Drill here, drill now, and use it up so our grandkids are still reliant on foreign oil. Let’s not plan a future where OIL is the reserve, and wind, solar, geothermal, etc. are the main sources of energy.
Don’t you guys bitch about expensive oil! Thousands and thousands of acadians have to exile themselves to Alberta to give the us cheap and reliable oil and harper wants even more people there!
Harley, even if we accept everything else you say, Neoconman is right. How will even 10 times the oil in the US lower the price at all if it is in the hands of private industry? The reason Venezuela has lower gas prices is the oil industry is nationalized. Our oil companies have shown now interest in lowering prices when they can, because they don’t WANT to. Oil prices will not come down unless oil has some competition from alternative energy sources. You want to watch gas prices drop? Put out a fleet of 50-80mpg cars that sell for $15k or less and watch the prices drop to $2.00 a gallon. Right now, since they know we NEED to buy gas from them, they will keep the prices where they can make the highest profit margin possible without driving people to alternative sources. Kill the electric/hybrid/alternative fuel market, and you’ll see prices skyrocket.
What would help the process is more refining capacity (esp. in California). I like the Boone Pickens plan using wind and natural gas, it would save us a bunch and pollute a lot less than conventional gasoline engines.
Harley, That Oil money would still be privately held, with no guarantee that it would flow back into this country’s economy. Oil companies are still posting record profits; why has that not fixed our economy and lowered prices? It’s because all of that profit is going into bank accounts instead of taxes or local economies. Even the money being traded stays on Wall Street. The goal now is not to make a profit and spread it around, it is to increase profit and take more. If executives kept the same percentage of the profit that they did in 1992, gas prices would be well under $2.00 a gallon. Based on their current actions, increasing the amount of domestic oil produced would keep prices the same and increase executive pay, instead of freeze executive pay and lower prices. Then, when there was another shortage, prices would double while executive pay still rose. The only way to bring down gas prices without nationalizing the entire industry is to eiher offer competition so people are no longer bound to their product, pass government regulations on how much profit can be used towards salary, or allow Congress or the President sole power to set the price of gasoline and fuel oil. Only the first option is viable in our system. Allow the free market to bankrupt the coal industry – its outdated and dirty anyway – and keep the oil industry in line with the rest of the country’s businesses. Stop demonizing the green energy options and start allowing them to compete on equal footing – if you told me I could ditch my oil heater for a solar panel and wind farm electricity at a fair price, I’d do it, but I don’t have the option right now because it is cost prohibitive.
Oh right the oil companies are all about providing a cheap fuel for the American people, they are not concerned with profits. Why dont you come step into the real word with the rest of us. Do you really believe what you just typed? (wow I hope not bud)
You do realize calling members of congress or the President communist makes you look like the stupidest person on the planet right? Oops, I guess you dont
Harley – Interesting that you use the same tactics that the media does to pick and choose words from a quote to get it to say what you want it to instead of the original meaning.I said I want the free market to decide – but show me where the oil companies have taken any initiative on their own to improve the economy. If giving them what they want is the answer, why hasn’t it worked? Yes, I know North Dakota had a job boom, I was there building the cell networks, but why hasn’t Detroit bounced back? The two are tied together. If oil prices come down, the demand for cars goes up. People are choosing foreign cars because of the better gas mileage. Detroit focused on SUV’s because the oil industry created the demand for them. Instead of lowering gas prices, they let them rise, making SUV’s and American cars impractical. Higher profits should mean lower prices, but they don’t anymore.What does Al Gore matter? He hasn’t been relevant in a decade or more. He talks a lot, and that’s it. And you demonize him for using the free market system?And you say you support the wetlands. Would you turn your back on them if they had oil underneath them?And finally, I said the only way to lower prices was through the free market – I said the regulations or Congressional/Presidential control was non-viable. Unfortunately, such a small handful of individuals now control the free market, they are able to prevent new players from entering the field for fear of people choosing against them. I suggest that if given a choice, people would choose the cheaper option, thus lower oil prices is the way to compete against green energy, not smear campaigns.
Harley, a simple two-part question: How many cars and trucks were running around the U.S. when Seward bought Alaska, and how many oil reserves had been identified??? Typical no-nothing party idiocy.
No, I said it was an option, but was not viable. I never said I supported it. My point is the only way to bring down fuel prices WITHOUT radical government interference is to allow alternative choices to compete fairly in the free market system. The oil companies have shown they are more interested in profit than responsibility, and we cannot expect them to lower prices no matter how many tax breaks or subsudies they are given until consumers turn their backs on them en masse. They are purposefully keeping competitive industries out of the market (buying up patents, negative ad campaigns, etc.) to ensure the highest possible profits, not the most reasonable profits.
edward thomas Premium Member about 11 years ago
Drill here, drill now, and use it up so our grandkids are still reliant on foreign oil. Let’s not plan a future where OIL is the reserve, and wind, solar, geothermal, etc. are the main sources of energy.
edward thomas Premium Member about 11 years ago
Your new icon fits you perfectly Harley!
