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Secretary Chu Admits His Views Are “Silly”

Yesterday Energy Secretary Steven Chu testified before the House Committee on Energy Commerce. When pressed by Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL) on statements Chu made last year about the desirability of high gas prices, Chu admitted his ideas were “silly”.

Watch:

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Transcript from the House Energy and Commerce Committee:

REP. CLIFF STEARNS, R-Fla.: Last September you made a statement that somehow we have to figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe, which at the time exceeded $8 a gallon. As Secretary of Energy, will you speak for or against any measures that would raise the price of gasoline?

SEC. CHU: As Secretary of Energy, I think especially now in today’s economic climate it would be completely unwise to want to increase the price of gasoline. And so we are looking forward to reducing the price of transportation in the American family. And this is done by encouraging fuel-efficient cars; this is done by developing alternative forms of fuel like biofuels that can lead to a separate source, an independent source of transportation fuel.

REP. STEARNS: But you can’t honestly believe that you want the American people to pay for gasoline at the prices, the level in Europe?

SEC. CHU: No, we don’t.

REP. STEARNS: No. But somehow, your statement, “Somehow we have to figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe,” doesn’t that sound a little bit silly in retrospect for you to say that?

SEC. CHU:Yes.

  • Author: Conn Carroll
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16 Comments

April 23, 2009 Secretary Chu Admits His Views Are “Silly” writes:

[...] Don’t believe it for a second.  The Obama administration doesn’t care how much they hurt Americans financially.  They are hell bent on implementing their green utopia, and the poorer we are, and the more dependent we are, the easier it is for them to Change the America our grandparents built. From: The Foundry [...]

April 23, 2009 ozzy6900 writes:

People, you can’t write this stuff! The overall intelligence of the Obama Administration is getting lower and lower every day!

Do you think that President Obama surrounded himself with imbeciles so he could look smart?

April 23, 2009 Barb -mn writes:

But he did say it!

This is proof they are intentionally making it impossible for us to live independently.

April 24, 2009 suurveyor writes:

This guy does’t surprise me,hes just like the rest of the idiots obama has hired to surround him to make his policies because he can’t stand up and make his own.

April 24, 2009 Grace, Florida writes:

Public education at it’s best. Aren’t all these people supposed to be educated? I have never in all my years seen such an inept Administration. It’s like dumb and dumber. Who’s in charge?

April 24, 2009 terry, washington state writes:

I am a small part of a very large and influential “interest group”. The one
that doesn’t want the politicians running my life. The politicians have made the middle ground a right wing conspiracy. Pick any vital concern that the average citizen is not allowed to participate in or has to go to great lenghths not to have government involved. That is what the government has done.

April 24, 2009 Jeff, Tampa writes:

51, 48, 43…. The I.Q. quotient is certainly dropping!

The audacity of that statement is amazing!

It is nice to see that some “leaders” are showing the country their true colors!

April 24, 2009 Richard, Spring, TX writes:

Obama himself wants gas prices over $4.00 a gallon and has said so in the past. Chu revised his statement so as not to put heat on the Obama administration. I’m sure the administration would like to keep this quiet until they are ready to implement it.

April 24, 2009 Pat Milwaukee writes:

I don’t think anyone in Obama’s administration has had to put gas in thier own car. They have people to do it for them, and they do not care how much the cost is because the taxpayers are footing the bill.

April 24, 2009 Bill, Forney, TX writes:

As part of Obama’s Earth Day rhetoric, he proposed opening up vast coastal areas of the US to ocean current generators and other supposedly eco-friendly energy sources. This is supposed to help make us less energy dependent on foreign sources. How about opening those same areas to oil exploration to accomplish the same end? I would be interested in seeing what the environmental impact of large-scale alternative energy generators on our coastlines would be (once someone figures out how to make that actually work!). We already know the impact of off-shore oil rigs on the environment. In the Gulf, its where all the fishing charters go to find fish. I imagine the alternative energy results would look a lot like the ones on land where we turn good food into inefficient fuel

April 24, 2009 Spiritof76, New Hampshire writes:

I don’t buy any of Chu’s reversals. I am convinced that he believes that the gas prices must be $8, $10, $12 or more; higher the better. They all think that Americans must be forced to lower standard of living to be compatible with the rest of the world. The Obama crowd firmly believes that America is the problem, militarily, commercially and financially.

April 24, 2009 Ross, Bradenton, Florida writes:

We have to remember that ALL of obama’s appointees are socialist who think that we, the average person are to stupid to take care of ourselves and must be “put in their place” as the unwashed. After all in their corrupted mind, they are the “Chosen Ones”, above us, mere mortals.
The only difference between their definition of liberty and our serfdom is their encroaching tyranny. That tyranny is beginning to manifest itself as these clowns start inject their socialist poison into the “Golden Goose” of America, capitalism. Our constitution only guarantees the opportunity for all to seek the American dream of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness-using their Godgiven talents, hard work, persistence, and a dash of hard won luck.
Damn them all and the jackass they rode in on!

April 24, 2009 Larry in Missouri writes:

Heaven forbid we say anything against the present administration or it’s so called updated policies. We are now part of a conspiracy group, remember? What do you suppose the government will do if they keep pushing things over the edge and the “conspiracy group” also known as the American public decides to stand up and say “no more”? Will We be replaced? I say let them try. Government has gotten too big for it’s britches and we are not going to take this much longer.

April 25, 2009 Greg, St Louis writes:

The greenies hate people. Population reduction is what they want. What better way than to make everyone poor. Look at population growth in Europe and Russia. The chairman of green peace stated “The earths population needs to be at approx 1 billion or less to maintain a healthy biosphere”. Greenies could get sterilized or off themselves or both, however, they want that for you and your kids, not them.

April 25, 2009 Sorry, Pat « 36 Chambers - The Legendary Journeys: Execution to the max! writes:

[...] politicians realize that raising gas prices really is a stupid idea. Well, I should say that it’s a silly idea. Comments [...]

April 27, 2009 Marshall Hill MI. writes:

We are holding the hearings with the wrong people,
Obama,Biden,Pelosi,Reid,Dodd,Frank,Kerry,Schumer
and Stabenow need to testify!

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