Wishing on a North Star

Feb. 18, 2013
In his Feb. 12 State of the Union speech, US President Barack Obama said economic growth and middle-class jobs will be the "North Star" for his administration.

In his Feb. 12 State of the Union speech, US President Barack Obama said economic growth and middle-class jobs will be the "North Star" for his administration. Time will tell if that goal proves to be a guiding light or simply a Jiminy Cricket fantasy if economic problems again overshadow his agenda.

Obama plans to revive the economy by rebuilding a thriving middle class. But Republicans claim he relies too much on costly unproductive government legislation and regulation and too little on the free market.

In his litany of proposals, Obama called for "clean energy" legislation and an "Energy Security Trust" to wean cars and trucks from gasoline and diesel at a time when US crude production is ramping up and oil imports were down 754,000 b/d in the 4 weeks through Feb. 1 from the comparable period a year ago.

In his inaugural speech last month, Obama claimed sustainable energy is "how we will preserve our planet, commanded to our care by God." In his State of the Union address, he called on Congress to confront climate change "for the sake of our children." But it will take more than colorful rhetoric to get squeamish Democrats and antagonistic Republicans to pass global warming measures now questioned by the public.

State of the Union addresses aren't lists of what presidents expect to push through Congress. They are more like the incumbent's vision of the world as he would like it to be, relying more on rhetoric than reality.

Climate and money

For example, it's hard to get excited over global warming since the planet has been warming since the end of the Pleistocene ice age 18,000 years ago. Earth's climate has been in constant flux since its beginning, with ice ages dominate for several million years interspersed with warming periods every 15,000-20,000 years. Since the last Ice Age, the planet's temperature has warmed 16° F., and sea levels have risen 300 ft. That vastly predates the industrial revolution and the internal combustion engine, so this writer doesn't feel the least bit guilty.

Moreover, it wasn't until the late 19th century there were enough observing stations to estimate average temperatures over the northern hemisphere. Before 1860, global temperature readings were so spotty there could be no meaningful estimates of worldwide climatic conditions. Even today, accurate temperature records in the southern hemisphere are iffy because so much of it is covered by ocean.

Variable temperature readings

Temperature records also depend on how data are collected. As a teenager in West Texas, this writer recalls TV weathermen reporting almost every summer evening the highest daily state-wide temperature reading was reached in Del Rio. The border town held that record as the hottest spot in Texas for years until, the story goes, the official temperature station was moved from over the downstairs steam cleaner vent.

Of course, the main issue remains how to pay for all the government programs the president and Congress propose. One wonders why it's so hard for the government to fund the budget when bundles of free money are offered on the internet. Hardly a day goes by without e-mails offering millions of dollars from unclaimed bank accounts of dead depositors, gifts from widows of former oil company or government executives, donations from private charities, partnerships with private investors, and winnings from lotteries and contests never entered. Former officials of foreign governments want to share millions from "business gratuities" (bribes). Bank draft payments are pending for nonexistent work. Erstwhile World Bank representatives want to reimburse millions of dollars for nonexistent expenses. And a guy claiming to be a captain in the United Nations peace-keeping force offers to share millions made fighting terrorists in Afghanistan. If US soldiers are being paid on that scale, we definitely need to reduce military spending.