Destroy as much as you can while there’s still time
The current approach of the Trump administration
Back when I was working for a Congressman on Capitol Hill in the early 1990s, one of the issues we championed was protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) from oil drilling. As part of his purported National Energy Policy at the time, the first President Bush had called for drilling there. After all, this was the era before fracking, before the United States had re-established itself as the world’s largest oil producer, and one of its largest exporters. Back then, at least increasing our oil production and thus reducing our dependence on foreign oil producers as well as lowering the price of oil was a legitimate argument in favor of despoiling ANWR. No more, though.
Now, we are once again the world’s leading oil producer, generating 18 percent of the world’s oil. Now we have much more fuel-efficient vehicle technologies such as electric cars and the hybrid vehicle I now drive. Even the large pick-ups are far more fuel-efficient than they were back in the 1990s, and all without compromising their power. Oil prices are low on a real basis. Any of the arguments used in favor of drilling ANWR in the 1990s have disappeared.
So why is the Trump administration opening up ANWR for drilling now? Any of the legitimate arguments, whether you disagree with them or not, have since disappeared. The one justification that still remains is greed.
Not that we should be surprised. The Trump administration’s defining characteristic has been greed. Whether it be a tax cut that benefits only the very rich, Jared and Ivanka making millions while purportedly working for the people, or Trump renting his properties to the Air Force and Secret Service, to name just a few examples, this White House has been all about taking care of Trump and his cronies. Indeed, his conflicts of interest are of historic proportions.
Trump may be stupid, but he’s not naive. Despite his bluster, he is well aware of his evaporating odds of re-election. Were he not in such a panic, believe me, he would not be going to the lengths he has been, attacking the post office of all things. And you don’t fire your campaign manager if you’re winning.
