How about a $4Trillion stimulus plan?  

By Mike Moseley

    If the United States could add $4 trillion over the next several years to our  economy would you support that policy? A new study (1) by ICF International found that by exploiting America's off-limits energy supplies the US would create 160,000 new, mostly high-paying jobs with benefits, something the American worker desperately needs.  These new jobs would generate $1.7 trillion for government coffers. All told, the economic value of all U.S. oil and natural gas on federal lands eclipses $4 trillion. How’s that for a stimulus plan. $1.7 trillion to the US treasury is a tremendous about of money to generate for the benefit of all. For you that don’t know, the US treasury is were the US government gets the funds to remain in business.
For example, if the your local community college needs to have more  federal money for student grants, this expenditure would be payed ultimately by these monies. Just as the bills for colleges come due, Social Security also has a problem. The Brooking Institute (2)  says the “pay as you go” will be unable to pay in entirety in 2017 and will be only be able to pay 74% of out pays in the year 2041. So the need is real for a large population of Americans. Investor Business Daily suggests another problem that exists, at the height of the oil-price spike, we were spending nearly $700 billion a year on foreign oil, an amount equal to the massive U.S. financial bailout passed last summer. October's trade data tell why. Despite a record plunge in oil prices from the late summer and into fall, the actual volume of oil the U.S. imported went up. Oil still accounts for nearly half our trade deficit  compared with less than 30% two years ago. We still spend hundreds of billions each year to import oil because  we produce less and less here at home. Right now our economy is predicated on OPEC pumping what we need, they can set the price of oil and therefore gasoline, at whatever price they want. America does not have the economic stability or capability to weather OPEC production cuts that cause price increases. We as a nation depend on the most unstable part of the world. America’s energy policy, if you will, doesn’t benefit the American people, but it does benefit terror supporting states like Iran, Venezuela, Russia, Syria and all there allies. Consider for a moment, what nations benefits financial from terrorism, is it not the terror supporting states themselves?  Many remember last fall,  when Russia invaded Georgia but how many remember that the Russians  took control of the natural gas and oil pipelines that provide energy supplies into Europe. The results were higher energy prices on the open market, as these pipelines are main supplies for all of Europe. In a Washington Times article(3) it is clear that the location of the pipelines were built in order to avoid Russia and Iran, two terror supporting states. Needless to say that didn’t work. If you want to know what it means to national security, look at Iran (4) , Fars News Agency (FNA) is Iran's leading independent news agency says, they are in the process of building 7 refineries. Those seven refineries will stabilize their economy and national security because they already have oil. The bottom line, if we don’t fund terror supporters financially, the US and the world is benefitted greatly. I have heard many say  that America doesn’t have any oil, nothing could be further from the truth.
    We keep hearing there isn't enough domestic oil to make a difference, but this is utter nonsense. According to U.S. government estimates, 86 billion barrels of oil lie undeveloped in the outer-continental shelf alone. Another 36 billion or so can be found offshore Alaska and in ANWR. Add to that 30 billion barrels or so in the lower 48. And even that understates the total.
    Added to that total is the Bakken Formation (6) in North Dakota and Montana.  This has an estimated 3.0 to 4.3 billion barrels of recoverable oil in an area. The most impressive Green River basin, which straddles a wide swath of the West stretching from Colorado to Idaho, contains 1 to 2 trillion barrels of oil trapped in rock shale deposits.  Yes, trillion. Put in perspective, since the advent of the oil age in 1859, total world oil use has been about 1 trillion barrels. Today, the U.S. pumps just 3.5 billion barrels of oil each year, while consuming about 7.5 billion. By exploiting what we have, we could be energy-secure for at least 100 years while we figure out how to make economically viable alternatives to oil. And taxpayers wouldn't have to foot the bill. Last month, OPEC announced deep production cuts. These cuts will drive the price of oil sharply higher. Along with Russia, OPEC accounts for nearly 45% of world oil output. The United States of America could literally replace OPEC and every terror supporter in the world by opening America’s resource to benefit the American people. Think for a moment, how could America have a energy policy without using all of her natural resources? Why does our energy policy benefit OPEC and why doesn’t it benefit Americans?

    In today’s political climate, energy companies are looked at as “evil big oil” IBD (5) reports, the United States government taxes oil companies like all corporations, at the second-highest taxation rate in the developed world (39.25% of their income), which stifles their ability to do business.  Worse still, U.S. firms are taxed on operations around the world.  Is it any wonder that Haliburton moved to Dubai in 2007. Tyco International, Foster Wheeler and Transocean International, all energy companies, all moved to Switzerland.  It's an especially bad sign when domestic companies leave because Americans lose good high paying jobs with benefits and America loses financial stability geography.  What would it look like if major changes were made to the energy policies ?

    It’s not hard to visualize what America would look like if we could change American energy policy.  For just a moment, consider what 160,000 high paying jobs with benefits would do to our country.  Income up and unemployment down.  Family spending would be increased in stores of all kinds, food, clothes, autos, appliances, etc.   Businesses would see a demand for the products that they sell, they would have to hire people putting more people to work.  Large Energy companies would  purchase  good and services in astronomical amounts, also putting more people to work.  The energy companies would need heavy equipment, tools, and supplies of all kinds.  New jobs would be created.  These new jobs would move this country into the 21st century and include oil field workers, refinery workers, and construction workers of all kinds. Iron workers, carpenters, pipe fitters, electricians, millwrights, laborers, painters, all the technical workers, office workers and engineers will be needed for America’s growth. This opportunity will offer high paying long term jobs to a generation of the American working men and women just when American worker needs them the most.  The impact on government would also be astronomical financially.  Instead of borrowing money for a stimulus plan to inject funds into an economy, driving debt up, government would find itself very quickly with a surplus of revenue into the treasury.  That surplus could be used to stabilize social security for the older generation.  It would also make sure  every American, young and old, had a quality education and more.  Include a tax cut and the the large employers that have left our shore would have to consider moving back and the nation would be rebuilt again.  So all of America needs a plan.
    It is time to consider what is best for America and it’s people.  It is time the energy policies benefit Americans and not some dictator in South America or the middle east.  It time to put America’s to work on American soil.  Therefore, if you are Democrat or Republican you can support  creating high paying long term jobs with benefits.  If you’re Democrat or Republican you can create an expanded economy without creating debt.  I would ask you to talk to people that you know, write letters to the editor but most importantly, research this subject like  our country and your children depended on it, because it does.

Sources
1.  http://www.ibdeditorial.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=313892109107330      
2. http://www.brookings.edu/papers/2006/03saving_capretta.aspx
3.http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/aug/22/georgia-crisis-spotlights-pipeline-insecurity/     
4. http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8703160400
5. http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=313977823484200
6. http://dorgan.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=295964


Mike Moseley