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I’d pick #2, but also add in a non-choice there as speculators for #3.

If the Democrats were consistent, they’d stand up and say: ‘High gas prices are good! That’s our way of getting you to put less carbon in the atmosphere. $4 a gallon means some of you plebes are going to have to start riding the bus.’. Instead you have them talking up global warming on the one hand and then promoting a gas tax holiday on the other. Unfortunately McCain has joined them in this two-pronged stupidity.

I don’t hear a great clamor for a “windfall profits tax” from gold mining companies now that the price of gold is at record highs. Nor do I hear of congressional hearings over the price of jewelery. How about releasing some of the US gold reserve so people can better afford wedding rings?

And don’t get me started on tortillas.

And here’s a good follow-up article.

http://hillbillywhitetrash.blogspot.com/2008/05/no-one-will-solve-our-problems-for-us.html

Although “peak oil” is still an issue.

THE DEMS ARE GETTING EXACTLY WHAT THEY WANT. High gas and oil prices is what they asked for and we will suffer the consequences. The answer is to unseat them!

I thought Bush was to blame for everything?

if you ask a democrat, the oil prices are all bush’s fault, his and his “buddies”, i have a friend who really believes that. she also believes we get no foreign oil. wow, thats dumb, and she is voting for obama becasue her mom told her to. we need to drill here, charge all of the dems the price of carbon offsets for all of their hot air, and we need to get them out of office. what a sad day it will be if obama ever cross’s the thresh hold of the white house to live there.

luva: If your friend is able to read (a valid question when it comes to Obama supporters) then show her this chart:

http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/aer/txt/ptb0501.html

It’s the Energy Information Administration report on how much crude oil we produce and how much we import. We import more than twice the amount we produce.

This second chart shows how much oil we are getting from selected countries:

http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/aer/txt/ptb0504.html

And don’t get me started on tortillas.

Crosspatch,

Are you one of those Mexican farmers that took to the streets in protest of NAFTA several months age? /sarcasm

No seriously, there’s a bigger problem. What does it do to the price of tequila ?

Still, about one-quarter of those who grow agave, which is used in the production of tequila, are expected to burn their fields to make way for corn, as prices have nearly doubled from what they were a year ago, due to US ethanol demand.

I say potatoes may be a good investment!

mike,
when i tried to explain to her basically what you have said, she was sure it was right wing propoganda. i guess the funniest part is her husband is what everyone thinks a republican is, he hunts, drinks, has racial bias, and is a total redneck. on all other things she is basically normal, we have very different politics.

I dated Hofmeister’s oldest son for a while.

Those SUVs you drive couldn’t possibly be contributing to global demand for gas! Keep driving as normal–in fact, drive more! Be a good consumer!

luva: So just what does your friend think is in all those oil tankers arriving at terminals in the United States? Cotton Candy?

Sekhmet: Did the son make as much sense as the father?

Souldrift,

Actually my SUV got better mileage than most cars. With child #3 on the way I have a minivan which gets even better mileage. I guarantee these SUVs get far better fuel economy than the “elite” leftists’ limos, attendant security vehicles, and private jets.

As for your moronic comments, maybe you should talk to Al Gore whose mansions use more natural gas per month than my house would per year with the doors open! But then that would ruin your flippant, ignorant comment.

Anyone who thinks we can conserve our way to energy independence is either a fool, a Democrat or both.

I’ve already doubled up all my trips in my Chevy Tahoe and turned the thermostat to 76.

When I see Al Gore doing the same I’ll take Dems seriously.

Yeah, Chris, it’s the “elite.” I can tell this conversation’s going nowhere. Call me when you drop the Sean Hannity talking points.

Souldrift: Your comment was about as substantive as Obama’s empty rhetoric of change. When you decide to drop the bile, come back and share with us.

I would say it’s the customers and the growing number of them. If you add the number of rich and middle class of India together, the number would be larger than the population of the U.S. Even African villagers buy gas to run their generators from China to watch their Japanese TV sets. China is using more, Iraq is using more and probably even Afganistan is using more oil and gasoline. I would guess the number of customers has jumped from 1 billion to 4 billion in the last 20 years. That’s what happens when economies grow and they are growing without the infrastructure support. Just look at China on that. They were the number one exporter of coal and are now the number one importer of coal (mostly because of corruption). China has very lax smog laws so they could build anything they want. One of the things they are building is refineries to turn coal into gasoline but they can’t build the refineries fast enough so they have to import oil. Both China and India plan to make super cheap cars, which would put more cars on the road throught the road. Even if the U.S. did put more wells in the ground it may just stabilize prices till the wells run dry.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_supplies
Even if the reserve life years triple, both Mexico and the U.S. would run dry this century. To make it more interesting if the production also tripled, the world would have sucked up all the oil in less than 200 years. The cost to get the hard to reach oil would also increase.

