Getting Drilled
Topic: Energy, Petroleum|There is a wind these days and it is coming straight out of the garbage dump. Everyone reading this has smelled this retched odor. Gas hovers at or above $4.00 a gallon, depending on where you live and what does the right wing do? They exploit the misery. You could smell it coming. Drill ANWR and drill offshore. Even John McCain, Mr. Global Warming, has gotten into the act. The oil companies are making record profits at the expense of the American people and what do these representatives want to do? Hand them their fantasy scenario on a platter. We all know the recent rise in gas prices are not caused by supply and demand but by speculation. Experts claim as much as 70% of current prices are driven by oil speculators.
Hey, if supply was the issue and drilling was the answer then there would be no debate from here. But drilling only extends the debate into the future. This is why the Bush Administration is calling for it. It allows the current prices to continue and allows the oil companies to drill with impunity, a win-win for big oil and a lose-lose for America. It does nothing to change the playing field. The answer is to change the entire nature of energy in this country and then if we need to tweak our oil reserves we do so from strength.
The issue of drilling has become the leading talking point for Republicans. President Bush stuck his head out of the White House today and pressed the issue. All the Right Wing mouthpieces on radio and TV are touting the message and then you have this character. This should show you more than anything how much big oil has its tentacles around the GOP. As Rep. Issa politicizes the death of Tim Russert, this will leave you shaking your head:
June 19th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
Man this shows how far out you are. We need to bring prices down, while looking for other alternative energy sources. We need to get off of foreign oil and produce the oil and energy ourselves. Mr. Gore did nothing when in office, why because of Big oil or because he was in bed with China. Give me a break. The next issue is going to be electricity. CA needs to build power plants but liberals prevent it. Then when that crisis comes you will blame Bush as well. GET A CLUE. Present the whole side not just your liberal slant. IT shows how liberals continue to DIVIDE this country…
June 19th, 2008 at 10:34 pm
It shows how ill informed you are. The current price for oil is not based centrally on supply. There is plenty of gasoline. The oil we produce now and in the future doesn’t go into an American barrel. It joins the other oil on the oil market. When the price of oil is compiled, it doesn’t take into account how much oil is produced in the US. It is based on global oil prices. Go do some research. Read my previous post entitled Crude Awakening and then go out and read beyond the Republican talking machine. Saudi Arabia is about to up their output significantly. Let’s see how big a difference that makes in oil prices. There is no shortage of oil currently. There are no lines at the gas stations. There is no crisis. This current climate is largely manipulated. Hell the oil companies who complain about a lack of refining closed down a number of their refineries the past decade. I don’t only blame Bush. I blame Carter on for their shortsightedness. Now we have the opportunity to make a sea change in regards to energy. Drilling for oil as the centerpiece is not the answer it is the problem.
June 20th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
Not my point at all. You took his comments out of context. He said that it would not be an immediate fix, but it would help us get off of the depency of the middle east as well as drive down speculation which is one factor driving up the cost. The other factor is the weak dollar. So if we import less that is good for the dollar which will drive down prices. But I guess you missed that on your liberal talking points.
June 20th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
BTW I am glad you brought up Carter who put an excess tax on oil. What happened? They stopped looking for more oil.. Led to less supply.. Led to higher prices and gas shortages… Please dont let us repeat history…
June 21st, 2008 at 9:24 am
How about talking about why we are in this mess. Blog about that. Blog about Clinton and Mr. Global Warming Gore and how they did nothing to promote alternative energy sources. A typical Liberal… Blame Blame Blame but never come up with a real solution….
June 21st, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Oh, I got solutions. First off we get a President that is willing to offer extreme tax credits for those involved with new technologies for energy. Second we get a President who starts a Manhattan Project for energy, bringing together the greatest scientists in the field and use them to steer the ship. Thirdly, we get a President that instead of spending 20 Billion dollars for a war that doesn’t have much return for our investment, we use that money to help subsidize mass transit in this country’s cities. Finally, how about a President that offers tax credits for those who buy cars that get over 35 miles per gallon. Not little credits but significant ones. This President gave such credits that I have in mind to those who bought the huge SUVs. What does that tell you about where his heart is? This President is using our pain to reward oil companies. The oil companies already have untapped regions under their leasing rights in this country where they have not even begun to drill. Democrats are saying that the oil companies only use 20% offshore and 30% onshore of the available supply. I’m skeptical about their numbers because I don’t believe politicians when it comes to this topic. But it deserves research.
The weak dollar is caused primarily by the national debt, the lower GDP which causes knee jerk reactions of lowering the interest rates (which makes the dollar less valuable) and the lack of confidence by foreign countries in the US economy. The weak dollar does make our products cheaper overseas but unless the trade deficit is close to equilibrium the impact is negligible on our economy and does nothing to increase the value of the dollar.
As I said, I’m not opposed to drilling. What I am opposed to is drilling as a means to solve our energy problem and this is what the Republicans are doing. They are doing so because they are in the front pocket of oil companies. Wake up. I listened to Michele Bachmann (R) Minn. last night on the floor of Congress say drilling will get us to $2.00 gas. That reminds me of the Bushies saying the Iraq War would only cost $20 billion. To point out this is the answer for Republicans they are wearing stickers (I saw them during the Scott McClellan hearings) that read “Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay less.” It is shameful.
As for Gore, who cares. He was VP. Blame all those from Nixon through Shrub. I do. So an excise tax caused oil companies to stop looking for oil, huh? Hmmmm…you really believe that one? Oil companies didn’t search for more sources of oil because oil prices were low and supply was not an issue. If you want to read the true story behind “Carter’s excise tax” (it was Ford’s baby by the way)check out the following and learn someething:]
http://www.taxhistory.org/thp/readings.nsf/cf7c9c870b600b9585256df80075b9dd/edf8de04e58e4b14852570ba0048848b?OpenDocument