Thursday, May 22, 2008
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It's All in the Numbers
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Posted by:
Michele Bachmann at
2:36 PM
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Continuing the energy talk from yesterday, check out these numbers. I wish I could take credit for this, but this piece was sent to my office this morning by the Office of the Republican Whip, Roy Blunt. This piece shows the differences between what Republicans would do to rein in gas prices on behalf of American energy consumers and what Democrats WILL NOT DO. The difference is becoming clearer and more pronounced by the day.
(Here are some details about the origin of the stats to compile this piece. Retail gasoline prices are the result of literally hundreds of factors, including crude oil supply, global demand, refinery capacity, regulation, taxes, weather, the value of the dollar, etc. Therefore it is impossible to say with certainty what one individual action will do to the overall price. However, based on what we know about the impact of crude oil supply and prices it is possible to develop some potential ranges of impact on gasoline prices for certain policy changes. For example, using the methodology employed by Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats that suspending shipments into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (between 40-77,000 barrels of oil a day) would reduce gas prices by at least 5 cents, bringing ANWR online (at least one million barrels of oil a day) could impact gasoline prices by between 70 cents and $1.60.)
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What amazingly flawed logic.
First you have spent the last week complaining that we don’t have enough capacity (refineries) to handle the oil we already have. You blame this on Nancy Pelosi ignoring the fact that Republican have been in charge for years. Then you say supply is the problem and all we have to do is drill in the Arctic wilderness and the Fla Keys to add even more oil.
Next you want a gas tax holiday and you’re from a state where one bridge collapsed and another Bridge in your own district needs to be replaced because of poor maintenance. To top it off you no longer feel the need for the SPR and blame it on earmarks which have been cut almost in half since the dems took control from the Republicans.
You constantly confuse allowing sunset provision to expire with tax increases and in-spite of the record profits ($40,000,000,000 from Exxon alone) you feel the need to give them even bigger tax breaks.
Once again not a single mention of alternative ideas or conservation.
A few facts;
1. The amount of oil coming into and produced by our country has increased. The rising cost of gas has nothing to do with an oil shortage. It is caused by uncertainty in the market mainly based on our policies in the Middle East. Policies you and Rep. Blunt support. Only Bush could invade a country with the 2nd largest oil reserves in the world and fail to produce any oil.
2. Drilling in Anwr, OCS, and bringing new refineries on line has you suggest will take at least 10 years. Anwr and OCS are tiny reserves compared to the Mega reserves in Mexico, China and Saudi Arabia.
3. You have failed in your last 3 post on the subject to address the Demand side of things.
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"For example, using the methodology employed by Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats that suspending shipments into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (between 40-77,000 barrels of oil a day) would reduce gas prices by at least 5 cents, bringing ANWR online (at least one million barrels of oil a day) could impact gasoline prices by between 70 cents and $1.60.)"
I'd love to see an energy expert or economist address this creative arithmetic. What unbelievable nonsense. But that's the Bachmann Way--don't bother me with the facts, I'll just make them up as I go along.
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Although drilling domestically will bring more supply to market, by lowering the price of oil, other sources of supply that came on line due to higher prices disappear. If we don't take very serious measures to stop burning oil in the next 10-20 years, we are just delaying the inevitable. Since it has been again demonstrated that the only factor that is effective in solving problems is price, all we are doing is fooling ourselves. Moderately high prices are forcing us to do what must be done in a manner that could be avoided if would just grow up and plan ahead to prepare for inevitable problems. We cannot drill our way out of our problem and we do not have a right to cheap fuel. |
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It is pointless coming up with politically appealing solutions that avoid facts that are well established and publicly available. The objective is to actually solve the energy problem, not temporarily relieve the political problem. This is a foolish political solution that will do nothing to solve the energy problem. To pander to voters by misleading them into thinking that gas can go back down to under $2 is counterproductive to say the least. |
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the lobbyists and special interests groups have gotten us in this mess. If the Republicans were going to clean it up, they would have already done it. After all, they had a majority in Congress and a Republican president. What has been the hold up? I don't think the Dems will fix it either. The only hope for change is that we, the American people, can find a way (totally on our own, because government won't/can't help us) to stop using oil. It will take us a while to figure it out, but we can do it. |
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college money, and use that to lower gas prices in Rep. Bachmann's district?