The present coal useage, the world will run out of coal in about 164 years.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal

After that the majority of mined energy may look to uranium which this site says may give us energy for hundreds if not thousands of years.
http://www.americanenergyindependence.com/uranium.html

Who profits from High Gas Prices? Russia, Iran, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, financial institutions and the commodity traders who represent them to name but a few.

The Congress critters have come up with the way to solve the problem; Sue OPEC!

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved legislation on Tuesday allowing the Justice Department to sue OPEC members for limiting oil supplies and working together to set crude prices, but the White House threatened to veto the measure.

The rest of the story

Yeah, that’ll work.

No one has yet to ask the American consumer what THEY can do for their country, i.e. stop wasting our gas and oil driving your SUV, get rid of your McMansion, start conserving as Americans did during WWII when people actually WERE patriotic and cared about the economic state of the U.S. To continue indiscriminate drilling without holding ourselves accountable for our wasteful lifestyle first is frankly bad business, its un-American and puts our country in jeopardy for future generations. And what is this “environmentally sensitive” drilling that everyone is talking about? I have yet to see one best management practice provided by those who support drilling in Alaska. Suck it up and start conserving, THEN we’ll start thinking about drilling all the public lands. What a bunch of whiners.

Geology,

You’re an obvious troll so I will keep this short (also it appears there is a problem with reading)

Conserve?

Dammit, I’m American and I want to waste. Waste in excess!

We have billions of known oil reserves in the ground, recoverable with current technology. We have vast coal reserves! There’s this thing called nuclear energy, I hear it works pretty well. There’s also large reserves of natural gas. Wind farms? Nah, they’ll block Teddy’s view or attract some endangered suicidal bird. Why does Congress and the left obstruct the exploration of these technologies at every chance?

Conserve, just like the people of Atlanta and Charlotte did with water and now the local government needs to raise taxes on water to pay bonds? Ban fireplaces in homes like San Franciso and other metro areas? Look it up.

How about Congress conserves some of OUR dollars? Oh, that’s right, that money is going to all of those people that asked what THEIR country could do for THEM.

So we’re unpatriotic if we drive an SUV? How about a motorcycle? Moped? What part of World War did you fail to grasp in your statement? I fear that if things continue the way that they are with the SUPPLY and DEMAND of oil in the world, we will be conserving for a World War.

As for your “indiscriminate drilling” comment, re-read the Original Post. There’s an especially interesting part under No Environmental Reason NOT to Drill

Mike: I think it is time to break out the Sky Parrot.

Off to work I go on my oil spewing, gas guzzling, noise polluting American made motorcycle.

Udder,

“Dammit, I’m American and I want to waste. Waste in excess!”

Good luck with that. Are we familiar with the Tragedy of the Commons? Let’s read:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy_of_the_commons

No environmental reason not to drill?

How about sodium chloride migration into wetlands from produced water; migratory bird losses (and other wildlife) from reserve pits; Hydrogen Sulfide releases; disturbance to wildlife; noise; explosives; spills and contaminants; garbage; abandoned equipment and infrastructure, impacts to sensitive habitats; aquatic habitat degradation; crushed, cut or removed vegetation; invasive weeds, alteration of plant communities; erosion; impacts to water quality; hydrologic changes; perforation of subsurface water holding layer; fire; death or injury to wildlife; impacts to endangered species; changes in topography, impacts to soils…

Shall I continue?

Man you people needed someone like me in here to save you from your endless ranting. You are all on the same side for crying out loud. BORING. Let’s shake things up a bit.

AND FOR THE RECORD…I am not against drilling per se (I am against it in Alaska though). I am against drilling when Americans have not been asked to curb their wasting of oil and gas. If everyone was doing their best to conserve and we needed additional drilling to supplement our reserves, then by all means. That hasn’t happened yet, and by the looks of this blog, it ain’t gonna happen either.

