CFACT Students Protest President Obama's Energy Policies
On Thursday, February 3, 2011 CFACT UPenn teamed up with YAF PA to host a “Rally for Affordable Energy” just outside the Campus Rec Hall where President Barack Obama was attempting to explain his energy policies.
CFACT student’s handed out approximately 300 fact sheets to attendees prior to the event and led chants like “Burn coal, not money.” They held signs covered in facts highlighting errors associated with the Administration’s policies as well. The signs said things like:
“Energy sufficiency starts with government efficiency.”
“Only 1 in 10 Green Jobs is Permenant”
“Pennsylvanians Pay 700% More for Solar Power than Coal,” and “Green is the New Red”
Rally for Afforbable Energy
The Obama administration’s all pain no gain energy policies seemed to be a theme of the protest.
“This administration has consistently opted to favor high-cost, impractical energy solutions under the guise of being ‘green,’” said Penn State junior, Samuel Settle. “This is truly unfortunate, because the people who get hit the hardest by rising energy prices are the poor and the economically destitute—two segments of the population that have increased under this administration.”
Lauren DeRoo expressed similar sentiments, calling herself “disillusioned” with the Obama administration. “They really haven’t brought the change I was hoping for.”
David Carr said the group hoped to engage other students and encourage them to look at other possibilities available in terms of energy.
“We feel that a lot of people have this backwards. Cheap energy is often demonized when it really benefits the U.S.,” said David Carr, a junior majoring economics.
Rally for Afforbable Energy
Samuel Settle, who led the protest said he was fairly pleased with not just the turnout, but the responses the group received as well.
The students protested from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. in front of the Rec Center where President Obama gave his speech.
