OIL POLICY

One of the short-sighted policies that I've never understood is the Republican's joy when oil prices go down, as they have been lately.  The price of gasoline at the pump drops, people drive more with less concern and even rush out to purchase that gas guzzler that they've had their eye on.  Naturally, the logical result of this consequence is even more CO2 that makes it up into the atmosphere, exacerbating the growing climate change.

I heard one legislator today brag that the age of alternative fuels is dead, since they can't compete with oil.  That's certainly true at today's prices, but what happens when the producers decide to withhold production and the price shoots up again, as it surely will.  And what about the subsidies that big oil gets in the form of depletion allowances that tilt the playing field in their favor.  Yes, renewable sources don't deplete a resource - and that's exactly why they should be subsidized when necessary - and tax advantages for oil cut.   But the chances of that scenario coming to pass when big oil is such a monolith is minimal, to say the least.  Yes, we have the best Congress that money can buy.

But aside from the climate change debate, consider that eventually, as it surely must, the US supply of hydrocarbons will begin to taper off.  If we have burned it all in transportation and electricity generation, then there will be nothing left for recyclable uses such as plastics. From that standpoint, we would be better off to import as much as we can, saving our own resources for when all other sources are depleted.

RG III - Again

How often do faithful Redskins fans have to put up with the adoring commentary about this guy by supposedly-knowledgeable sports writers.  Every time he appears, he makes yet another bonehead maneuver - running when he should be getting rid of the ball, waiting too long, throwing the ball off balance, throwing his body about with abandon.  The list goes on.  There is always a convenient excuse; usually something like "he's learning a new system."
Yes, his first year, he looked great.  But wasn't that because he was still operating in the college mode, where the crowd expects broken-field running from their quarterbacks.  But in the big leagues, the defensive players are bigger, faster and meaner.  Operating in the same way means subjecting yourself to season-ending injuries. 
Then when he inevitably gets injured, a substitute comes on and performs spectacularly as happened again this past weekend  Passing well, handing off well, reading the defense well, and so on.  But still the coaches and fans remain tied to the image, instead of to the facts.  The guy is over his head.  Let's give the other guys a shot at the ring.