TonyRush - 06 July 2008 02:58 PM

I like Band-Aids for cuts and scrapes.  Using a Band-Aid for a hemorrhaging artery is foolish. 

I wonder how far we can keep going on this metaphor? 

Tony

That’s a great analogy, Tony, because right now, we just have a scratch. We aren’t near out of oil. We aren’t near hemorrhaging. To the conservationists, this is a nightmare, we might disturb the caribou in Alaska. The reality is that we have created this disaster in our minds, and in the minds of speculators who have figured out a way to make millions at the expense of everyone else.

I’m a conservative and a conservationist, but when it comes to our need for oil I am not overly concerned about the polar bears, caribou, or someone else’s view from their beach home.  Here are a few thoughts, though, that I’d like to throw into the discussion.

If a major US oil company really buys most of its from “unfriendly” foreign governments, well, it’s a matter of choice to a certain extent.  Much of ours came from Canada and Mexico, and from our “friend” Saudi Arabia.

At $145 per barrel our oil companies make a nice profit.  They make it from refining and distributing the foreign oil. They pay a lot and pass it on to the customer.  Now, here’s the part that the business propaganda that gets filtered through so-called conservative channels wouldn’t want to talk about:  The MILLIONS of barrels that they produce from company-owned supplies in and around the US --they charge the same for this gas as for that they buy from the foreigners.  It actually costs them about $35-40 per barrel to pump it. They charge the customers the same as the gas they make from the $145 oil that they buy.  That’s a lot of extra profit.  A major business magazine says in the August issue that they could make a nice profit if they got $45 per barrel for their domestic oil(that they pump from their US oil reserves).  At $145, that’s an extra $100 of pure profit.  Much of this increased price is due to the “war.” More due to “globalization.” Now think of one more thing.  If they were allowed to pump out some oil from one of those now off limits places in Alaska(which would be ok with me, by the way) what do you reckon they’d charge for the gas?  Do you reckon they would give the American customer even one penny cheaper gas?  Since they don’t now with their Oklahoma and Texas oil, I doubt they would suddenly get charitable. So the argument about freeing us from dependence on foreign oil really isn’t all that it’s represented to be with respect to price at the gas pump.  What we need is to free us from dependence on oil and the political consequences of our dependence.  The oil companies still get subsidies from the US government.  Right now they don’t need them.  Some are trying to cut off the subsidies.  They are squealing about that.  I don’t blame them for that though.  I’d squeal too if someone decided not to give me a $XXX million next year that I was accustomed to getting.

In about two years we’ll have plug-in electric cars with backup gasoline engines to go along with regular hybrids.  There is a potential to reduce consumption by personal passenger vehicles by 50-60 percent or more for those fortunate enough to be able to obtain one of these. 

I believe it would be better not to emphasize the Democrat vs. Republican theme because it’s too easy to be unknowingly influenced by well financed campaigns to influence opinions. Whichever party happens at the moment to offer less at the feed trough will be demonized.

I appreciate being able to buy gasoline.  The oil companies do a great job of getting it to us.  Unfortunately it looks like the oil business is somewhat like the Gold Rush.  Lots of stuff gets done for the sake of accumulating material gain at the expense of others.

I am in the process of rereading a book I bought in 1974 called “Armageddon - The Middle East and the Oil Crisis”. This book was written written right after the oil embargo in the early 70s, emphasizing how the Arabs were trying to blackmail us with the thread of shutting down oil exports.

First, they found out that not selling their oil hurt them more than it hurt us.
Secondly, back in 1974, the estimate for retrieving new oil was only five years.
Now, over 30 years later with improved technology and safety, “experts” are trying to tell us that it will take 10 years, til 2018, to get that oil out of the ground and into the economy.

I am just amazed at how we listen to “experts” and just swallow their theories without ever checking out their motives or reasons for making their guesses.

I think that it is pretty safe to say that if the government will get out of the way, this oil crisis could be taken care of rather quickly.
Of course, the writer says that even back then the government was hindering progress in the oil markets.

Deon Unthank - 10 July 2008 08:56 PM

I am in the process of rereading a book I bought in 1974 called “Armageddon - The Middle East and the Oil Crisis”. This book was written written right after the oil embargo in the early 70s, emphasizing how the Arabs were trying to blackmail us with the thread of shutting down oil exports.

First, they found out that not selling their oil hurt them more than it hurt us.
Secondly, back in 1974, the estimate for retrieving new oil was only five years.
Now, over 30 years later with improved technology and safety, “experts” are trying to tell us that it will take 10 years, til 2018, to get that oil out of the ground and into the economy.

I am just amazed at how we listen to “experts” and just swallow their theories without ever checking out their motives or reasons for making their guesses.

I think that it is pretty safe to say that if the government will get out of the way, this oil crisis could be taken care of rather quickly.
Of course, the writer says that even back then the government was hindering progress in the oil markets.

Wow talk about technologically advances!!!!!!!!!! 5 now 10 makin progess ...uh??
Watch the swinging politician ….you’re getting sleepy very sleepy…now cluck like a chicken…

bf57 - 11 July 2008 08:03 AM

Deon Unthank - 10 July 2008 08:56 PM

I am in the process of rereading a book I bought in 1974 called “Armageddon - The Middle East and the Oil Crisis”. This book was written written right after the oil embargo in the early 70s, emphasizing how the Arabs were trying to blackmail us with the thread of shutting down oil exports.

First, they found out that not selling their oil hurt them more than it hurt us.
Secondly, back in 1974, the estimate for retrieving new oil was only five years.
Now, over 30 years later with improved technology and safety, “experts” are trying to tell us that it will take 10 years, til 2018, to get that oil out of the ground and into the economy.

I am just amazed at how we listen to “experts” and just swallow their theories without ever checking out their motives or reasons for making their guesses.

I think that it is pretty safe to say that if the government will get out of the way, this oil crisis could be taken care of rather quickly.
Of course, the writer says that even back then the government was hindering progress in the oil markets.

Wow talk about technologically advances!!!!!!!!!! 5 now 10 makin progess ...uh??
Watch the swinging politician ….you’re getting sleepy very sleepy…now cluck like a chicken…

Better yet, let’s just all drink the Conservationists Kool-Aid.