Reducing Foreign Oil Dependence

From Cleantechnica on Obama's Plan to Reduce Foreign Oil Dependence:

"Doubling fuel economy standards within the next 18 years is a priority to Obama. Research in engines and advanced lightweight materials will help meet this goal. He also wants to assist auto makers in increasing fuel economy standards through loan guarantees and tax credits for domestic auto manufacturers."

That's cool. But my father and I drive a Volkswagen. What is this? The Soviet Union? Cutting out foreign car manufacturers isn't the answer. Making American Car companies into monopolies isn't the answer. There is a reason that I don't drive an American car: our Volkswagen is much nicer and much more dependable than my mother's Jeep.

This isn't about decreasing foreign dependence. Obama's plan is a plan for foreign alienation. There's a difference.

"Obama’s goal is to have two billion gallons of cellulosic ethanol in use by 2013. He plans to use tax incentives, government contracts and cash prizes to help this industry mature and specifically wants to encourage farmer-owned refineries. He would like renewable fuel standards to increase, such that 60 billion gallons of advanced biofuels are in the fuel supply by 2030."

If only ethanol worked. Ethanol does burn cleaner, but it also holds less chemical energy for the same volume. Ethanol also burns faster and costs more. My local gas stations are selling 10% ethanol blends at higher prices. Since the ethanol supply is subsidized, that means more frequent and profitable repeat business for energy suppliers and corn growing-conglomerates like ADM.
Faster burning, more expensive fuel means more frequent trips to the gas station which in turn means increased emissions, which adds to the problem that Ethanol was meant to solve. Ethanol corrosion of engine parts also means more dollars spent on parts replacement, new cars and labor in the automobile industries, which also has negative impact on the environment (more stuff put into landfills at a faster rate and more carbon emitted making new cars and parts). So is ethanol about the environment or is this about profit for energy, agribusiness and automobile corporations? Who are the biggest donors to Obama's campaign?

"By 2025, Obama would like 25% of U.S. electricity to be generated from clean, renewable sources including wind, solar and geothermal with a Renewable Portfolio Standard. Obama calls for $150 billion to be invested over 10 years in clean energy and infrastructure to support it. Investment in a national digital electric grid would allow greater amounts of renewable energy to be utilized and make plug-in hybrids more environmentally sound.

“For the sake of our security, our economy, our jobs and our planet, the age of oil must end in our time,” said Obama."

Where is that $150 billion going to come from? Has he forgotten that we're in debt to our eyeballs? Roll out the taxes. Who are you? Prince John? I'll be your Robin Hood.

But more importantly, for the sake of our security we need to make peace with people by making agreements not pushing them out of the sandbox. For our economy we do need to lower prices but we need to do that by opening up trade, not shutting it off. For our jobs we need to push education. For our planet we need to reduce the number of SUVs on the road, we need to cut down our Eliot-Spitzer-style consumption and be more weary of greenwashed politicians and products.