(NewsNation) — Why?
That is the most important question. Asking why. Analyzing why. Demanding to know why.
That is how you get to what the real motivation is, the proper context, the game. Who, what, when where and how all matter, but they are finite. They have one answer.
The why is complicated, but it’s where we need to focus in examining two important stories. They’re issues that demand attention and hinge on “why” and the manipulation of that answer.
The OPEC+ alliance of oil-producing countries has decided to cut production by 2 million barrels a day, just a month before Election Day. All that matters here is why.
All you hear are Democrats freaking out and Republicans saying there should be more domestic drilling. They’re saying this is Biden’s handshake diplomacy with Saudi Arabia and that the economy is going to tank.
But what matters is why this is happening.
The alliance, which includes Russia and its de facto leader Saudi Arabia, did not cut because of what we are doing here. We are drilling so much here that we are really not dependent on foreign oil, anyway.
U.S. crude oil production has been increasing almost every year and is currently at near-record levels. In fact, 2021 was the second year, along with 2020, since at least 1949 that annual total petroleum exports were greater than total petroleum imports.
The U.S. is set to produce an average of 11.8 million barrels oil per day in 2022, which stands 500,000 barrels short of a record set in 2019, according to the EIA. But oil prices are set on a global market where the OPEC+ cuts cannot be offset by a comparable short-term increase in U.S. oil output.
So why is OPEC doing this now? The last time cuts of this magnitude were made was May 2020, when the alliance correctly thought that demand would be down due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
So, is it to help former President Donald Trump? Is it part of a deal to lend money to his family?
It’s proof we must once and for all treat the Saudis as frenemies, or worse. Russia has motivations, too: hurting the United States and Europe, and raising money for its war in Ukraine and to offset sanctions.
So, what is to be done?
President Joe Biden must address this ASAP. He must address domestic supply, the Saudi threat and obvious Russian aggression.
Domestically, Biden made waves Thursday when he pardoned thousands convicted of “simple possession” of marijuana under federal law.
This is a policy that makes complete sense or no sense, depending on where you are on political spectrum. But the majority of Americans are in favor of loosening marijuana restrictions. It’s been legalized in dozens of states, both for medical and recreational use.
This is a taboo from the 1960s. Even though THC is not what it used to be and while there may be some forms of it that can make someone more likely to abuse the drug, it certainly is not as dangerous as alcohol or cigarettes.
The government has clearly made a turn toward medical use. It can’t be that a store can sell marijuana but it is a federal crime to use it.
The why takes you right to the heart of the game. It’s a disconnect based on stupid politics.
The laws should make sense, and that is about why you are doing things. If you examine things through that lens, there’s a lot of stuff that gets very obvious, very fast.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author, and not of NewsNation.