CorosiveFrog Premium Member about 11 years ago
Don’t you guys bitch about expensive oil! Thousands and thousands of acadians have to exile themselves to Alberta to give the us cheap and reliable oil and harper wants even more people there!
lonecat about 11 years ago
I agree that we haven’t hit peak oil, but we will someday. So doesn’t it make sense to be thinking ahead?
Fourcrows about 11 years ago
Harley, even if we accept everything else you say, Neoconman is right. How will even 10 times the oil in the US lower the price at all if it is in the hands of private industry? The reason Venezuela has lower gas prices is the oil industry is nationalized. Our oil companies have shown now interest in lowering prices when they can, because they don’t WANT to. Oil prices will not come down unless oil has some competition from alternative energy sources. You want to watch gas prices drop? Put out a fleet of 50-80mpg cars that sell for $15k or less and watch the prices drop to $2.00 a gallon. Right now, since they know we NEED to buy gas from them, they will keep the prices where they can make the highest profit margin possible without driving people to alternative sources. Kill the electric/hybrid/alternative fuel market, and you’ll see prices skyrocket.
Mickey 13 about 11 years ago
What would help the process is more refining capacity (esp. in California). I like the Boone Pickens plan using wind and natural gas, it would save us a bunch and pollute a lot less than conventional gasoline engines.
Fourcrows about 11 years ago
Harley, That Oil money would still be privately held, with no guarantee that it would flow back into this country’s economy. Oil companies are still posting record profits; why has that not fixed our economy and lowered prices? It’s because all of that profit is going into bank accounts instead of taxes or local economies. Even the money being traded stays on Wall Street. The goal now is not to make a profit and spread it around, it is to increase profit and take more. If executives kept the same percentage of the profit that they did in 1992, gas prices would be well under $2.00 a gallon. Based on their current actions, increasing the amount of domestic oil produced would keep prices the same and increase executive pay, instead of freeze executive pay and lower prices. Then, when there was another shortage, prices would double while executive pay still rose. The only way to bring down gas prices without nationalizing the entire industry is to eiher offer competition so people are no longer bound to their product, pass government regulations on how much profit can be used towards salary, or allow Congress or the President sole power to set the price of gasoline and fuel oil. Only the first option is viable in our system. Allow the free market to bankrupt the coal industry – its outdated and dirty anyway – and keep the oil industry in line with the rest of the country’s businesses. Stop demonizing the green energy options and start allowing them to compete on equal footing – if you told me I could ditch my oil heater for a solar panel and wind farm electricity at a fair price, I’d do it, but I don’t have the option right now because it is cost prohibitive.
STLDan about 11 years ago
Oh right the oil companies are all about providing a cheap fuel for the American people, they are not concerned with profits. Why dont you come step into the real word with the rest of us. Do you really believe what you just typed? (wow I hope not bud)
STLDan about 11 years ago
You do realize calling members of congress or the President communist makes you look like the stupidest person on the planet right? Oops, I guess you dont
Fourcrows about 11 years ago
Harley – Interesting that you use the same tactics that the media does to pick and choose words from a quote to get it to say what you want it to instead of the original meaning.I said I want the free market to decide – but show me where the oil companies have taken any initiative on their own to improve the economy. If giving them what they want is the answer, why hasn’t it worked? Yes, I know North Dakota had a job boom, I was there building the cell networks, but why hasn’t Detroit bounced back? The two are tied together. If oil prices come down, the demand for cars goes up. People are choosing foreign cars because of the better gas mileage. Detroit focused on SUV’s because the oil industry created the demand for them. Instead of lowering gas prices, they let them rise, making SUV’s and American cars impractical. Higher profits should mean lower prices, but they don’t anymore.What does Al Gore matter? He hasn’t been relevant in a decade or more. He talks a lot, and that’s it. And you demonize him for using the free market system?And you say you support the wetlands. Would you turn your back on them if they had oil underneath them?And finally, I said the only way to lower prices was through the free market – I said the regulations or Congressional/Presidential control was non-viable. Unfortunately, such a small handful of individuals now control the free market, they are able to prevent new players from entering the field for fear of people choosing against them. I suggest that if given a choice, people would choose the cheaper option, thus lower oil prices is the way to compete against green energy, not smear campaigns.
dragonologist about 11 years ago
Sorry I must have missed something. What is “The Green Communist”?
Dtroutma about 11 years ago
Harley, a simple two-part question: How many cars and trucks were running around the U.S. when Seward bought Alaska, and how many oil reserves had been identified??? Typical no-nothing party idiocy.
Fourcrows about 11 years ago
No, I said it was an option, but was not viable. I never said I supported it. My point is the only way to bring down fuel prices WITHOUT radical government interference is to allow alternative choices to compete fairly in the free market system. The oil companies have shown they are more interested in profit than responsibility, and we cannot expect them to lower prices no matter how many tax breaks or subsudies they are given until consumers turn their backs on them en masse. They are purposefully keeping competitive industries out of the market (buying up patents, negative ad campaigns, etc.) to ensure the highest possible profits, not the most reasonable profits.