Oil over $100 a barrel

[Phlegm]

Oil futures went over $100 a barrel for the first time ever. Expect gas prices to go up again.

[Evermore]

sigh...

[Gypsiyee]

november can't come soon enough~

[Martrae]

november can't come soon enough~

If you think merely having a new pres will solve the oil issue you're not keeping up with world events.

[Gypsiyee]

i'm not naive enough to think that a new president will be the only cure, i'm well aware of the depletion in supplies and the overall 'crisis' but i firmly believe that here, in the states, the prices for us would've never gotten as bad as they are if it wasn't for our precious monkeypuppet.

[Martrae]

How bout including the chimps in Congress that won't allow drilling in the Alaska wasteland and the envirowackos that won't let refineries be built in the US.

It's very easy to point a finger at a person you don't like and blame them for everything from athlete's foot to world hunger but this has been a long time brewing. We're just the lucky ones that got the bottom of the pot.

[Arlos]

Of course, if we had had a different president, one who was actually interested in the environment and weaning us off foreign oil, we could have had 8 years of development into biofuels and biodiesel, as well as alternative energy sources, such as expended solar, geothermal, etc.

Bush's energy policy has been to give Big Oil anything it wants, whenever it wants it, period. The last thing Big Oil wants is for the country to drastically reduce its oil needs. It is, however, completely possible. Look at what Brazil did, for one example. Not saying we can exactly copy their plan, but we sure as hell could take some ideas from it.

Personally, I would MUCH rather the country spend the money on developing renewable sources of energy and alternative fuel sources than further destroy what little unspoiled environment in Alaska that we have left, because drilling there only postpones the issue, an alternative fuel source policy SOLVES it.

-Arlos

[Martrae]

You could say the same thing about any president for the last 30 years, too, Arlos. And that really was my point.

Yes, Bush didn't do anything to help but you can't solely blame his inaction for the problem we have. Just like electing someone else will magically solve it.

Opening up a wasteland for mining (short term help) while at the same time implementing a plan to make oil redundant (long term solution) would be ideal.

[Gypsiyee]

i've said this a billion times, but i'll say it a billion and one. im not someone who just 'dislikes bush.' i voted for him and supported him until he smashed us into oblivion. i don't dislike him because it's just the cool thing to do, i dislike him because he has obliterated the trust of the american people and has about as much sense as a one eyed deaf retarded dog.

i never said congress is without fault - they're bleating puppets no better than bush for the most part and have just as much contributed to the demoralization of this country.

of course no one person can single handedly cause the crisis we face with oil, but to deny contributions made to it by the bush administration would be turning a blind eye to the last 8 years

[araby]

it worries the shit out of me when the American dollar is low, oil is high and China owns us. /waves flag

[Martrae]

Where did I deny Bush is equally at fault?

You are the one that stated that 'november can't come soon enough' like it was some endall and beall of everything.

[Kramer]

read in the NY Times that a single individual took the price to $100. He bid on and bought a small lot of oil for $100 and then quickly sold it for a loss.... kind of funny, they assumed he did it so that he could brag about it. Not that it won't clear the mark cleanly soon enough. Some are predicting $120 by the end of 08'.

[10sun]

read in the NY Times that a single individual took the price to $100. He bid on and bought a small lot of oil for $100 and then quickly sold it for a loss.... kind of funny, they assumed he did it so that he could brag about it. Not that it won't clear the mark cleanly soon enough. Some are predicting $120 by the end of 08'.

$4 a gallon at the pump by Memorial Day is what I heard most recently.

[Gypsiyee]

Where did I deny Bush is equally at fault?

You are the one that stated that 'november can't come soon enough' like it was some endall and beall of everything.

I didn't say you denied his fault anymore than I said that it was solely Bush when you assumed so in your response to me. neither did i say that it was the end all be all of anything; i simply said november can't come soon enough, and it can't. the sooner we can establish some hope for a future less black than the one bestowed upon us in the recent years, the better.

[Harrison]

How bout including the TREE HUGGING DIRT HUMPING MONGOLOIDS INFLUENCING Congress that won't allow drilling in the Alaska wasteland and the envirowackos that won't let refineries be built in the US.

[Lyion]

How about we get on the alternative energies platforms that will enable us to quit plowing through oil like it's going out of style?

More expensive gas will push us towards alternative energy sources and slowly move us off the antiquated internal combustion engine that has been ubiquitous in most transportation mediums over the last century.

This is not something the executive or legislative branch can do, although the way to cheaper gas is to allow us to build another refinery and allow drilling in more areas. That is a stopgap measure, though as oil is still limited and our continued use and dependence funds many of the biggest threats to America.

[Martrae]

How about we get on the alternative energies platforms that will enable us to quit plowing through oil like it's going out of style?

More expensive gas will push us towards alternative energy sources and slowly move us off the antiquated internal combustion engine that has been ubiquitous in most transportation mediums over the last century.

This is not something the executive or legislative branch can do, although the way to cheaper gas is to allow us to build another refinery and allow drilling in more areas. That is a stopgap measure, though as oil is still limited and our continued use and dependence funds many of the biggest threats to America.

Isn't that what I said? (only I used smaller words :P )

[Arlos]

I heartily agree with part A, Lyion, not with part B.

There IS something that the Executive & Legislative branches can do about the issue. The president sets an energy policy, and sets budgetary numbers for various things to carry out that policy. If a president were truly interested in weaning us off the big oil teat, he could put billions of dollars of funding in his energy policy towards production of alternative fuels, and the research of more efficient renewable resources.

Literally, in 6 months we could be entirely weaned off using petroleum for diesel fuel, if enough money was there to get the large scale farming in place to produce oilseed plants to provide enough replacement. How many barrels of oil income would that cause us to no longer need to purchase? How many domestic jobs might it create?

Drilling new areas is at best a short-term stopgap measure that wouldn't materially effect the price of oil anyway. If the price looked like it was going to fall much at all, OPEC would just cut production to match the increase, and oil would stay at least nearly as high. Not to mention what it would do to the environment, most especially were there to be a spill through negligence like there was last year. All drilling there would ultimately do economically anyway is give a few more Big Oil companies an even larger obscene profit margin. Way way way too high a cost to the environment for too little gain.

-Arlos

[Martrae]

Here ya go. Yes, it's another Ron Paul article but it's got a lot of economic info as well.

http://www.nolanchart.com/article764.html

[araby]

thanks Martrae, I passed that one along!