Yes, today's quote is taken from the same policy speech that we talked about on Tuesday, namely Prime Minister Abe's state-of-the-nation address to the Diet last month.  In the earlier entry, our focus was on what the Prime Minister had to say about the future of Japanese agriculture.  Energy policy is the nominal topic for today.

Japan is not an energy rich country.  It is country that is critically dependent on foreign oil.  It also a country that knows first-hand that things can go wrong at nuclear reactors.  Prime Minister Abe had no need to rehearse the history.  His audience - the Japanese people - knew full well what he was talking about when he said on February 12 that "Nuclear power stations that have been approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Authority as conforming to the new regulatory standards will be restarted." (Emphasis added.)

For Prime Minister Abe this sentence was the beginning of a discussion of energy policy.  For us, it is a lead in to the larger topic of defining national interest ... in Japan, in the United States, or indeed anywhere.  The process for doing that is called politics, and if the result makes sense, well then, by that measure, the political system is functioning well. 

In our view, the Prime Minister is absolutely correct.  An inexpensive and stable power supply is critical to economic success, not just for Japan but for any modern economy.  The fracking bonanza aside, it is not at all clear to us that the U.S. political system shares that view.  Each of you will have your own opinion on that score.  What concerns us is that, in case after case, political positions in the United States seem to be logically unrelated to economic interests.  For example:

Fighting TPP in the Northwest.  Seattle, Washington, is that state's largest city, a seaport, and the hub of a major exporting region.  From apples to wheat to airplanes, Washington State is a powerhouse in trade.  One would expect Seattle to be supportive of efforts to open markets and expand American exports. 

And yet, Politico reported yesterday that "Seattle City Council members are drafting a resolution that could put the trade hub firmly on record against the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership."

Ports Opposing Trade.  The International Longshore and Warehouse Union represents the men and women who load and unload the ships that call at West Coast ports.  They just ended a bruising labor dispute with the Pacific Maritime Association, one that resulted in lost business, both for the ports and those who depend upon them.  Of the millions of American jobs that depend on trade, none are more clearly trade dependent than those at the ports. 

And yet, the president of the ILWU was one of the labor leaders who signed the March 2 letter to Congress from the AFL-CIO and others opposing "fast track" or Trade Promotion Authority, which is the precursor legislation for trade agreements and the bills that implement them.  The letter states that "Fast track trade deals mean fewer jobs, lower wages, and a declining middle class."  Can that really be the case at the ports?

Confusion Over Energy.    Here in Oregon,  a Democratic legislature has just presented the new governor, Kate Brown, with a bill to reduce the "carbon intensity" of road fuels.  The Oregonian, which opposes the legislation, argues it would "boost fuel costs by up to 19 cents per gallon ... the equivalent of a 63 percent hike in the state's gas tax."  In their view, that's a high price to pay for "ideological window dressing."

Governor Brown is relatively new to her office.  A former secretary of state, she became Oregon's governor on February 18, following the resignation of long-time governor John Kitzhaber, who left under a cloud of scandal.  Governor Brown is expected to sign the new energy bill. 

And yet, this is a state with relatively high unemployment and only middling per capital income.  Effectively raising the gas tax is not likely to improve the state's competitiveness, especially since the revenue is not being dedicated to roads or other infrastructure improvements.

Editor's Note:  It is rare for us to publish a TALK Quote on Saturday.  Suffice it to say that we are very conscious that this is the weekend.  So whether you are digging out from snow in the Washington, D.C. area, enjoying the beautiful cherry plum trees that are blossoming all around us here in Oregon, or having tea in China...