Look, this appeared on CBS News:
"(The Politico) Americans United for Change, a group created to oppose the Bush administration, will air television ads against four potentially vulnerable Republicans over the Memorial Day recess for their votes to oppose expanded college aid for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The group has targeted Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, Ohio Rep. Steve Chabot, Florida Rep. Tom Feeney and New York Randy Kuhl. The ads will air on a mix of cable and network television, according to a spokesman for the group."
If this Bachmann vote was really about saving the taxpayers a bundle by denying college funds to soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan--why can't we devote that cash to offsetting the price of gas here in Bachmann's home district?
(The graphic above with "the Dem GOP gas prices" is already out of date, by the way. Today I paid $3.85 a gallon for unleaded here in Rep. Bachmann's Sixth District of Minnesota--it costs about $70 to fill the tank of a Jeep, now.)
So why not take this federal money that the Democrats were going to give combat veterans and use it to subsidize and lower gas prices, to offset the $3.85 a gallon we're paying here in Bachmann's district? I realize that there are people who would criticize me for wanting to take funds from combat veterans. But they don't criticize Bachmann for doing that, so I don't care, either.
Love,
Bill |
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Increasing the supply of oil to reduce the price of gasoline is an obvious solution to our current energy dilemma. In theory it should work and in the long run it should achieve the desired results of supporting our economic growth and standard of living. But the real mess was caused by us, for not paying attention to the actions of our elected officials, understanding the issues and electing those people of character who are interested in serving our country and not themselves. Perhaps this current dilemma is a wake up call to us to the fact that our country cannot run itself and our past apathy is coming home to roost. My hope is that more people will insist that the energy crisis facts be established so that each of us can make informed choices.
As for me, I would start drilling for more domestic oil now and see what the oil market does. Like it or not, we have an oil based economy and I see no reason why we shouldn't try to flood the world market with oil.
Like it or not we are in an economic war for our survival.
I for one would like to see us win it. |
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We don’t have the reserves to flood the market. If oil prices drop then OPEC reduces pumping until the prices rise. Domestic oil is subject to the same price as foreign oil. It’s traded on the world market.
Even if we drill in the Keys and ANWR it won’t be enough to affect world markets and will take 10 years.
Does anyone truly believe that the American oil companies will voluntary lower prices below world market price? Exxon loves $130/barrel oil.
This is not a supply problem alone. Oil will drop as we decrease demand.
Any energy policy that does not address demand like the program that Michelle just unveiled will not get the job done.
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Oh I love Michele Bachmann-Bush's fuzzy math!
She's always blaming the democrats for all the problems, yet we have had Repuklicans in control for the 6 of the last 8 years. Where was their taking control and solving this problem.
I bet we could all hit oil big time if we drilled in Michele's back yard and tried to hit the vast oil reserves in Iraq from there. |
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Your assertion that we do not have enough domestic oil in the ground to flood the market is an interesting one to consider. I am guessing that the real answer to this question is not precisely known and that the only way to find out is to go and try to extract it. So why not try? The experiment is well worth the risk and we have little to lose in trying. As far as your "it will take 10 years to solve the problem" assertion, I think so too, yet if we put the world on notice that we are determined to drill for more domestic oil and start doing it, the effect on speculative oil pricing in the short term should be an immediate downward pricing pressure and in the long term should be stabilizing.
Population growth is geometric and world oil demand will continue to increase. Yes, we should all conserve and at $4/gallon we have to, but it is still economic suicide to not increase the oil supply.
The oil companies have no control over the world price of oil. it is a pure situation of world supply and demand and the world market sets the price. Reducing demand will help, but the most effective solution is to increase the supply of oil. The next step would then be to re-start building more domestic nuclear reactors.
All of this requires our government to remove the domestic restrictions on increasing oil and nuclear energy production. I have been contacting my congressman and senators every day or so to urge them to remove these restrictions if they wish to have my vote for their reelection. A few million people in every congressional district or state doing likewise could turn this whole situation around.
