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Oil boss to be DOE boss

 https://nypost.com/2024/11/16/us-news/trump-taps-oil-boss-chris-wright-as-secretary-of-energy/


“As Secretary of Energy, Chris will be a key leader, driving innovation, cutting red tape, and ushering in a new ‘Golden Age of American Prosperity and Global Peace,'” Trump said in a statement.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Wouldn't "Trump ushers in Golden Age" be a better title? Those who are not Trump supporters might appreciate it as a pointed form of irony, and it would help generate discussion on this topic.

Some of the pro-Trump media sources, are also now valuable for gaining insight into his plans of course. I am finding it quite bewildering to figure out exactly what he plans to do.

Wright's company Liberty Energy has an "ESG" report on their website that is well worth reading to gain insights into what he stands for:

https://libertyenergy.com/esg/bettering-human-lives/

Anonymous said…
Reading his background on wikipedia is bracing. He seems like another right wing anti-science zealot. Someone who will ignore science when it gets in the way of greed. Drank fracking fluid as a stunt too. I predict he will be typically corrupt for someone in Trump's circle. He is likely a better manager than most of his appointees, but he will further harm our scientific prowess as a nation whenever it disagrees with his politics or pocketbook. Still grading on a curve he might be better than average Trump appointee. Damning with faint praise indeed.
Anonymous said…
Of course, you could change the wording a bit to add sarcasm:

Trump ushers in so-called Golden Age
Trump ushers in "Golden Age"

One reason to doubt Trump's claims of a Golden Age is that he plans to fire many people, of course, at a time when AI is making many workers redundant, it may be hard for them to find other jobs, and it will make jobs harder to find for other job seekers. Programs that would help those out of work may also be cut.

And it could especially hurt older workers, who had expected to earn and save the most in the years preceding retirement.

Perhaps deregulation will create many opportunities though for these displaced workers, whether it be from the flourishing "greed and corruption" making the economy less efficient, or from companies which become more viable and efficient through deregulation.

Deportations would create more jobs for citizens, perhaps, but there are also a lot of American citizens employed in industries that hire immigrants and which may no longer be viable. Automation, AI, and robotics could benefit of course as a means to substitute for cheaper labor.
Anonymous said…
Just another fish out of water guy brought in to sit atop the Department of Nuclear Weapons.
Anonymous said…
After Schlesinger it's all been downhill in that office. We'll see if he can do a photo op with an EV charging station as well as the current Secretary.
Anonymous said…
Evidently part of the cost cutting measures for the Federal workforce may be to ban remote work so people have to be in the office 5 days a week. This will cause attrition especially because many people have arranged their lives so that this is not easily possible. Along those lines, it is possible some jobs will be geographically relocated, in some cases to undesirable locations. This can have the effect of creating greater attrition as well as removing particular individuals from positions of influence.

Naturally, many private-sector companies have already implemented similar measures, which have been viewed as a success towards shareholder returns.

I do think however, that cost may not be a primary concern in terms of managing weapons laboratories or nuclear-related programs. Trump's "peace through strength" programs would evidently require a strong nuclear deterrent, and he has made statements to that effect any number of times. And certainly he is a wealthy man, who appreciates things that are finely crafted.

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