revenue in royalties when the Obama admin delayed permits for drilling in the Gulf... And, nevermind that Obama destroyed about 19,000 jobs by banning offshore drilling for a year.. Who's EPA stopped Shell from getting 27 billion barrels of oil in the Arctic Ocean?