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the talk of gas and it's cost to the little man is sickening. No one but those that are impacted can know just how much it hurts . For instant some one earning minimum wage that has a family, see his cost of gas sky rocket to where he now has to cut in to his meager food money just to get work then his rent is getting out of reach, and him knowing that soon and very soon he will be on the street, after all his pay does not rise with the gas price, nor will his food and ulitily's go down , so where does that leaves him?? all we hear is talk, when will there be some relief?? and all the people out there that think that we all are asking for a hand out GET OVER IT !! THAT IS OUR TAX DOLLARS!!!!!, |
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we watch our tax $ go to rebuild and feed other countries, well what about us??? China and the other countries get our jobs, and the companies sending it there is getting TAX BRAKES, HELLOOOO WHAT ABOUT AMERCIANS FIRST????!!!!! the big CEOOOOO get millions while we get ???? how much can they eat at once?? why not share with the hungry?? how many bead can they sleep in? can they take it with them?? we are not asking for much or what is not ours?? just to have the government to leave a few dollars in our pay check or our social security, to allow us to keep our home and find a way to help us to work thorough it all. taking some ones home, boarding it up and leaving them on the street, who does it help?? NADA, no one, would it not be better to have them pay RENT and stay (Rent to own) so that in the future when things get better they can pick up where they left off??? why take EVERYTHING?? and MOST OF ALL TAXES!!! it is KILLING THE HOME OWNER'S!!! |
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Add the price of gas and rising food prices, Amercia is becoming the next Africa. Because soon there will be a mass of starving people, and still the TOP FEW KEEP GETTING TAX BREAK AND SUBSIDIES. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE??????
This once great EAGLE soaring to great heights in all it's Majesty , is now BROKEN , LIMPING, and SORE, struggling to breath. What has become of us? where are we headed?? God only knows. This is what we get when we forget the little people, the ones on whose backs this once great country was build!! the ones who are now loosing their homes!!(is this a third world??) How can we allow our family's to live on the street?, in parking lots?( there is just one of those parking lot in tinsel town) they allow WOMAN, who have lost their to stay over night, that is if they have a car in which they can sleep, from 7pm to 7am. no bathroom facility but they are protected. How can we allow this to happen??? at one time you could file for bankruptcy to save your main resident , you were PROTECTED . HA HA HA, Fool me I forgot about the lobbyist, they give OUR elected official gifts money under the table and just like health care,care for the on the job injured it went out the window, just like the pundits that said as soon as gas gets to $4.00 they will stop driving ECT ECT. |
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They live in their IVORY TOWER and NEVER COMES DOWN TO VISIT THE SLUMS therefore how could they know that WE THE PEOPLE HAVE TO DRIVE to work, the market(when we HAD money to spend) to the Dr. school, you get my drift, We send FOOD MONEY, to other countries BUT NOT TO OUR BROTHERS AND SISTER'S we are like a "husband" that takes care of his girlfriend but leaves his wife and children to starve.Bank and CREDIT CARDS take disadvantage of the people , where is our HEART?? COMPASSION? and LOVE? pretty soon I and my 85 year old mother will join the mass on the street will any one give us a second look??? my CHILDREN FOUGHT FOR THIS COUNTRY now they cant even get health care one son-in law works 90 hrs. per week but still cannot afford health care, granddaughter speak 5 language but cant get a job, NO CAR(yes car she MUST drive to get to work) and cant pay the high college loan we AMERICANS are treated like illegals in our own home, and we watch this farce of a election where super delegates are allowed to give us who they think is right for us instead of letting us choose, kicking one of the racer out before the Finnish line, counting SOME VOTES AND TOSSING THE OTHERS OUT we watch "JUDAS" crawl out of the wood works and help up one that has fallen, while kicking the other to the curb, but what do we expect/ THIS IS THE NEW AMERICA. GOD SAVE AMERICA.P.S. Cant even get help from the social services, if you have a car you have to sell it and get a JUNK, they use your GROSS PAY to figure how much help you obtain. HELP! who takes home their gross pay??? and what about RENT ?? that is not counted so by the time they finish, you do not deserve ANY HELP!!
