title:  President Obama Stuns Oil Companies With Crushing Proposal (VIDEO)
text: President Obama just announced another major shakeup in the last year of his presidency, and the oil companies aren t liking it   that much is for sure. On Thursday, Obama revealed his plan to place a $10 fee on every single barrel of oil produced in the country. Considering the current U.S. crude trading price of $31.72 a gallon, that s a pretty hefty tax.Also   this appears to be a death tax to oil entirely. And, it could make life for the oil companies unbearable. Remember   just one year ago, oil was going for nearly twice as much as what it is now. While in the midterm oil will fluctuate up and down, over time it s trajectory has been going downward. Who knows what the price of oil will be when the tax proposal goes through, if ever?While Republicans still control a majority of Congress and refuse to take up the proposal, Obama s declaration to get rid of oil has already had its impact on the markets. It didn t even take one day and already oil is down 2 percent after the announcement.Keep in mind, Russia and Iran   two major countries that Republicans say are our bitter enemies   well   their entire economies rely heavily on oil. When oil does bad, so do their pockets. Divesting ourselves from oil is a national security concern. If anything, Republicans are hurting our national security from this viewpoint.The idea is not just to penalize oil companies and Republicans (that s wishful thinking) though, the real issue here is thinking about the future of America s energy and what s in the country s best interest. Green energy is; carbon isn t.Here s what Obama plans to do with the money raised from the new tax:-Invest $20 billion to reduce traffic and improve commuting. Think about that   that s more funding than the EPA and Interior Department combined. A lot of this money will go towards alternative transportation options. Think about the Hyperloop being constructed between Los Angeles and San Francisco by billionaire Elon Musk. It s supposed to completely alter our thinking about traveling long distances entirely. And   it s 100% green. That s what this country needs.-Invest $10 billion into state and local transportation and climate programs.-Put $2 billion into research for clean vehicles and aircraft.The White House sees this as the first step in an ambitious new plan for the 21st Century of clean transportation: By placing a fee on oil, the president s plan creates a clear incentive for private-sector innovation to reduce our reliance on oil and at the same time invests in clean energy technologies that will power our future. Former Governor Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania is calling Obama s plan the boldest transportation blueprint since Eisenhower. Considering many think Eisenhower is the last great Republican president to take the oath of office, that s quite the compliment. Since then we ve just been bumping along, doing short-term fixes, and I give them a lot of credit for laying out this kind of long-term investment. I also give them credit for having the guts to say how they would pay for it all. That s very unusual in this area. While it may not pass muster in Congress, that s not what matters here. This proposal is a vision for the future of the country. And, it makes sense. The only thing that s going to get something like this implemented in Congress is voters going to the polls and voting overwhelmingly to fire Republicans on the Hill, as well as seeing to it that a Democrat is sworn in as president. Only then will people be able to follow through on this future vision of change for our country. And, in the meantime, it is kind of fun pissing the oil companies and Republicans off by talking about it.Featured image from Public Domain Files