First of all, kudos to the many individuals whose voices rise and multiply everyday, becoming an orchestrated cacophony, telephoning into C-Span to ask THE OBVIOUS question:
Why are we, the US, NOT nationalizing our major oil and other natural energy resources and industries?
KEEP IT UP!
Last time I wrote on this subject was an interview on C-Span with nominally Independent Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont on his/their proposed energy bill in their Senate Energy Committee.
See my entry of June 11, 2008:
"Senator Sanders Rules Out Nationalization...":
www.karlmarxwasright2.blogspot.com/2008/06/senator-sanders-rules-out.html
This time, instead, it was a program with Mark Cooper, Research Director for the Consumer Federation of America discussing oil prices, speculation, commodity futures, hedge funds and regulation.
He testifies before Congress on this subject.
And, once again, someone telephoned into Cooper's C-Span interview program with a similar question, paraphrased more or less, above, regarding nationalization.
And, once again, like Bernie Sanders, before, nationalization simply was nixed, outright, by Mr. Cooper.
Just not possible in our "capitalist" society.
So, forget about it.
The market system "works," just needs alittle tinkering around the edges, regulation, adjustments, here and there, close a few loopholes, etc.
For the Cooper interview, go to the "Recent Programs" box towards the middle/bottom of the C-Span homepage and scroll down it until you see a heading with his name, Mark Cooper, and the above title, dated June 17 (6/17/2008) for a video of the program.
The question being amongst the first few towards the beginning of what is a relatively brief interview.
A somewhat similar idea, phrased differently, also presented by another gentleman from Louisiana, a major oil producing state, at a different point, but, in an earlier section of their programming.
What Mr. Cooper and Bernie Sanders and others are suggesting being comparable or analogous to a medical disease whose root cause and origins are known, such as a bacteria or virus, but, instead of directly addressing, attacking, eliminating, eradicating, the source of the disease, we simply address and ameliorate its many symptoms, surrounding conditions, secondary and tertiary aspects, complications, while leaving the root cause alone to fruitfully reproduce and multiply.
We discuss, dissect and analyze every aspect and dimension of the disease, while simply denying the source.
I think one can extrapolate further oneself on this analogy. Ptolemy's explanation of planetary circulation also worked.
It just didn't work quite well enough.
There were some internal problems and inconsistencies which could not be resolved until a later, more comprehensive, and, consistent, causal mechanism came into being.
Well, even if he/they suggest "regulation," then, as I have pointed out, previously, Gazprom is the world's largest regulated utility by virtue of the state's 50% plus 1 share ownership.
Here, in the US, they don't even DEMAND half, to which they are more than entitled, let alone a full loaf.
So, the regulation they're suggesting is futile and meaningless gesture, a toothless tiger.
A band aid, one which they won't get, anyway, since they merely beg the private powers that be, politely, please, please...won't you be nice guys and cooperate with us alittle bit here.
Then, they suggest further taxing industry profits.
Well, that's nice, except for a few problems.
Greater income from tax on profits depend, by definition, upon greater expansion, production, profitability and/or cost cutting, not its opposite, conservation, efficiency, reduction, replacement, substitution, rationalized and integrated systems of self-sufficiency, etc.
Not to mention the many loopholes in which taxation can be avoided by those with the very resources they are attempting to tax.
Thus is systemic contradiction enhanced, perpetuated and exacerbated, rather than resolved.
So, back to the US of Denial and Ptolemy, I'm afraid.
All of these many tortured, convoluted, pretzel like twists and turns in order to obfuscate the simplest, most direct, basic solution.
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