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A few days ago it was reported that "woman" in this great country are sleeping in parking Lot's because they have lost their home's.
Another woman lost her home because of a $68.00 dental bill. The house was sold from under her yet for ten years she paid mortgage, no one told her that her $50,000. plus home was sold to a lawyer for$1,500. not until she went to get a loan did she find out that her home was not hers .what is wrong with this picture????
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Why do we (the US) talk so much??? . Every night you can watch TV and see almost every new weapon and where it is build (spy planes, drones) and kept , what we have accomplished, the way we fight , even where our oil reserve are???? What is up with that?? what does it accomplish?? why do we bother to convict "spies"? we do more harm to ourselves than any spy could ever do!!! we are shooting ourselves in the foot because we cant keep our BIG MOUTH SHUT!!! all China and the Soviet and all those that heat us have to do is watch the nightly news to obtain their information!!! i know this have nothing to do with gas but I just had to get this in!!!!! |
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5 years ago a barrel of oil cost $60 US, and since the dollar also bought 1 Euro, it cost 60 Euro's. Today, 1 Euro will buy $1.60 US. Those using the Euro are paying 78 Euro's for a barrel of oil that costs us $125 per barrel. Over five years, our cost has doubled, the rest of the industrialized world has seen it rise 23%. Get a clue. This is all a bunch of demogoguery in Congress. The author is just as clueless. 8 years of chronically high budget deficits that has forced us to borrow trillions from international banks, in combination with a Fed which keeps devaluing the dollar by cratering the interest it will pay on the dollar, has taken its toll. Since the dollar will earn only 2% today, and a few years ago went as low as 1%, no one wants it.
The fastest way to radically affect our cost of oil is stop devaluing the dollar and get our deficits under control.
But that would force Congress and the Fed to tell the truth - about whose really responsible.
Don't wait up for that one. |
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All the oil men want to do is drill in Alaska!! it was on the news that a man build a car that could run on water (how about that??) is anyone looking into that?? problem solve??!!!
Then there is another man that found a way to use coal(yes coal that we have an abundant supply of)to make it into gas, without unleashing emission in to the ozone , it is being use in Africa!! why not get on the band wagon and try that??? EVERY THING should be tried before we think of going to Alaska but NOOOOOOO the OIL LOBBYIST will not do it because someone other than them has a lock on that , not worth their time I thought that America should be what it was all about??? I got that wrong.
Here is another thing giving home owners rebate for up grade to "solar" panels would it not be better to give them the cash to do that prior to the fact as long as they have contracted to have it don?? after all most do not have the start up capital!!! it is not easy to obtain rebates (and talking about rebates, get the stores to quit with that it is a gimmick as most people NEVER get their rebate for one reason or the other)
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This "author" is not clueless trust me i am looking at it from all side, and I know that it has to do in part with the dollar but it also have to do with lobbyist who will do everything to push for drilling in Alaska (or bust)to the exclusion to any other means to make us independent of foreign oil.
then there is the speculators that at the least sign of any little thing cries wolf and THAT makes the price rise faster than you can say uncle . SO there many factors that push this thing up up and away.
Now look into another factor. Have you notice that MOST gas station receive gas ONCE per week?? yet the price of gas goes up (again the spectators) at the drop of a hat???.
Last but by no means the least, it was on the news in Boston, that gas station operators ask the big oil company to lower their rent because THEY ARE NOT MAKING ANY MONEY, and is finding it hard to make ends meet (as are we all) but nooooo , their response was to" hike the price of gas across the board if you want to make money" the attendants had refuse to charge more for card purchasers. MANIPULATION you say???
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Democrats and republicans are both to blame for this mess. Neither side wants to annoy the environmentalist groups for fear of being demonized as destroying the environment.
