WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 (UPI) -- U.S. President George Bush is asking the country to drive less and save gas in the wake of two hurricanes that hurt Gulf coast production.
Speaking in Washington on the eve of a visit to Texas and Louisiana Tuesday, Bush also said he had issued a directive for all federal agencies to cut their own energy use and to encourage employees to use public transportation, The New York Times reported.
GOI: I guess that doesn't apply to Bush though. I agree to conserving gas (my wife and I sold our second car) but what Bush is asking for and doing are highly conflicting. Bush was originally criticized for not reacting fast enough or visiting the area enough. Now, he is over compensating and spending TOO much time down there. This is his second trip to the Rita hit aread. Especially since He is asking the country to drive less and save gas!!
Today's flight down to Louisiana was (I believe) his 7th visit to the region and I think that is a bit excessive right now. Especially when he puts out the statement to save gas!! He is not the acting FEMA director (although maybe he thinks he is since he isn't doing that great of a job at being President. Maybe he figured he'd give FEMA director a try. He probably thinks that being President means you get to be any head of a federal agency at will. A job that allows you to try on "all the hats" so to speak).
I just heard on CNN's "The Situation Room" that the mayor of Nederland, Texas isn't getting the help from FEMA that he needs and he says it's the same for many other towns in that county. You'd think that FEMA would have their do-do together by now but they do not. Texas is blaming FEMA and FEMA is blaming TEXAS.
O.k., now this is the SECOND time that FEMA has been slow. Do I side with the states Louisiana and now Texas when FEMA is still pointing fingers at them?? Of course they share some blame but you bet I do. Mikey Brown keeps wanting to blame Louisiana but is he now prepared to blame a second state, Texas?? I can maybe believe that one state, Louisiana screwed up the Katrina preparation (but I don't), however, now I am supposed to believe that in the wake of Katrina that the next door neighbor to Louisiana; Texas is to blame too?? That they didn't learn the lessons of Katrina? I'll tell you who didn't learn the lessons of Katrina and that's FEMA, the Department of Homeland Insecurity and the rest of the federal government run by Mr. George W. "Hey, Mom. Look no hands" Bush.
Also, CNN's "Situation Room" their financial guy crunched some numbers on Air Force One fuel consumption. He figured that the Presidential plane's fuel rate was around $6,029 an HOUR!! Therefore, (he figured out) the gas to fuel all of the President's visits since 9/24/05 came to a whopping $47,398.30!!! And that doesn't include the price tag to fuel and run all those big SUV's in his motorcade!!
Wow.
Our yearly household income isn't even near that much!!
(PHOTO CREDIT: Susan Walsh - AP)
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8 comments:
You err by comparing apples with horse-apples! You are guilty of a false comparison. It would be great if George could jump in his Yugo, skedaddle over to Loosianna, check things out, stay at a Motel 6, eat fast food and swing by Texas, sleep in his car, stop in at Casabonita's for a little Mexican food, then drive home to the little lady at his bungalow on Pennsylvania Ave. Your comparison exposes your expectations; they are WAY over the top. They we live our lives is nowhere near how a president of the United States of America lives his life. 275 million Americans who conserve together can make a huge difference. He's not asking them to return to horse and buggy. He is rightfully asking us to be prudent.
In the meantime, he's got to try and handle this unbelievably impossible task of Katrina and Rita and he's damned if he does or doesn't. Let's give the man some sort of break. I won't hold my breath for it, though.
UL:
Touche!!!
I thought I'd get you to respond on this one.
You're description made me laugh, thanks. I agree that the demands of a President are greater then the average person. I was just having it out on him a bit, you're right.
All kidding aside though, I am very happy that he is calling for this conservation. I am willing to give me a break on this.
UL:
Also, I think that pushing for more fuel efficient cars and more mass transit should be on the table of the President's energy plan.
I know that here in No.Colorado I would use the "light rail" system of Denver if they would just build it up to our college town.
Yes! I want to see some hydrogen cars. However, do you think the oil companies would want it? They better get in the production of hydrogen or else...
UL:
I doubt they want to see hydrogren cars but they better get in the game like you said.
I'm sorry, I'll take the president seriously on his "conservation" statement when he takes the initiative to push for serious environmental protection and conservation. He has a record of environmental failure. It is clear he does not take the issue seriously at all, especially when there are kickbacks and dollars to be made, and his friends get rich. He himself during the election in 2000 said that should there ever be an oil crisis (rising prices) that he would be the man to have in office because he was "an oil man." Funny he didn't mention that he couldn't even keep his oil company afloat.
Besides, people are already driving less, because they can't afford it. It's time for American's to stop consuming more than their share. We are consuming 25-30% of the earth's resources and he do not hold near that percentage of the world's population. The issue of oil is not new, Jimmy Carter foretold of this during his presidency, and every President since has failed to take the issue on seriously. Bush's take on "temporary conservation" to get through this time is just another example of failure to take the inevitable seriously.
I won't give the President any slack. If he didn't want the job, he shouldn't have taken it. Aside from natural disasters he is where he is at by his own doing.
Jessica:
Good point. It will be interesting to see if Bush keeps pushing conservation once this crisis in oil is deemed "over" by his oil buddies.
I'm just tired of this "give the President a break" and "his job is hard work" sentiment.
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