Crush Liberalism

Q&A with NPR: "What’s Behind High Gas Prices?"

My apologies if it seems like I’m dwelling on the gas prices issue too much, but I needed to put this up after having read the story. From NPR:

What factors are causing gas prices to rise so quickly?

The biggest factor in rising costs is the price of crude oil, followed by the cost of refining.
…
Then who sets the prices?

Oil companies don’t set crude-oil prices; the global market does.
…
Is there any evidence that people are starting to change their habits in response to higher prices?

When you ask drivers at the gas station, “Are you trying to conserve?,” they invariably say they are. But weekly data from the Energy Department show that we’re still using more gasoline than we were a year ago.
…
Are there any short-term fixes?

The market solutions are: a) increase supply; and b) decrease demand.
…
What about long-term fixes?

They’re the same: increase supply and decrease demand.

There’s much more. Please read the whole thing. It’s short, easy to follow, and does a fantastic job outlining why gas costs what it does and how the oil companies are making beaucoup bucks these days.

In short:

MSM temper tantrum: "We want to watch CNN on Air Force One!"

Hat tip to Kanaka Girl for this. You thought NBC’s David Gregory was a tittybaby? He’s not alone. From CNN:

It wasn’t the price of gasoline, Darfur or the rebuilding effort in New Orleans that preoccupied the White House press corps Thursday aboard a flight on Air Force One.

It was what channel they could watch on the White House televisions, Fox or CNN.

During a briefing led by White House spokesman Scott McClellan as President Bush was traveling to New Orleans, Louisiana, the Washington Post’s Jim VandeHei asked why the White House televisions always seemed to be tuned to Fox News and if it was possible to have them tuned instead to CNN.

“It’s come to my attention that there’s been requests — this is a serious question — to turn these TVs onto a station other than Fox, and that those have been denied,” VandeHei told McClellan, who is soon to be replaced by former Fox anchor and self-described conservative Tony Snow.

“My question would be, is there a White House policy that all government TVs have to be tuned to Fox?” VandeHei asked.

“Never heard of any such thing,” McClellan responded. “My TVs are on four different channels at all times.”

VandeHei noted that McClellan has four televisions in his office, and clarified that he was referring to the ones that reporters can see.

“They’re always turned to Fox, which a lot of people consider a Republican-leaning network.“

He’s right. A lot of people on the left do indeed consider FNC to be “Republican-leaning.” Interestingly, the bitching comPost reporter asked to watch a news channel that “many people” consider a “Democrat-leaning network.” The derisive nickname “Clinton News Network” wasn’t coined for no reason. Then again, this typifies liberal “thought” (for lack of a better word): Fox News is biased, CNN is objective. Got it?

(Sidebar: a common journalistic technique, similar to “sources” or “experts”, is the “some say” or “many believe” or “a lot of people think” technique. Anytime you hear that, brace yourself for the reporter’s (or network’s or editor’s) opinion or theory. “A lot of people consider FNC a right-leaning network” means “the guys in the newsroom who meet together for decaf lattés at Starbucks before attending the DNC fundraisers…ALL consider FNC to be right-leaning!” Glad I could clear that up for you guys.)

Continuing:

VandeHei noted that the televisions are paid for with taxpayer dollars. (So is the White House presidential bedroom, but you can’t just walk in whenever you want and say “I can be here, because this is paid for with my tax dollars!” – Ed.)

“And my understanding is that you guys have to watch Fox on Air Force One. Is that true?”

McClellan said it was the first he had heard such a claim, and that it was not true.

“In fact, I’ve watched other channels on here,” he said.

“I’ve never known anyone that’s raised a complaint about a request from back here to watch a different channel,” McClellan added.

VandeHei replied, “I’m officially raising it, and officially complaining about it.”
…
Fox News is popular with at least one highly placed person in the White House. According to the Web site “The Smoking Gun,” whenever Vice President Dick Cheney stays in a hotel room, he requests extra lights, copies of five newspapers and the television tuned to Fox.

Based on ratings, Fox News is popular with a WHOLE LOT of people other than “highly placed persons” in the White House. They tend to kick the everloving crap out of their competitors in several categories, which I imagine spawns some professional (and partisan) envy.

As for poor widdle VandenHei, someone call “9-WAAAAH-WAAAAH” for his “WAAAAH-mergency”, and we can get a “WAAAAH-mbulance” dispatched ASAP!

April 28, 2006 Posted by crushliberalism | Uncategorized | Leave a Comment