Poll Finds Deep Concern About Energy and Economy

[groovedaddy]

Overwhelmingly, Americans think the nation needs a fundamental overhaul of its energy policies, and most expect alternative forms to replace oil as a major source within 25 years. Yet a majority are unwilling to pay higher gasoline prices to help develop new fuel sources.

Those are among the findings of the latest nationwide New York Times/CBS News poll.

The poll, which examines the public’s reaction to the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, highlights some of the complex political challenges the Obama administration faces. For instance, despite intense news coverage and widespread public concern about the economic and ecological damage from the gulf disaster, most Americans remain far more concerned about jobs and the nation’s overall economy.

And in that regard, President Obama does not fare well: 54 percent of the public say he does not have a clear plan for creating jobs, while only 34 percent say he does, an ominous sign heading into this fall’s midterm elections.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/22/us/22poll.html?th&emc=th

[Bragi]

1. Good benchmark here for public apathy/stupidity

It used to be that one of the perceived problems with "selling" the American public on solutions to reduce or prevent energy-induced global climate change was that people would not agree to make any sacrifices now to prevent an environmental catastrophe that would occur sometime in the (perceived) distant future.

What this poll, and the generally placid reaction of Americans to the BP blowout, show is that even if you destroy a huge, important and highly sensitive ocean ecosystem right on the coast of America, it won't actually generate any significant resistance to continued, high-risk oil extraction.

I'm sure this lesson is being learned well by the oil industry.

[FBI_Un_Sub]

2. The catalyst will be

The catalyst will be a sorry sequence of apocalyptic events -- all with a deep recession in the background---

1. A sudden and high rise in pump prices -- I would guess above $8/gallon at the pump -- and that's a gut reaction, not a studied calculation.
   
2. Disregarding Kelley's Blue Book - a collapse in used car prices to $300. That's based on "scrap" value - not "salvage" value. That's also a gut reaction, not a studied calculation.
   
3. A repeat of the bail outs of the "too big to fail" auto companies.
   
4. Some major, cataclysmic rejiggering of the oil industry --- "too big fail" bail outs, Chapter XI reorganizations with who know who picking up the pieces, absolute bankruptcies again with who knows who picking up the pieces, buyouts of the domestic oil companies be foreign interests.
   

[NC_Nurse]

3. Where are these brave, noble Americans all the politicians refer to? Back in 1776?

Really, ever since I came of age, people have been resistance to any change and especially those that might require some sacrifice.

It's pretty obvious that it will most likely be too late by the time people are motivated. They have to actually experience the effects of climate change, pollution and environmental destruction and the loss of their own livelihood/lifestyle before they give a fuck. Sad.

[amandabeech]

4. It looks like jobs and the economy remain intense concerns of the American people.

This is from the article:

For instance, despite intense news coverage and widespread public concern about the economic and ecological damage from the gulf disaster, most Americans remain far more concerned about jobs and the nation’s overall economy.

I suspect that jobs and the economy were more important that just about everything else for some time

[PM Martin]

5. Another spending bill is needed.

The large deficits in the short term are needed to revive the economies of the world. Once the economy is revived then cut the deficits.

[amandabeech]

6. That's my view, generally.

However, I am concerned that too much of the U.S. taxpayer money will end up stimulating other economies, including some that don't necessarily need stimulating, like China's.

Say my neighbor gets $100 of stimulus money. He spends some on fixing up his house. The labor in this area is likely to be immigrant, and like other immigrants before them including my ancestors, the laborer sends half the money he earns back to El Salvador where it stimulates that country's economy. That's a country that the U.S. helped to wreck, so I can't complain about sending them war reparations.

The neighbor gets his supplies for the fix-up from Home Depot, a buiding and home improvement chain here. Much of the merchandise there is made in China, so say 1/5 of the money goes to China.

For a treat the neighbor decides to buy a nice sirloin steak for him and his wife. The steak was raised here, and the only money for the steak that leaks out goes to Mexico because the packing house uses a lot of immigrant Mexican labor.

So, maybe, of the $100, $20-30 ends up stimulating the economies outside the country. I there were statistics out there about this, but even Krugman, who supports the stimulus hasn't said anything, nor has anyone brought up the point in comments to his column to his blog posts.

Maybe there should be a small tax on all imports to support the extra stimulus in bad times needed to make up for the fact that our economy is so dependent on imports. Of course, getting that past the WTO would be impossible.