Chu's European Gas Price Envy

Townhall.com ^ | March 4, 20012 | Bob Beauprez

[Kaslin]

In December, 2008 Steven Chu, the man who was to very shortly become Barack Obama’s Secretary of Energy, told the Wall Street Journal that, “Somehow we have to figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe.” Now the average price at the pump is twice what it was when Chu made the outrageous statement, and every American is feeling the pinch. It is particularly foreboding that gas prices are typically relatively subdued at this time of year, and spike with the peak driving season beginning in about 60 days.

Sensenbrenner presses DOE Secretary Chu on Gas Prices

Last week, Chu appeared before the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and was grilled about gas prices. Rep. James Sensenbrenner invited Chu to retract his earlier statement about chasing European gas prices; Chu refused. Further, he actually suggested the doubling of gas prices, and particularly the recent rapid price increases, were somehow good news and evidence that the economy was coming back. A visibly exasperated Sensenbrenner pointed out that unemployment is still higher than it was when Chu made his statement, but gas prices were double – and getting worse.

[Kaslin]

If Chu wants to pay high gas prices why doesn't he move to Europe instead of forcing us to?

[Venturer]

Chu is doing what Obama wants him to do.

The way to replace Chu. and a whole lot of other products of Obama’s diarhetic administration,is to vote ABO (Anybody But Obama.

[bert]

abo.........

Many here prefer Obama to a non conservative republican

It is going to be interesting 6 months

[Kozak]

Notice anything? The distances Europeans travel are a tiny fraction of those we deal with in the US. I commute 50 miles to work each day. Have to. No other option. My cousin from Italy was thinking about coming to the US for a visit. Wanted to know if we could visit New York. I said "sure it's only about 400 miles". She laughed and laughed thought I was joking.

[riri]

Except in Europe most drive little 4 ctl cars and live in 50 square meter apartments. They can walk downstairs from the apartment and go to a grocery or dry cleaner. If not they are usually a few hundred meters away form a bus stop or a subway stop that will get them where they need to go. I am not advocating that lifestyle. In fact, I find it to be pretty antithetical to being an American. I am just pointing out Chu and Zero's complete disconnect from reality.

Though I have zero doubt our eugenics loving elites plan on forcing us into this lifestyle. See my tagline.

[csmusaret]

These Dems want high prices to wean us off oil. Maybe they haven’t noticed how clogged the Autobahns are in Germany. The Europeans certainly have not been weaned off oil or automobiles.

[riri]

ctl supposed to read cyl as in cylinder.

[Wombat Ark]

Looking at the headline ... isn’t Mr. Chu’s problem just one form of a broader “Europeanist envy”?

[Beagle8U]

What the Rats want is to force everyone to live in cities where our votes will be overwhelmed by liberal voters, giving them one party rule.

They don't give a crap about energy use or anything but gaining full control of Government and your life.

[jmcenanly]

Generally, when you wean someone off something, say weaning a baby from a baby bottle, you will have something else to give him. What we would be ideally going to would be a more powerful, easier to handle and cheaper alternative to petroleum problems.It would take time, just as going from coal to oil took time. It is not going to take place in one Presidential administration.

[cunning_fish]

C’mon. Have you ever heard about Autobahns in Germany? Have you ever seen Russia on the map?

[cunning_fish]

C’mon. Have you ever heard about Autobahns in Germany? Have you ever seen Russia on the map?

[riri]

I have lived in Germany, twice. I do think the Germans tend to drive a little more than most Euros. Hell, in Copenhagen, Denmark -—they willingly bike everywhere. In Oslo, cars are so expensive only the very elite can afford them. (and by very elite, I mean people who live like a normal, middle class person from our perspective). This is how they plan to herd us into living.

[csmusaret]

“It is not going to take place in one Presidential administration.”

And it is not going to happen in one generation. Europeans have been paying skyhigh prices forever and they are still hooked on fossil fuels. Drill baby drill may not be a viable long term solution, but it is the ONLY short term option we have.

[rawcatslyentist]

The creep actually said this BEFORE the election.

[Himyar]

Back in the ‘90s my Air National Guard hubby was sent to Germany for a short deployment. We have a 43 acre farm and raise and show American Quarter Horses. He looked up the local Quarter Horse Association and went to watch a show. In talking to the people he realized how fortunate we in America are. The Germans could not believe a mere Air Force Sergeant with a warehouse worker for a wife could have a 43 acre “estate” and 35 horses and show. All of them were very wealthy, no regular folks there.

[Brad from Tennessee]

STUCK ON STUPID. Obama’s first-term domestic program was written prior to the 2007 crashes when everybody was working and tax revenues were peaking. Congress used Bush era economic numbers to formulate ObamaCare, Dodd-Frank, Cap-and-Trade, etc. because the “Stimulus” would soon restore that prosperity. Three years later Chu and Obama still live in Cloud Cuckoo Land, believing that artificially expensive fuel will spur green energy. They don’t comprehend—or they don’t care—that they will collapse the economy first. What Obama calls,”Stuck on Stupid.”