Energy-plank-LPPA

Category:Planks_from_elsewhere
==Government Dependence Masquerades as Energy Independence==
Governor Rendell endorses Big-Government Energy Program
 Press Release, Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania (LPPA), December 23, 2005
Harrisburg, PA – Pennsylvania’s Governor Rendell joined with Senator Harry Reid and other nationally prominent Democrats to announce their “Energy Independence 2020” program. This program calls for a massive government effort reminiscent of the Apollo program with the lofty goals of freeing the United States from dependence on foreign energy sources while somehow reducing energy costs.
LPPA Chair, David Jahn, explained the program’s fundamental flaw, “The governor and his cronies believe that government bureaucrats are somehow smarter than entrepreneurs in determining where to invest individuals’ dollars. Government regulations and big government programs typically end up increasing costs and creating new obstacles to finding new energy supplies.”
LPPA Media Relations Chair, Doug Leard, added, “energy independence is an untenable goal that will only increase energy costs.”
During the oil price spike of 1979, Great Britain was “energy independent”. All its crude oil came from the North Sea. Yet, the price spike impacted Great Britain as hard as it hit Japan, a country totally dependent on oil imports.
The United States imports oil because it is significantly less expensive than domestic solutions. Cutting ourselves off from these options will leave us with fewer, more costly choices.
The best prescription for our current energy issues is the libertarian prescription – to allow the marketplace to function while protecting private property from polluters. Government should eliminate subsidies and reduce bureaucratic regulations. Subsidies promote inefficiency and reward behaviors that serve government and not consumers. Most regulations simply limit the number of competitors facilitating a de facto government-sanctioned monopoly.
Libertarian candidate Jim Babb stated “consumers, not central planners, will drive the market to affordable energy choices.”
Jahn quipped, “I wouldn’t be surprised if Governor Rendell expanded the state’s gambling monopoly to include a ‘Slots for Watts’ program.” 
Leard followed with, “The best thing Governor Rendell can do to promote energy independence is to keep his limo within the speed limit on the Pennsylvania turnpike.”
==Links==
* Energy
* www.LP.org 
* www.LPPA.org