Vladimir's blog

The AP reports on Bobby Jindal's campaign activity (http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/33353129.html):

"I told the people of our state we have a one-time, once-in-a-lifetime chance to change our state, and I want to be a part of that, and I'm thrilled to have this job, and I look forward to running for re-election in 2011," Jindal said last week.

So, why is he fundraising in Iowa next month, home of one of the stepping stones to a presidential nomination? And why's he traveling around the country fundraising for himself and other Republican candidates?

The reactions the press and the commodities markets to the impact Hurricanes Ike and Gustav on our energy infrastructure seem to be "So what?" and "Ho-Hum", respectively.

My company has spent the last three days trying to assess the impact of Ike on our operations and on oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico in general.

A picture is just now starting to appear. It's pretty bad. Yes, it could have been worse, but the damage we sustained will only make a tight supply picture tighter. From a policy standpoint, any thinking idiot can discern that we have too many eggs in a single, very vulnerable basket. Let's hope our representatives in Congress can read this and comprehend the potentially horrendous impact of the Pelosi non-Energy Plan of 2008.

Speaking of pictures, I happen to have a few to illustrate my point, courtesy Rigzone.com.

Ann Silverberg Williamson, Louisiana's Secretary of Social Services has "resigned", as they say, to pursue other ventures.

From the Baton Rouge Advocate:
Social Services Chief Resigns
http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/28438094.html?index=27&c=y

Ladies and gentlemen, a new wind is blowing in Louisiana, and it ain't a tropical storm.

As most of the RedState Refugees are probably aware, I make my living as operations manager for a small oil and gas producer. Most of our operations are in the Gulf of Mexico.

My company's most significant center of operations is in the "High Island" Area of the Gulf of Mexico. It sits in 200 ft of water about 100 miles south of the Louisiana/Texas border. Last December, we brought on 4 gas wells on a newly-installed platform. We are 99% finished preparing another platform to accept production from two brand new wells. We also are in the process of drilling another new well from a nearby platform.

Including my company and our industry partners, we have an investment well in excess of $100 million at risk.

Hurricane Ike is expected to strike the area sometime around 4 pm today.

Promoted by Steven-

From Energy Current:
http://www.energycurrent.com/index.php?id=2&storyid=13056

The employees involved are not “regulators” that oversee offshore oil production; they are not the “watchdogs” of the offshore leasing program for the Gulf of Mexico, as Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) alleges. They are part of a group set up to maximize the value of the government’s oil revenue by trading barrels of oil. They have barrels to sell, and lots of them, and their customers are refineries and other oil traders in the private sector. That’s not a normal government function, and it’s a legitimate question whether government should even be in that business in the first place.

Edited for structure and promoted by -Steven Foley

The New Orleans Times-Picayune has an article detailing the culture of corruption that suffused the family of William Jefferson, the recently-indicted Congressman from Louisiana’s 2nd District.

The Democrats’ recent attempts to paint Republicans as the Party of Corruption are a joke. The bedrocks of the Democratic Party are Union Thuggery, Urban Ward Heeling, Vote Buying, Ballot Box Stuffing and Race Pimpery. Oh, and Kickbacks. Let's not forget Kickbacks.

Read On...