I am afraid what we need is a hard core spike in gas prices so the people become outraged. When the politicians see protests in DC and every major city perhaps they will pay more attention to the people as a whole and less on the minority that makes up the canvas belt crowd. |
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And Michele Bachmann's numbers are wrong, as usual. Except in this instance, it's the numbers of her Love Toy, George Bush, that contradict Michele's Moronic Math.
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would likely produce 2.6 billion barrels of oil between 2018 and 2030, when its production would start to decline, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said today (that would be the Bush Administration).
The Alaskan refuge, which is currently off limits to drilling, would produce 780,000 barrels a day in 2027, declining to 710,000 barrels a day in 2030, according to the agency's mean projection. Opening the area would cut the price of oil by 75 cents a barrel, according to the mean estimate.
The report, which assumes a law passing this year opening the refuge, was requested by Senator Ted Stevens, an Alaska Republican.
So, 2.6 billion barrels between 2018 and 2030, to reduce the price of OIL by 75 cents PER BARREL by 2027. That's quite different than Bachmann's claim to get "at least a million barrels a day" out of ANWAR and IMMEDIATELY reduce the price of GASOLINE by 70 cents-$1.60
But what's a few more lies for Michele Bachmann? Just throw it out there and see if it sticks. If not, move on to the next fabrication.
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Estimates are not lies, they are estimates. They have both an upside and a downside potential. As I said to taxpayer, it is a low risk experiment to open the oil fields and see how the market adjusts.
Another factor that you fail to acknowledge is that any significant move in the marketplace to increase supply will cause an immediate oil price drop and it will happen on the day that Congress passes the required legislation.
Let's not repeat the same mistake that we did in the 1970's by ignoring the supply part of the problem.
If you have other reasons for not wanting to increase domestic drilling, I would like to hear them.
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That should have being speculators in my previous blog , must learn to proof read before sending.
Now to what I have learn on the news about our MEAT and lobbyists( they are the root of all evil they will sell their soul to the highest bidder for a few dollar) It was reported yesterday that"lobbyist" are running the MEAT industries(USDA) remember the piece on the downer cows been prod and picked up by a to be slaughtered?? there you go .
China as sent contaminated FISH , RX. TOYS, and now CLOTHES. formaldehyde(do hope I spelled it right)an embalming fluid was found in clothing made in China!!! the fact that those clothes COULD NOT BE SOLD IN CHINA but they could export said contaminated clothes to the USA. should make us stop and wonder just what they think of us!!!!
Caps for filling teeth was found to have "Mercury" in them, how?? a woman had a cap put in only to find that it did not fit right after days,week's? of discomfort she had it remove and in passing said that she would like to give a piece of her mind to the company that build it , she was told that she would have a long way to go because is was MADE IN CHINA!!! .
Reporters then investigated the matter by ordering from the same company that supplied said product to the dentist office (and the person placing the order laugh about the fact that he was getting it for around $9.00 (and the dentist could charge thousands for said product, again the almighty dollar)
China does NOT have to INVADE us they just have to continue to send us poisonous crap kill us from within!!! all because we have outsource everything we hold dear to save a few dollars!!!!!
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PMK,
OPEC was formed to avoid the scenario you just laid out. If we increase production (supply) they will decrease to keep the market stable (high).
America just doesn’t have enough oil to affect the market and certainly not the way Michelle just laid out. The best way for America to affect the market is by reducing demand.
We cannot gain energy independence using only domestic production without reducing demand. The math just doesn’t work.
The market place will sort this out. It already is. I need to buy PU trucks for work and the auto makers will soon be giving them away.
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That should have being speculators in my previous blog , must learn to proof read before sending.
Now to what I have learn on the news about our MEAT and lobbyists( they are the root of all evil they will sell their soul to the highest bidder for a few dollar) It was reported yesterday that"lobbyist" are running the MEAT industries(USDA) remember the piece on the downer cows been prod and picked up by a to be slaughtered?? there you go .
China as sent contaminated FISH , RX. TOYS, and now CLOTHES. formaldehyde(do hope I spelled it right)an embalming fluid was found in clothing made in China!!! the fact that those clothes COULD NOT BE SOLD IN CHINA but they could export said contaminated clothes to the USA. should make us stop and wonder just what they think of us!!!!
