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Sarah Palin Battles Energy Cartels
Guest Column | By Jerome Zeifman | September 7, 2008
After retiring as the Democratic Chief Counsel to the House Judiciary Committee and its Subcommittee on Monopolies, I was retained from 1975 until 1980 by both Republican Governor Hammond and the legislature of Alaska as a non-partisan consultant on the taxation and regulation of multi-national oil companies.
In my view, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has had by far more personal experience in battling multinational energy cartels than any current members of Congress. She is also the first elected official in Alaska to successfully wage such battles since Jay Hammond.
Under Jay Hammond Alaska instituted tax measures treating international monopolies as “unitary businesses” and measuring their tax base as a portion of their worldwide income. He also oversaw the creation of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and the famous Alaska Permanent Fund, which invested oil royalties to cover future state budgets, and has since the early 1980s also paid out annual dividends to residents of the state of Alaska.
In 1976 Congress enacted the Rodino, Scott, Hart Act (15 USC 15(c), which permitted states to bring decentralized enforcement of the Sherman Antitrust Act. Under Presidents Carter and Clinton multinational energy cartels then enjoyed de facto immunity from federal anti-trust enforcement. As a result multinational conglomerates enjoyed the advantages of OPEC’s price fixing which under our anti-trust laws would be a felonious conspiracy.
The Senate Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over monopolies, was chaired from 1981 until 1995 by Democratic Senator Joe Biden, who also conducted no oversight whatsoever over anti-trust enforcement and acquiesced in the de facto immunity of energy cartels from anti-trust enforcement.
From 1983 to 2003, by making substantial campaign contributions to Democrats and Republicans alike, multinational cartels became the sacred cows in both Alaska and Washington and enjoyed de facto immunity from both federal and state regulation. In that regard, Frank Murkowski, who in 2003 became the first Republican Governor since Jay Hammond, perpetuated a corrupt status quo.
From 2003 to 2004 Sarah Palin served on the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, until resigning in protest over what she called the "lack of ethics" of fellow Republican Governor Murkowski. After she resigned, she exposed the lack of ethics of the state Republican Party's chairman, Randy Ruedrich, one of her fellow Oil & Gas commissioners. Mrs. Palin filed formal complaints against both Ruedrich and former Alaska Attorney General Gregg Renkes, who both resigned.
During her tenure as Governor of Alaska Mrs. Palin, with no aid from federal anti-trust enforcers, has fought alone in the front line of the battle against multinational energy cartels. While Congressional Democrats have capitulated to the oil cartels, she has increased taxes on their OPEC induced profits, launched a gas pipeline, balanced Alaska’s budget, and also remitted earnings from oil royalties to Alaska’s citizens.
Hopefully, as John McCain’s Vice President Mrs. Palin will help revive the Progressive Republicanism of Theodore Roosevelt, who was a staunch advocate of the conservation of all of our natural resources and destroyed the monopoly of Standard Oil of New Jersey and some 40 other cartels.
Starting in 1932, with his cousin Theodore as his “trust buster” role model, President Franklin Roosevelt established a tradition of anti-trust enforcement in our Democratic Party that survived until 1980 with the election of Jimmy Carter.
In my view, the capitulation of my party to international cartels and other special interests warrants not only the election of McCain-Palin but also the shedding of our Democratic Party of its present corrupt leadership.
Jerome Zeifman ((JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)) was the Democratic chief counsel of the House Judiciary Committee during the Nixon impeachment proceedings.
Guest columns do not necessarily reflect the views of Accuracy in Media or its staff.
5 Comments | Post a Comment
Great article - there have been so many smears-54 and counting says The Weekly Standard, that it will take time to get to the meat of the McCain-Palin details- but I’m also sure they’ll get there.
Can someone out there please wave a ‘magic wand’ and reverse the current Republican ticket?
A Vice President McCain would then not be in a position to do too much harm to our Party.
What an anguished situation it is to be a Conservative voter in this particular election, since Palin’s arrival on the scene!
Harm the republican party? Too late for that. You can thank the neo-cons for leading Republicans astray. McPain is leading the way for the final nail in the coffin of conservatives and having Palin on the ticket will sweeten the sour bile of voting for the WRONG man. Vote 3rd Party for spite.
Mike,
I stand to be corrected.
I should have said ‘further harm’.
Believe me, I’m well aware of what both Bush’s and their neocon allies in the Congress did to severely damage our Party.
As tempting as the trinket of Sarah Palin that McCain is swinging in our collective Conservative faces is, I’ll be casting my vote for Chuck Baldwin in November.
September 8 at 10:18 am | #1 | Link
Imagine if what Palin accomplished in Alaska was done across the country from Congress? No windfall profits taxes needed - just bust up the good old boys network. But of course, those in Congress do not want to bite the hands that feed them. Yet, Palin did bite their hands, and everyone profited (everyone as in the people) including Palin and Alaska government. There is a reason she enjoys over an 80% approval rating in Alaska, and that has to include gobs of Democrats and Independents. And Congress is below 10% in approval - gee, I wonder?