Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/436544
GregStevens,Publisher Chip Thompson, Editor EDITORIALBOARD How to have your say: Letters must be signed and provide the writer's home street address and home phone number. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and no more than two double-spaced pages or 500words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section will be published. Email: editor@red bluffdailynews.com Phone: 530-527- 2151ext. 112 Mail to: P.O. Box 220, 545 Diamond Ave., Red Bluff, CA 96080 Facebook: Leave comments at FACEBOOK.COM/ RBDAILYNEWS Twitter: Follow and send tweets to @REDBLUFFNEWS By the middle of last week, the barrel price of oil on the global market was $64. Three months ago it was around $100 per barrel. It topped out, over the past year, at around $112 per barrel in late June. Thisisaprecipitousdrop in oil prices, and it is having a dramatic and wide-ranging impact globally. Why have oil prices dropped so far, so fast? Primarily three reasons, ac- cording to energy expert Dan- iel Yergin: 1 — The rapid increase in U.S. oil production, which is up 80 percent since 2008, al- most entirely due to hydraulic fracturing. 2 — Libya's political stabili- zation is resulting in a return to its 1 million barrel per day production, up from 200,000 barrels per day in May. 3 — The weak demand in Europe as a result of its soft economy. Faced with low oil prices, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries met over Thanksgiving to make a tough decision: Cut supply and stabi- lize oil prices — thereby help- ing their own oil-dependent economies — or keep produc- tion where it is and help push oil prices lower, in an attempt to make fracking operations in the United States unprofitable. They chose the latter. OPEC believes that if oil prices drop to around $50 a barrel, much of the frack- ing operations in the U.S. and Canada will cease, as they will not be financially feasible. This is a risky bet. As Ambrose Evans- Pritchard wrote recently in The (U.K.) Telegraph, "Saudi Arabia and the core OPEC states are taking an immense political gamble by letting crude oil prices crash to $66 a barrel, if their aim is to shake out the weakest shale produc- ers in the U.S. A deep slump in prices might equally heighten geostrategic turmoil across the broader Middle East and boomerang against the Gulf's petro-sheikdoms before it in- flicts a knockout blow on U.S. rivals." What is the effect of lower oil prices? Low oil prices are inject- ing an economic boost in Eu- ropean countries with weak economies, as the energy costs for businesses and consumers are lower.They're also starving the petro states, like Venezuela and Russia, whose economies rely on windfalls from higher oil prices. Here in the United States, the most profound effect is that lower oil prices mean lower gasoline prices. According to GasBuddy. com, by the middle of last week, the average per gal- lon price for gasoline in Texas was $2.42, with Lubbock offer- ing the second-lowest average in the country of $2.27. Na- tionwide, the average is $2.64. One year ago, the average was $3.26. The U.S. Department of En- ergy now predicts that gas prices will average $2.60 for all of 2015. This will save driv- ers $100 billion next year, an average of $1,100 in a year for the average family. Consum- ers will spend this unexpected savings on vacations and Christmas gifts, and the U.S. economy should benefit in the short-term. But it is important to under- stand why U.S. production is up — and why it isn't. A Democratic operative in Austin last week said, "You can thank President Obama for these low gas prices." This is a stunningly idiotic statement. First, oil is a global com- modity, and the price of oil is set by the market. Gas prices are driven by the price of oil. Second, the president of the United States is limited in his ability to directly impact gas prices. Third, the increase in U.S. oil production is entirely on state and private lands, in ar- eas where the federal govern- ment cannot block develop- ment. Federal lands are al- most completely closed to fracking. President Obama could help the U.S. become even more en- ergy independent by opening up federal lands for responsi- ble drilling, beginning with the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which a majority of Alaskans support. But even after five years of study and with the State De- partment announcing that it would not harm the environ- ment, we still cannot get the Keystone Pipeline built. In the current situation, three things are true: The U.S. energy revolution is happening in spite of President Obama, oil prices are down due to global factors and this is good news for American consumers. MattMackowiakisanAustin- and Washington-based Repub- lican consultant and president of Potomac Strategy Group, LLC. He has been an adviser to two U.S. senators and a gov- ernor, and has advised federal and state political campaigns across the country. Matt Mackowiak Speedy decline of oil prices a good thing Cartoonist's take Regarding the expansion of the jail and the removal of the Tehama County Library to a far better place, the limited feed- back I get suggest that a new facility out near the Com- munity Center is not the place for something as sac- rosanct as our li- brary. Acting li- brarian S. Ainsworth has been in the system for 25 years and she says yes it is. The new site will provide parking and be handy to the schools and low income housing folks, all who spend time in her library. An ad hoc committee, con- vened to select a site, concen- trated on a vacant lot on Main overlooking the river and the Community Center location. The committee nominated the lat- ter spot for this endeavor. It now looks a done deal and the county is negotiating with an archi- tect to design the new facility, but I would like to kick around a bit the idea of the library being moved to the Court House once the new Court House is in op- eration, which will probably be years down the road. But Librar- ian Sally says it would be dif- ficult to "police" the structure, that the existing elevator is ex- pensive to maintain and that there won't be enough