The American Spectator

NRO has a somewhat more detailed version online today. The only one I object to is number six:

We must decrease America’s dangerous dependence on foreign oil. We can meet this challenge through diversification of our energy portfolio, innovation, and conservation. We must increase public and private investment in nuclear power, clean coal, and alternative-energy sources across the board. America must lead the world in energy-efficient, environmentally responsible, commercially viable innovation, including wind, solar, geo-thermal, ethanol, and biofuel technologies.

Just another indication of how badly free marketeers are doing on the energy poloicy battle. Even most of the Republican Party—the party of, at least nominally, limited government—is willing if not eager to increase government involvement in energy markets.

Worse, they are willing to engage in falsehoods to do it. Technology like wind, solar, and ethanol are not commercially viable. If they were, they wouldn’t be forever in need of tax-breaks and subsidies.

Once, just once, I’d like to hear a presidential candidate say something like: “Government has made a mess of energy markets. For over three decades it has tried to force the U.S. to become less dependent on foreign oil, and we are now more dependent on it. Thus, I propose deregulation of energy markets. Get rid of regulations, tax-breaks, and subsidies. And that includes ethanol. I know that means that I probably cannot win the Iowa Caucuses. So, I will not bother competing in it.”

Alas, we are probably another decade or two from seeing anything resembling that kind of talk.