Wouldn't be great if the only taxes paid to the Federal Government were for the standing military and the up keep on the Federal buildings? Each of the States should be paying for their own costs and taking care of their own citizens. Would also help to contain costs if each State had to pay their representatives in Congress. Keeping everything local would certainly give citizens more power as they would be able more easily to keep control of their elected representatives. As we live now one team gives and the other takes away and we all end up paying more but we keep sending the same people to Washington.

When given a chance to choose between a prudent choice and an ideological one, a leftist can be counted upon to make the ideological one… even when some good arguments weigh against it. In this case, it’s Biden’s kneejerk instinct to kill off the Keystone Pipeline project. And your "argument" that it only had just begun to be built is one way you demonstrate how shallow your long-term vision for this project is. But, of course, you don't want to admit it's obvious potential success, and incredible benefit to America because....HORROR of horrors....it was Trump's doing!

One of the less-touted accomplishments we saw under the Trump administration was America achieving energy independence now, and the steps that were taken to make sure it continues into the future. The short-term achievement would be the strengthening our energy economy, including permitting the use of fracking on Federally-owned land. Long-term steps included next-generation nuclear power as well as investments into fusion....Why aren't you mentioning this part of the plan to remain independent, permafrost?? Oh...sorry...it doesn't fit your narrative...again...God forbid you give Trump any credit for doing something amazing for our country!

And - in case you haven’t noticed - for the time being, the world still runs on oil and gas. And Biden is hellbent on putting policies in motion that will put America solidly in the category of energy-dependent. He is opposing the energy sector (including putting much of the American oil and gas sectors out of work) and blocking Canadian oil from being refined in America… touting that it somehow 'saves the planet'.

All this 'accomplishes' is to put money in the pockets of parts of the world that WE will be buying OUR oil from - and (by extension) empowering economies like Russia, Venezuela, and Iran while we’re at it! That’s right… Biden’s energy policy will make Putin weep tears of joy as the Russian energy sector breathes new life again. Who’s 'Putin’s puppy' now???

Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley believes Russian President Vladimir Putin must be “ecstatic” about President Joe Biden’s first week in office. “Putin has to be pretty ecstatic right now,” she said in an interview with Fox Business. “I mean one of the things that bothered him the most was how energy independent we had become, and the idea that President Biden has already cut off the Keystone Pipeline and started banning fracking, that in itself is one thing....What Biden is showing is that he's more interested in reversing everything President Trump did than being strategic in how we keep America strong going forward." she said. Russia’s economy is highly dependent on oil and natural gas exports. If the world oil supply decreases now due to the U.S. producing less in the years ahead, that would likely drive up prices and benefit Moscow. Oil and gas are responsible for more than 60% of Russia’s exports and provide more than 30% of the country’s gross domestic product. No wonder Putin wants to debate Biden!!! (I bet Biden hasn't a clue what his handlers are doing to our country!)

And are you ready for a sick twist of irony? Biden just cancelled the world’s very first zero-emission energy pipeline. Now trucks, railways, ships and other means of transportation that burn lots and lots of oil will need to be used to transport those 800,000 barrels a day that the pipeline was supposed to. Is that what you call "progressive"??

Oh, and if that's not enough, there's more: After four years without any new military conflict, there is one more wrinkle to Joe Biden’s energy policy. The fact that America will no longer be energy-independent makes it a lot harder to stay neutral and uninvolved in regional conflicts between oil-rich nations. Because - by your imbecile of a president's choice - he will have made America dependent on the actions and activities of foreign powers.

And, contrary to what said imbecile says that this will "save the planet", the world will not switch to another energy source until it becomes viable. And the way Biden is racking up debt, it’s only going to get harder to bankroll the kind of changes we’ll need to jump to the next economic model - and here’s a news flash - solar and wind do NOT have the power to carry that kind of a workload. That workload will fall to those very technologies that Trump has already been moving America toward — without any ridiculous token participation in a Paris ‘accord’ that is, in fact, a treaty in whose participation Biden never intended bothering to ask the Senate to sign!!

The only person selling his own nation’s energy economy down the river, and propping up shady autocrats around the world MORE than Biden is Justin Trudeau… but give old creepy Joe time, there’s still a chance he could catch up. The United States was the top oil producer in the world in 2019, followed by Saudi Arabia, Russia and Canada. America became energy independent in 2019 for the first time since 1957, producing more energy than it consumed. Now we will be at the bottom of that list...and then some.

In trying to show how 'tough' he is by reversing Trump's well-thought-out plans, Biden has only managed to demonstrate real weakness… to our enemies no less!

Do you have a clue yet. Biden’s approval rating is at 61% Trump never broke 50% and was 29% the lowest in recorded history when he left office. Biden’s recovery act is supported by 75% of Americans including more than half of working class republicans. Name one trump policy that had anywhere near that level of support. Biden’s plan to raise taxes on the Uber wealthy and multinational corporations has similar widespread support and will provide funds to halve poverty in the nation while rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure. Another failed Trump promise.

good morning Emily,

first no one is opposing energy independence. What we want it reduction of fossil fuel use.. a very different thing.

What if..... mining/fossil fuel companies have never been required to pay the costs of fossil fuel use to the general population.. from the days when coal mines could dump tailings on to farm fields and not have to pay the farmer a single dollar for the destruction of his farm, to the dumping of debris into lakes and river nation wide.

How costly do you think gas would be if these and health costs were fully accounted for in the price of production?

Price of gas.. many things are used to push that higher.. right now the biggest single factor is the blocking of the Suez canal.. ship ran aground and the back up includes hundreds of ships, and growing by the hour..

Russia oil.. yes this was increased as a result of that shrewd move by your hero .. one more poor decision by your own standards, but you still love him without qualifications.

In July 2020, Russia exported 1.078 million tons of fuel oil to the United States, equal to more than 7 million barrels, and a 16-percent increase on June as U.S. refiners had to replace lost barrels of Venezuelan heavy oil following U.S. sanctions on Caracas.

The road to future prosperity, world wide or locally is very clear.. we must reduce fossil fuel use and renewables are a major part of that.. the market is doing this job as we speak. while trump efforts slowed and harmed the implement of this, the giant business tend to see the opportunity caused by the need and are doing the change over now..

And,, the solar, wind and bio fuels are working without your help and time will see more and more of them.. the technology does work and will only get better as cars, plains, and trains got better and better to this day, so will the green energy..

the oil pipeline was a duplicate of the existing line. it is for a fading technology, by business which are not American owned and will only harm the native American areas which it was routed over..

Thanks for the comments. I am one who thinks that the Federal Government has and is amassing too much power unto itself. Some of my past experiences with US congressmen have left me with doubt as to whether they actually listen to me as some of the answers have been out in left field. I agree that there are things better left to a national body but I am feeling that the national body at this point is gathering way too much power for itself. The cost of collecting money locally then sending it to Washington, there to be distributed back to the state means that we are paying a person locally to collect the tax. Then we are paying a person nationally to set a budget to spend the money. Then the federal government returns the money to the state to spend on the needs of the state. I see that we are spending money to hire people that to me are superfluous. Keep the money at home and spend it as needed. I also like the way Utah collects state income taxes. Not by withholding but due at the end of the year. A lump sum of money is more shocking to a citizen than a measly withholding monthly. Utah runs a surplus in state funds because by doing that the representatives are held more accountable. Romney won in Utah because of ancestral name recognition which I also see as a bad thing.
Really like your pictures with most of your comments. The one in your response is certainly appropriate for me. I was at the dentist two weeks ago and he asked how I was, I told him I was slowly disintegrating.