space any- how if the county usurps some space for other agencies. That leaves the elegant Her- bert Kraft Free Library site on Jefferson and Hickory. It is for sale as is the house to the north, and, in my limited opin- ion, the building could be ex- panded, an exterior elevator in- cluded in the renovation and the house removed for parking. Is there room for the existing in- ventory of the current library on Madison? Sally says they are currently "culling" their stacks and the number of books and periodicals probably will be re- duced. She admits that Internet search engines are rapidly over- taking library reference desks. It has been reported that $4 million has been allocated for the construction of a new li- brary. Surely less than that could be spent on renovation and expansion of the former Kraft Library. May we hear from interested parties who might participate in exploring this issue and forestall- ing library construction until the feasibility of the Kraft location has been accepted or rejected? I know it takes energy, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. ••• The Canadian Association of Retired People offer answers to often asked questions: Q. What can a man do while his wife is going through menopause? A. If he is handy he can finish off basement where he will have a place to live. Q Is it true that menopause is mentioned in the bible? A. Yes. Matthew 14:92: "And Mary rode Joseph's ass all the way through Egypt." ••• The 15-month-old All That Jazz stirred from his perch near the fireplace one rainy evening and spoke of his approval of the recent pronouncements of Pope Francis. "Did you know that the new pope says all dogs go to heaven?" I replied, "That is not exactly what he said. According to SF Chron columnist Jon Carroll, he said, 'The Holy Scripture teaches us that the fulfillment of his wonderful design also affects ev- erything around us.' This could be interpreted as meaning that all creatures go to paradise." "Wow," exclaimed Jazz. "We're in." "That's just one man's opin- ion," I replied, "but it is com- forting for man and dog to have some assurance that we will meet again." "But you don't buy it?" "I did not say that, but if his pronouncement is correct, it is going to be awfully crowded up there." "Up there?" "Wherever paradise might be." Jazz thought about this for a minute and then settled back down on the sofa to contem- plate the situation. "Is this what you mean when you write about a person passing on and going to his reward?" "Sure," I answered. "Can't do any harm, and who's to say oth- erwise?" "You often do." He had me there, and I sug- gested we have an evening snack before retiring for the night. He seemed satisfied with my ambiguous answer. This is a good time of year for ambiguity. ••• Speaking of mortality and the like, the missus and I were sad- dened to note in Wednesday's DN Obituaries the passing of Jack and Dorothy South. In our day, Jack was the ultimate bas- ketball player at RBUHS and heartthrob of many a lass. Tall, lithe and handsome, he was straight arrow and destined to succeed in any endeavor in life. As donations in his behalf were to be handled by the Methodist Church in Paradise, I contacted them for more information. They said they would contact Jack's and Dorothy's daughter in Arcata and see if she would supply more details of his life. I think he graduated from Co- lumbia University with probably a degree in physical education. He would have made an admi- rable teacher. As a postscript to Jack's years at Red Bluff High, I have a 16 mm film that I took back in the early 1960s just before the grand old three-story main building burned to the ground. I concluded the film by going to the still standing gym and a shot of a deserted court with a single basketball rolling slowly away from the camera. In my narration of the film, I remark that the ball represents Jack South's last 3 pointer. ••• A guy was in a bar about as drunk as it's possible to get. A group of guys notice his condi- tion and decide to be good Sa- maritans and take him home. First, they stand him up to get to his wallet so they can find out where he lives, but he keeps falling down. He fell down eight more times on the way to the car, each time with a real thud. After they get to his house, he falls down another four times getting him to the door. His wife comes to the door, and one guy says, "We brought your hus- band home." The wife asks, "Where's his wheelchair? Robert Minch is a lifelong res- ident of Red Bluff, former col- umnist for the Corning Daily Observer and Meat Industry magazine and author of the "The Knocking Pen." He can be reached at rminchandmurray@ hotmail.com. I say Mulling options for a new library location OPEC believes that if oil prices drop to around $50 a barrel, much of the fracking operations in the U.S. and Canada will cease, as they will not be financially feasible. Sounding off A look at what readers are saying in comments on our website and on social media. Way to go, students! Leading by example. Melissa Shriver: On elementary students clearing debris from a road, bridge a er floods Thank you. This gives me a little direction. I am a little out of my element when it comes to dealing with government agencies, but Mom and Dave would be totally overwhelmed. Sue Bogue: On Board of Supervisors declaring a state of emergency due to flooding Robert Minch Assemblyman Dan Logue 150 Amber Grove Drive, Ste. 154, Chico 95928, 530 895- 4217 Senator Jim Nielsen 2634 Forest Ave., Ste. 110, Chico 95928, 530 879-7424, senator.nielsen@senate. ca.gov Governor Jerry Brown State Capital Building, Sacra- mento 95814, 916 445-2841, fax 916 558-3160, governor@ governor.ca.gov U.S. Representative Doug LaMalfa 507 Cannon House Office Building, Washington D.C. 20515, 202 225-3076 U.S. Senator Dianne Fein- stein One Post St., Ste. 2450, San Francisco 94104, 415 393- 0707, fax 415 393-0710 U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer 1700 Montgomery St., San Francisco 94111, 510 286- 8537, fax 202 224-0454 Contact your officials OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Friday, December 19, 2014 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A6