Caps for filling teeth was found to have "Mercury" in them, how?? a woman had a cap put in only to find that it did not fit right after days,week's? of discomfort she had it remove and in passing said that she would like to give a piece of her mind to the company that build it , she was told that she would have a long way to go because is was MADE IN CHINA!!! .
Reporters then investigated the matter by ordering from the same company that supplied said product to the dentist office (and the person placing the order laugh about the fact that he was getting it for around $9.00 (and the dentist could charge thousands for said product, again the almighty dollar)
China does NOT have to INVADE us they just have to continue to send us poisonous crap kill us from within!!! all because we have outsource everything we hold dear to save a few dollars!!!!!
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Any thing we can do will help. We need to be drilling everywhere we can for the short term.
Most on here seems to think it is oil or nothing. The fact is this will a Hydrogen economy in the next 10-15 years.
Japan is installing thousands of homes with fuel cells. Electricity is made at the home.
Europe yesterday voted on a Hydrogen economy
...."The new JTI will build on the work of the industry-led European Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Platform (HFP), with a special focus on its implementation plan. This plan foresees a series of actions relating to the development of hydrogen supply and fuel technologies including:
- commercial take-off for early market applications (e.g. handheld devices, portable generators) by 2010;
- stationary applications (domestic and commercial combined heat and power) by 2015;
- mass market roll-out of transport applications by 2020.
Europe's Science and Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik sees hydrogen and fuel cells as playing a decisive role in the future of energy systems......
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I don't get why this woman is running for reelection. |
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Are you sure that America doesn't have enough oil to challenge OPEC's dominance? I think that we ought to rev up our domestic production and find out.
As I stated earlier we can only estimate how much oil is in the ground.
With regard to OPEC cutting production to offset our increasing production, I think that the market forces might work in exactly the opposite direction as well. OPEC has two main options if we increase production:
1) Discourage us from developing our domestic supply chain further by increasing production and driving prices down. They already did this once and we fell for it. ($10/barrel as I recall)
2) Reduce production and lose market share and lose revenue.
I believe in American productivity and ingenuity and that we can beat OPEC in either scenario and reclaim our energy independence.
Back to my original question, what could it hurt to try?
With regard to your point of reducing demand to reduce prices, I think that this is an important part of the solution, yet it is a strategy of diminishing returns. Is it reasonable for a citizen of a modern society to cut their energy needs every year from now on? Since population increases geometrically every year, every citizen would need to reduce their energy needs geometrically every year as well to keep demand from growing.
This would work if the end game was to establish a new stone age.
I would rather have an end game of an energy independent and prosperous America.
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... that article is authentic frontier gibberish. Is Michelle Bachmann in the third grade? Because, from reading that and looking at the math, it is of the standard one might expect from a third grader.
It used to be that in times of war people were expected to conserve finite assets - now it is your duty as a citizen to consume, and to consume as if a bottomless well had been discovered. Any politician promising to lower gas prices is talking the same gibberish as Bachmann is.
Get used to $4 a gallon - there will come a time when that will seem like the good old days. Expensive oil is here to stay. Buy a bike or a bus pass. |
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I disagree, $1 a gallon is very achievable and possible if we would start increased domestic drilling. The US Congress is standing in the way and you are acting like we should all just lower our expectations and expect the worst.
In times of war the United States pulled out all the stops to do what was needed to win, both production and conservation. Make no mistake about World War II, we won because we out produced Germany and Japan, not because we out conserved them. Our current war needs the same commitment to production.
Conservation is a part of the solution, drilling for more domestic oil is the bigger part of the solution.
I suppose that you can get along with a bike or bus pass, many of us cannot.
Oil is the fuel of freedom and we are sitting on an abundance of it.
I say drill for it!
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So, let me get this right. You believe that we are sitting on enough oil that, once drilled and in production, will result in the price of gas falling to a buck a gallon? A dollar a gallon???? That in the meantime, while we are awaiting the discovery of this bottomless well, rather than conserve a finite, depleting resource, we should consume it with absolute abandon? Forgive me, but that sounds like gibber. Still, fits with what Bachmann says I suppose...
