Ray Meier Gets It Right And Wrong On Energy

Let me start out by saying that I'm genuinely glad to see that the Republicans have finally come around to the position on energy that progressives have been holding for years: The fossil fuel economy cannot continue, and we need alternative energy technologies. So, thanks to Ray Meier, Brad Jones, and Ken Camera for accepting this basic fact so that we can all move forward together on the issue.

Thanks also to Ray Meier for pointing out that "band-aid" measures like the Republican proposal for a $100 rebate for gas, as proposed by Republicans in Congress, or a temporary elimination of the gas tax, as proposed by Michael Arcuri, are "silly". We need serious proposals like the Apollo Energy Initiative supported by Les Roberts.

Ray Meier does not deserve credit, however, for riding over 100 miles in a 1976 Cadillac El Dorado as a part of his campaign. Ray Meier says he was trying to make a point. Really, all he made with this gesture was a long trail of blue-black smoke.

Polluting the atmosphere and guzzling gas while campaigning on an alternative energy platform just doesn't make sense. Ray Meier would have done better to do what Dennis Hastert tried to do, picking a small hybrid car like a Prius to campaign drive around the 24th district instead.

Then again, Hastert didn't exactly pull that stunt off very well himself. He told reporters he was driving back to his office in a Prius, but then stopped around the corner and was caught by photojournalists climbing into a sport utility vehicle.

Ray Meier's talk is just as empty. What does Meier actually propose for energy "reform"? News Channel 36 described Meier's idea of clean enery generously, as "developing more oil reserves across North America." Translation: Ray Meier thinks that the way to solve the problems inherent to the fossil fuel economy is to keep on drilling more oil wells.

It seems that all the Republicans have learned to do on energy reform is to talk. Their actions remain as dirty as ever.