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Politics : American Presidential Politics and foreign affairs -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: DuckTapeSunroof who wrote (43457)	5/25/2010 11:22:04 PM
From: TimF	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 71588

Oil companies have a rich history of U.S. subsidies A lot of the frequently claimed subsidies aren't subsidies. Some just not in a technical sense, but some not at all (things like tax breaks that are broadly available, or US military operations in the Middle East). Which is not to say there are not a few real subsidies, and in much larger amounts targeted tax breaks that have the same basic effect; but at the same time the state and federal governments make a ton of revenue from oil and its refined products. They make more from taxes on the industry and its products than the industry makes from oil oil distillates. So it would seem that the government is really receiving the subsidies, and on the net imposes costs, not subsidies on the industry. Some say the Gulf of Mexico catastrophe can be linked to Congress' policy of oil-friendly tax breaks and financial benefits. Some say all sorts of groundless things.

To: DuckTapeSunroof who wrote (43457)	6/3/2010 8:58:30 AM
From: Peter Dierks	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 71588

The oil spill and the cult of the presidency. Jonathan Chait Senior Editor June 2, 2010 \| 12:00 am Two years ago, the Cato Institute’s Gene Healy wrote an insightful essay in Reason titled, “The Cult of the Presidency.” Healy argued that the office of the president had assumed an almost supernatural place in American life. Not only had presidents assumed powers far beyond those originally intended—though I’d take exception to Healy’s shrunken, nineteenth-century conception of the office’s proper role—but the broader culture had also assigned it powers that go beyond the realm of politics itself. “The chief executive of the United States is no longer a mere constitutional officer charged with faithful execution of the laws,” wrote Healy. “He is a soul nourisher, a hope giver, a living American talisman against hurricanes, terrorism, economic downturns, and spiritual malaise.” Healy could well have been writing about the curious reaction to President Obama’s handling of the BP oil leak. Last week, Obama held a press conference putatively dedicated to explaining the state of the disaster and the government’s response. The actual purpose of the event, as both the questioners and the questionee understood, was for Obama to perform his talismanic role. The full contents of this article are available to subscribers only. tnr.com