But engage your brain cell for a moment. What happens if your bottomless well, well, isn't there? You seem certain that it is, but I'm not sure that outside of ANWR there are any significant untapped proven reserves in the US, and even ANWR's potental impact on gas prices is very debatable.
It may not happen in our lifetimes, but the oil will run out, and then it's back to bikes, horses and steam trains. While I may indeed sound pessimistic, it is surely better to be prepared for the worst than to simply expect the best and not give a moment's thought to what happens if it doesn't work out. Isn't that how the neo-cons approached the Iraq war? Not having a crystal ball is understandable; not planning for any eventuality other than the best case scenario is unforgiveable.
Your point about WWII is also bogus - how much oil did the US import back then? There is no data available - records only began in 1973, but since then the amount of imported oil has risen from 35% of demand to over 65%. It is safe to assume that during WWII domestic oil production satisfied the lion's share of demand, meaning that industrial consumption and production were unaffected by global geopolitics. The same is not true now (until of course your bottomless well is discovered).
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Personal attacks on my one brain cell have nothing to do with the argument. :)
We seem to be planning for one contingency: reduce the demand. Where is the supply effort? I never said that oil is infinite, just that there remains a lot of untapped potential. It is my opinion that we should go and try and extract it. A low risk proposition. The situation is self regulating. If the oil in the ground is less than we thought, oil prices will stay high and limit demand. If the oil available is abundant then we buy time, oil prices stay low, and we keep our economy strong while nuclear or the next energy breakthroughs come on line. A strong economy with a future for our children is the only way that the energy supply will grow and be maintained. A weak economy will hinder the R&D necessary to fund the breakthrough or fund nuclear. As far as bogus arguments go perhaps you could read a little about WWII to help you see my point:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_production_during_Wor ld_War_II#Crude_Oil
http://www.mikeantonucci.com/bloodforoil.htm
My point is still that increased domestic oil production is the only winning strategy. And thanks for giving my one brain cell a workout :)
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This is so rich...you stinking Republicans make me sick...almost as bad as the Dimocrats.
While you pigs stuff your pockets with pork and suck up all the cash you can as bribes (campaign contributions) we taxpaying citizens are getting royally SCREWED!!!
I just wish someone like a Pres. McCain has the cahones to declare a national emergency and set aside all these asinine laws about not drilling or refining our own oil and uses the executive order to stop this insanity. Bush should have done it in 2000 but he is locked to the Saudi's.
Face it clowns, Americans are sick and tired of being lied to and treated like fools. Either we drill for our oil and refine it here and get out from under the thumb of these tinhorn dictators in the Middle East or we will have a revolution...wait and see. Your time is near an end, the Americans are not going to put up with this posturing, WE WANT ACTION NOW! |
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The silent majority just sits back and lets these elected clowns impose all these regulations on oil resources! What can we do? What are our options to make people wake up and realize they have been feed a global warming lie? |
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With regard to the silent majority, I think that we are all paying for a lesson in government at the gas pump. I say to everyone who is wining about gas prices to put your energy and frustration to good use. Turn off the TV and go to your US Representative and US Senators websites and read what they say that they are doing for you. Review their voting records and press releases. I think that you will be surprised at the lack of urgency to solve this problem with increased domestic oil drilling. Next, contact them and tell them what you WANT them to do, give them a deadline, and tell them that if they don't allow increased domestic drilling by the deadline, that you will not vote for them at their next re-election. If a few million people from every state start sending this message, they will not be able to afford to ignore it.
Further, even if your representative or senator is in favor of drilling tell them in like manner that you will not vote for them as a member of a Congress that does not increase domestic drilling. Talk is cheap, gas is not. Maybe it will motivate them to take it a bit more seriously.
If they persist in ignoring our wishes to increase domestic oil production, then I say we start cleaning house in November, and again in 2010 and 2012, Democrats and Republicans alike.
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Where are you going to tell your kids to go drill when you've sucked the wells dry? Or are you just assuming that the End Times will take care of that, like Bachmann? |
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