And you don’t need to get so testy. I have nothing against motorcycles, and you don’t strike me as the moped type…

Signed, The TROLL

I love it how lefties toss around the “unAmerican” label and question our patriotism but go into a tizzy if any of us were to do the same.

Nice little regurgitation from Mother Jones Magazine Geology but you’re spinning and the facts are getting lost in the process.

All the so-called environmental damage you talk about above is not happening on anything approaching a scale would warrant any concern at all. Oil production in this country is remarkably eco friendly and those picture of the Caribou sunning themselves next to the production facility at Prudhoe Bay is just one of hundreds of photos I could post.

You’re clearly an extremist and are one of those responsible for the present mess we are in. I wonder if you have carried your message to Pope Gore and demanded he and his Hollywood lefty friends who warn of the phony danger from global warming stop flying all over the planet in private planes, own multiple homes that they could not possibly need and otherwise live the very wasteful, decadent lifestyle you ascribe to the rest of us.

There is plenty of energy available to fuel the continued development of the U.S. economy and the world. But you seem to want to put the handcuffs on the U.S.

Why don’t you go protest Chinese building hundreds of new coal fired power plants with few pollution controls. No, you people don’t do that. Your goal is to screw your own country to the point where we can’t afford to keep our military the best in the world to protect your sorry ass.

You’re typical of the self loathing lefty who thinks this country is no better than you are.

Well, newsflash Mr. Watermelon (green on the outside, red on the inside) this country IS better than the twisted delusions you people accept for reality. And if you don’t like it then move to some socialist playground that suits you. I hear North Korea is nice.

But don’t go throwing that UnAmerican label around unless you are ready to take a good hard look in the mirror. I bet if you do take that look in the mirror you see Che Guevara staring back at you.

Couldn’t agree more with you Mike.

If the Goracle and the rest of the Hollywierd experts on the Climate would maybe actually do what they preach, then maybe I woud listen to them. But this is all done in the name of Gaia and Socialism. It is a way to bring down our economy from within.

I wonder what Geology thinks about the US not allowing domestic oil companies to sign leases for the Gulf of Mexico or other US coastal areas.

At the same time that our domestic companies are being denied, we are allowing China and Venezuela and others to sign 100 year leases.

I wonder if Geology can cite for us where this supposed environmental damage has occurred and which companies were responsible for it.

I also wonder if Geology can tell us the details of the Exxon Valdez spill. Was that domestic or imported oil?

Can you tell us Geology, what is the overall size of ANWR? (Square miles or acres will do.)

Can you also tell us what the size of the proposed drilling area is within ANWR? (Again, choose square miles or acres.)

***

Personally, I say get the government out of the way. The gov’t earns more per gallon of gasoline than the oil companies do. The regulations and road blocks toward new exploration, drilling, and refinery capacity are the things that are causing gas prices to be high.

The hypocrisy from the Left on this issue is enormous.

Sort of like Algore’s Twinkie budget.

Interesting that the useless idiots from the left, as per standard M.O., accuse us of using “Sean Hannity talking points” (who I do not listen to BTW as I am at work at the time) and then launch into spoon-fed leftist/envirosocialist garbage and see no issues with it. Regurgitating the left’s crap ryme and verse as their masters have taught them. As usual, how dare conservatives use sources not approved by the “Party” (of superdelegates).

Guess what leftists, we ARE conserving as much as we can. Many of us “evil conservatives” have tried to get as far away as we can from debt, dependence, and instability. Yet the elites on the left demand we do more as they do nothing!!

We can conserve all we want, but oil prices will rise as international demand goes up. We are spending billions on new energy sources and fuels in the US but we must drill and refine more until the new fuels are ready and the infrastructure is in place to support it. In addition, US pollution levels are going down, but the rest of the world is skyrocketing and no matter how many times this is pointed out, the left still blames America and “conservatives” for everything.

China will soon flood its people with cheap cars. These new Chinese cars will not have pollution controls. Actually many vehicles used outside the US have little to no pollution controls, and China will flood these markets too.

As another example of the US trying to move away from oil (which the left says us “evil conservatives” are never going to do), the USAF cleared its B-52s to use a new synthetic fuel blend.

http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123066920

Tests on C-17s are underway. The C-17 has a more complex and newer engine than the B-52, which is why it is used for the second round of tests. Eventually, even fighters will be certified to use this fuel. This fuel cuts emmissions (soot) which is not only good for air quality, but also does not leave a line drawn to the aircraft saying “here I am!”. Right now, the fuel must be mixed with standard JP-8 for safety reasons. Natural fuels have compounds which help the engines run better. The synthetics currently lack these. However, the goal is for a 100% switch to pure synthetics.

