How can the US get an ongoing $2.45 TRILLION annual FREE national STIMULUS PROGRAM?

We can INCREASE SUPPORT for the Pickens Plan by EMPHASIZING the ECONOMIC IMPACT of reducing oil imports and spending that money on domestic natural gas here at home.

Every Chamber of Commerce knows how to gather community support by calculating and presenting the ECONOMIC IMPACT of tourism and conventions to a city. Clearly the focus is on the MULTIPLIER of the money directly spent by the tourist. The reduction of oil imports and spending that money instead on US natural gas would provide the same type of STIMULUS to the US economy. Now this is a plan that EVERY CONGRESSMAN will embrace and might even get our PRESIDENT’S attention.

Mr. Pickens has done a fantastic job of pointing out the amount that is spent each and every month on oil imports but how about more focus on the advantages of spending that money here at home on domestic natural gas?

Most Americans just don’t realize the huge ECONOMIC ADVANTAGES to everyone in the US of REDUCING OIL IMPORTS. Not to downplay the other advantages and goals of the Pickens Plan, but I think a stronger emphasis on the overwhelming economic advantages would gather a lot of support. I’ve heard about green jobs and that seems to get some interest but imagine the huge number of jobs which would result from the increased production of US natural gas and the benefits to the economy of all that money being spent here at home. All those people receiving royalty checks will be spending much of that money on other US products, homes, cars, restaurants, etc. Maybe we might even want to mention the federal, state, and local taxes that would be received on all that income.

Many economists now recognize the huge impact high oil prices had on the US economy last year. How could they help but recognize how that same money added to our economy would not be a huge boost? There can certainly be some argument but a factor of 2.5 is very conservative. Then add the reduction in the expenditure on foreign oil. That would represent an ongoing national FREE stimulus program of $2.45 TRILLION! We can debate the numbers but clearly it is HUGE and would develop amazing support.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for conservation, wind energy and other types of really clean and renewable sources of energy. Reducing pollution and global warming should be important to every American. As evidenced by the healthcare debate, the way to get the average American’s attention and thereby the politician’s attention is to explain what it means to them and their everyday struggle to pay the bills. The Pickens Plan’s primary focus is on reducing imported oil and the huge economic drain it is. Once we focus on that, then we’ll have the economic ability to develop and implement truly sustainable and clean energy sources like wind and solar. The fact that natural gas is cleaner than diesel is a benefit to the economic energy bridge.