Boone Pickens: Washington Politicians Are Supporting Big Oil In Cheating Americans

Americans Whimper Please Don't Screw Us Anymore Mr. OPEC

Co-publishers Note: The Auto Channel received the latest letter to "Pickens' Army" a short while ago, and I thought it important that you and every real American see it as well.

Over the last 4 or 5 years, T. Boone Pickens, a true American patriot, has spent almost every day of his life and about $100 million of his fortune to finance a movement to create a common will among the American people and its leaders to use domestic, cheap and plentiful CNG as a replacement for tens of millions of gallons of oil based diesel to power our highway’s heavy duty trucks. He has appeared at congressional hearings, as a guest on 60 Minutes, at political and environmental meetings and in virtually every medium.

Even as his good fight and efforts have gone nowhere, he has remained the gentelman because I guess that he strongly believed that what's right and good for Americans would eventually be championed by our Washington politicians. And despite the obvious (to us here at The Auto Channel) Washington-Jerk-Around he has remained civil and gentlemanly, which we believe a detrement to his/our cause.

Over the past few years during our face to face meetings, I have asked him; "Hey Boone isn't it time for you to get pissed about all of stonewalling and inaction you have been getting?" No no he told me again and again, "it’s really going to happen, there's a bill in the Senate, there is a bill in the House, we have sponsors...just wait it will happpen, next month, next election cycle, next year...you'll see”.

Well Boone, I think your pollyanic belief in the intellegence, fairness, patriotism and love of our country among our elected leaders, and their lack of desire to understand and mandate a meaningful reduction and timely elimination of America's annual purchase of almost $400 billion of foreign oil will not happen without you getting pissed and showing it. Your intelligence and emotions, we believe, can help overcome America's alternative fuel lethargy and show the politicians that “we are mad as hell and won’t take it anymore…" For that to happen America needs your strength, beliefs and resources.

I am excited to note that the tone of your letter below is the first to contain some necessarily hard-assed thoughts described by words that an old wildcatter like you knows that will help move the oil slicked gatekeepers of our freedom to do what's right for our country, not for the oil barons.

HEY BOONE, AGAIN I ASK ISN'T IT TIME FOR YOU TO SHOW HOW PISSED YOU REALLY ARE, AND MOTIVATE YOUR FELLOW AMERICANS TO GET THE POLITICANS ON THE RIGHT ROAD.

It's Time to Move From Vague Generalities to Specifics

Dear Army;

In 2011, the U.S. imported 4.1 billion barrels of petroleum accounting for 60% of the U.S. supply. The total cost of those imports was $453.6 billion. That represents an increase in cost of 34.6% over 2010 and a whopping increase of 71.8% over 2009.

In the election cycle of 2008, virtually every candidate for every federal office from both political parties made a campaign promise to enact legislation to reduce our dependence on OPEC oil. These numbers I have cited prove little has been done.

Today we're paying about $100 per barrel for foreign oil and, in the case of OPEC oil, often to nations that are hostile to our best interests. Oil prices are up when they should be going down. Demand for oil globally is down while domestic production in America is up. There's one word that describes why oil prices are up instead of down: geopolitics, much of it attributable to the seemingly never-ending turmoil in the Middle East.

Any way you cut it, America is being cheated. Energy has failed to emerge as a top-tier election year issue, despite the lingering threat to our economic recovery and our national security.

For more than four decades, every presidential candidate has said something to the effect of, "Elect me, and we'll be energy independent." That's four decades of failed promises.

It is time we hold our political candidates accountable. After a lengthy discussion with my dad one day, he said, "Son, you are speaking in vague generalities." It's easy to think the same thing when we hear our presidential candidates talk about energy. It's time to move from vague generalities to specifics.

Tomorrow night, Barack Obama will deliver his fourth State of the Union Address as President of the United States, immediately followed by the Republican response. I hope you will listen in with me to hear whether or not either party plans to make energy a top issue in this election cycle, or if we will just continue on this path of being cheated.

While you're watching the speeches, follow President Obama and the Republican candidates on Facebook and Twitter and let them know we expect more than another empty promise - we want a specific solution, now.

-Boone