- Joined
- Oct 17, 2007
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FWIW, the "crazy promises" began when Tim Pawlenty promised 5% per year real economic growth.
The promise regarding the gas price is also completely unrealistic:
1. In early 2009, the price of crude oil fell below $40 per barrel, finally bottoming out at $33.98 per barrel on February 12. Today's sluggish economy is not the same as the dramatic contraction that was underway at the time.
2. Were economic growth to pick up, the price of crude and, therefore the gasoline price, would likely be higher than it currently is. Economic growth would lead to greater demand relative to production.
3. Eliminating all of the 18.4 cent federal gasoline tax would also fall far short of bringing the gas price under $2 per gallon.
4. Even if the U.S. were able to materially increase oil production, there is no indication that OPEC would stand by. In fact, given how OPEC has more aggressively managed the price of crude via its production quotas, there is probably very little prospect that OPEC would maintain production to the extent that crude oil inventories would swell. A collapse in the crude oil price is not in the interest of OPEC's countries, even as those countries are quite divided on a range of domestic and foreign policy issues.
In short, Ms. Bachmann's promise is unrealistic.
The promise regarding the gas price is also completely unrealistic:
1. In early 2009, the price of crude oil fell below $40 per barrel, finally bottoming out at $33.98 per barrel on February 12. Today's sluggish economy is not the same as the dramatic contraction that was underway at the time.
2. Were economic growth to pick up, the price of crude and, therefore the gasoline price, would likely be higher than it currently is. Economic growth would lead to greater demand relative to production.
3. Eliminating all of the 18.4 cent federal gasoline tax would also fall far short of bringing the gas price under $2 per gallon.
4. Even if the U.S. were able to materially increase oil production, there is no indication that OPEC would stand by. In fact, given how OPEC has more aggressively managed the price of crude via its production quotas, there is probably very little prospect that OPEC would maintain production to the extent that crude oil inventories would swell. A collapse in the crude oil price is not in the interest of OPEC's countries, even as those countries are quite divided on a range of domestic and foreign policy issues.
In short, Ms. Bachmann's promise is unrealistic.
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