Now, for those who do not know, US Army and USMC vehicles also use JP-8 (jet fuel). This means that the ground vehicles we use can all run on this stuff. We add this to the new engines on M1 tanks (doubles their range) along with new drive systems on other vehicles and the US Military may free itself from a huge, vulnerable, and costly, part of its logistics tail. Better still, any diesel engine can use this fuel. If the process can be refined to use waste biomass, any carbon-based material could become fuel. Your bagged grass clippings and bannana peels could be sold to a refinery to make gas.

The downside is that most compost material may become more profitable as fuel instead of fertalizer, further impacting food costs and production. Like the waste of a fuel ethanol, the “hidden costs” could come back to bite us.

The Thunder Run has linked to this post in the – Web Reconnaissance for 05/22/2008 A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention, updated throughout the day…so check back often.

Aye: You reminded me of this map:

We don’t see the lefties protesting the development of offshore oil platforms by the Chinese just mere miles from our shores. But they have been effective in disallowing U.S. companies to do the same.

And as I mentioned in the post, when U.S. platforms in the Gulf were damaged or destroyed by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita there was not one oil soaked beach to point to.

Can the lefties say that the Chinese will have higher standards than we do? Who is going to clean up the mess when one of China’s platforms leaks? WE ARE! And the lefties will use it as another phony excuse not to develop U.S. oil production.

This big lie that the left uses to constrain U.S. oil production is almost as big a whopper as the global warming fraud.

P.S. And need I remind the lefty peaceniks that the U.S. was dragged into World War II by Japan’s lust for oil? What is going to happen when China runs low on gas. Drilling for oil in the U.S. is not only patriotic, but the path to world peace.

Not happening at the scale I’m talking about. Ummm have you seen Wyoming lately? Do you read? My god you are an angry bunch. And I don’t know why because you have gotten everything you’ve ever wanted from the Bush Administration. Well, all good things must come to an end January 20, 2009. McCain is against drilling in ANWR, as are the Democrats. That must bug you BIG TIME. Hooray for the caribou that sun themselves against the pipeline (btw, that is one lame argument against mine, which comes from actual first-hand experience, not Mother Jones.) At least I speak from experience and not regurgitate Hannity, Bill O’Reilly and Rush Limbaugh.

On the bright side, there is leasing on the OCS for alternative energies going on right now (does that bug you too?) Face it, the days of fossil fuels are nearing their end. I can see you will all be mourning it’s loss.

And soo…I am signing off now, because these things come into my in-box, and I don’t want my 12 year old daughter to see your spirited emails.

Buh-Bye!

Lefty Troll Geology

Typical Leftist Troll.

When confronted with factual arguments it turns tail and runs to hide because it doesn’t want the 12 year old daughter to read the follow up e-mails.

Spirited e-mails?

Really?

Where?

Umm…. you can deselect the e-mail follow up box if that is really your concern.

You’re the one who said that this site was “BORING” and that we should “shake things up a bit”.

So, don’t run and hide. Let’s shake things up.

Give us some facts to work with. Go get them.

We’ll be right here to dissect your arguments, disassemble them at the joints, and stack the dry brittle bones in the corner.

Don’t expect much from Geology Aye other than the usual left wing hit job. All propaganda, all scaremongering, no facts.

Wyoming looks fine to me. And so does the Prudhoe Bay field. Perhaps Geology hasn’t considered that in ANWR, the only people that live there in Kaktovik WANT oil development:

http://www.anwr.org/features/kaktovik.htm

78% of those Native Americans want oil development in ANWR. They rightly believe that development of this resource is their key to the same opportunities that you and I enjoy living in the lower 48.

How very condescending, elitist and typical of Geology to wish to deny, especially to Native Americans, the same opportunities that he enjoys.

Why is it that these libs feel entitled to tell the rest of us how to live?

Do they think they know better? Yet, history has shown their flawed ideology to be a LOSER everytime it’s tried. You’d think that if they were as smart as they pretend to be that they’d get a clue.

But then, most readers here WOULD think. That’s a skill that apparently escapes robotic neosocialist ideologues like Geology.

Crawl back in your hole Geology. See if I care.

And I don’t know why because you have gotten everything you’ve ever wanted from the Bush Administration.

You do not get out much if you believe this. The left got quite a bit as President Bush reached across the aisle and pandered to a lot of the leftist domestic agenda (tax cuts for all being the notable exception).

That must bug you BIG TIME.

Yes it bugs me that we will remain dependent on (held hostage to) foriegn sources for our basic needs when we have so much here. Wealth generated by purchasing these resources goes to dictators like Chavez who oppress their own people while spreading war against others. Wars we are forced to respond to. It SHOULD bug you too. Obviously it does not.

At least I speak from experience and not regurgitate Hannity, Bill O’Reilly and Rush Limbaugh.

I seem to have addressed this already, but thank you for proving my point above and we DO speak from experience. You might want to hit the “author” tab on the main page. We do not agree with you, your diatrabe, and your typical (for leftist trolls) sweeping accusations of what “conservatives” are.

Face it, the days of fossil fuels are nearing their end. I can see you will all be mourning it’s loss.

I guess you missed the part where us “evil conservatives” in the US Military are moving to synthetic fuels generated from biomass (actual “fossile fuels” as some scientists think petroleum is not from biomass alone). we are also doing all we can to increase fuel efficientcy, reliability, and alternatives for new drive systems. I went into some detail above.

As for petrolium’s days nearing their end, GREAT. Just so long as something better comes along. We do not want “change”, we want IMPROVEMENT. Something the left and radical environmentalists do not offer. Just a question though, what about other petroleum products? Fuel is not the only item made by crude oil after all. What will we do if these products go away due to the left’s refusal to keep resources flowing while others are being developed?

And soo…I am signing off now, because these things come into my in-box, and I don’t want my 12 year old daughter to see your spirited emails.

Again with the logical fallacies. Sweep in, insult, and then retreat stating we are all big meanies.

If this response to your misstatements and outright lies is too “spirited”, then I have to wonder how you handle life in general. If you want something that might offend your child, go to DU or Kos… or are they considered “proper” as they attack conservatives (or what they “think” are conservatives) without remorse?

It takes an incredible will to be so forcibly ignorant about this subject to be a liberal.

EXAMPLE:

Chuck Schumer says that the one million barrels per day from ANWAR would lower the price of gas one cent. However, if Saudi Arabia pumps out an additional one million barrels per day the price of gas will go down 65-70 cents per gallon.

I shit you not.

Chuck Schumer says that the one million barrels per day from ANWAR would lower the price of gas one cent. However, if Saudi Arabia pumps out an additional one million barrels per day the price of gas will go down 65-70 cents per gallon.

I think both you and Chuck need to show your math….

Wow… if the ominpotent Geo didn’t want email follow ups coming to his inbox, why the heck did he check that option??? Perhaps that technology was beyond him. In which case, I guess I’ll have to discard his mysterious “first hand experience” and inferred superior knowledge on the subject of drilling.

Buh bye, Geo. And don’t forget to tell your bud, AlGore maybe he should conserve by cutting that mansion down to size.

I am against drilling when Americans have not been asked to curb their wasting of oil and gas.

They are being asked, in the most effective and time-honored way possible: high prices. Which work well (in the news: ‘According to the Department of Transportation, Americans drove 11 billion miles less in March 2008 than a year earlier’ – first drop since 1979…). 11 billion miles less driving means 20-30 million fewer barrels of oil used, depending what assumptions you make about mileage and the like.

Chuck Schumer says that the one million barrels per day from ANWAR would lower the price of gas one cent… if Saudi Arabia pumps …l one million barrels per day the price will go down 65-70 cents per gallon.

I think both you and Chuck need to show your math….

Generally accepted estimates of the demand elasticity of oil are about 1/4 (demand is not very elastic, which means that prices are). If you take 80 million bpd as world oil production, 1 million bpd would be a 1.25% increase and should result in a price drop of roughly four times that, or 5%, which at current prices would be $6.5 per barrel. You can get about 20 gallons of gas out of a barrel of oil (but you also get a bunch of other products), so if all of this price drop went to gasoline it would get you about 32 cents per gallon. However,
– the supply of gasoline may actually be limited by refinery capacity, not oil availability
– the price change would realistically also be distributed over the other products (fuel oil and so on) from that barrel of oil
– there are other complications
It’s still usable as an upper bound though. Both one cent and 65-70 cents seem unrealistic.