You people are a riot, first he had it right when he said no drilling off the coast, now he has it right by saying we should drill off the coast. There are more than 1700 leases to drill and none are being used, but he has it right to get more, give me a break.

It’s amazing that every anchor on Fox thinks the same, says the same and sounds the same, are you all robotic and just that ignorant?

It’s scary when most people can’t grasp the simple concepts of why oil is skyrocketing. I constantly hear people talking about this being a political issue. It very simply comes down to the Federal Reserve printing money out of thin air (devaluing our dollar) due to no restrictions, Iraq war, etc….
The second reason is because now we have other countries that are developing and the supply/demand for oil has risen.

If people can’t see these blindly obvious reasons, then I don’t think America has much of a future due to lack of information from its people.

There are many ways that we as Americans look at the situations which we find ourselves.
1.Is that our Republican President and the past Republican Congress and Senate has put no
plans to work that have prevented America from going into a economic crisis.
The President waves his veto pen at anything that does not benefit him or is Big Oil Partners
but, at the same time when he asks them to produce more oil they tell him no.
Not to mention that an increase in oil production would raise prices of oil higher due to more labor
and resources used to match the demand. Remember supply and demand!
2. John McCain may be a War Vet but, that does not mean he understands National Security.
Because, If he did why has he not put forth any policys that would have prevented this crisis.
He is the one claiming to have more experience than Sen.Obama in Congress.
And how is McCain going to claim he does not agree with Bush,But he excepts money from him
That shows us that there will be close door meetings with secret partners.
I guess we could’nt call that a special interest meeting can we?
3.McCain has been getting alo of money as a Congressmen and his wife is a billionare
but, he still needs public money. If she wants to be the first lady why is she not funding him.
Obama is known for working in the community then went onto graduate Harvard Law School.
I have never been to War but, I am a Army Vet with Family and Friends in this worthless war.
And If this is a War where is our Five Star General and what is our goal to stop terrorism.
While our soldiers die others are making money on there blood due to things like contracts
and I am highly upset that we are paying Iraqi’s to fight for their own freedom.
What kind of conspiracy is Bush’s Adminastration pulling over on our eyes.
And not to mention my Family still has not receieved there supplies for Katrina.

Ask and ye shall receive
http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=1911
I’m fairly sure that 3-4 billion barrels in North and South Dakota would be considered a nice little find.

We should at LEAST be able to drill in international waters off the coast. Mexico, China, Russia, and many other countries are already there and have been drilling for years. The ban on drilling keeps us from drilling near our own coastline where other countries have already set up shop. STOP THE MADNESS! This doesn’t affect the birdies and the fishies for God’s sake.

I guess most of the Fox News viewers believe that oil will last forever. Makes you wonder what they’ll be pushing when the oil runs out completely. My bet is that they’ll come up with a theory that there’s oil on the moon so we should start drilling there. Amazingly, there never seems to be ANY solution besides drill, drill, drill. Anything else is just anti-American liberal drivel. What is most troubling is that Washington politics always tries to look at here and now while completely ignoring tomorrow. The only thing this serves to accomplish, besides putting money in legislators pockets and acting as a means of division, is ensuring that we have problems tomorrow that could have been averted by opening our eyes today.

Hey Mike!

Hey man no offense but are you unconscious? Do you know what THE deficit is? Do you know what A deficit is? This economy is NOT horrible?

I’m sorry. You are right. THIS economy is “GREAT” for CORPORATE AMERICA, POLITICIANS, and OLD MONEY/.COM HATERS/NEW MONEY HATERS. I mistook you for an average, blue-collar, professional, working American. WOW! The cool-aid you’re drinking must be fantastic. Can I drink some or smoke some of it? =)

It’s incredible how I can’t remember a recession or high unemployment rates during Clinton? What I remember is that there was a recession and high unemployment rates at the end of the Bush administration leading into Clinton’s. Maybe Clinton’s pot smoke clouds my memory?

Maybe I was too busy in graduate school? Something most politicians know nothing about. Same excuse that my friend used as to why his mother couldn’t get a job yet 8 years of Bush haven’t changed that reality. Did we not end with a surplus at the end of the Clinton administration? Oh, I’m sorry, I guess that was the result of a Republican Congress even though they do not believe in “raising taxes”. Shouldn’t we have a surplus now Dr. Econ.? Oh, may be the democratic led congress is sending billions of dollars to Iraq?

I’m afraid your faith in the Republicans is blinding you. Numbers don’t lie. Ideology, whether religious or political leads to ignorance.

Peace Bro. Mike =)

Why does McCain sound so dumb?? Doesn’t he know that we have all the oil we need
in Alaska, located in the North Slope with a super deep well. That our administration
doesn’t want us to know because we are really not running out of oil like he said we
were. Now the truth is out in the open to all Americans that Iraq was attacked for the
oil so now they will continue pumping again. If we want the truth and we want to be
honest Mr. McCain let’s be HONEST like the cardboards read behind you when you spoke on the podium. Please get the truth out of our leader on, why are we paying so
much at the pumps? Is it because of money that the White House owes to other countries and promises he made and the Republicans made to get us into debt. Now
we the American hardworking people are paying the price!!!! And the poor people can
barely make ends meet with all the prices going up. Let’s not forget, their wages haven’t gone up. The common folk paying for those prices, are not getting better wages.

Mike,

Good point. But as a working, blue collar professional, like I presume that you are, it’s hard to convince me that 1) I should worry about military funding when my gas and grocery bills are going up and more and more good jobs are leaving this country. Other than Corp. America’s bottom line, who the heck has benefited from NAFTA? Mexico, India, China, Politicians from both parties, and CORP. America? Why should I care? Is CORP. America turning around and creating more quality jobs in America with those profits? Are Politicians keeping CORP. America honest when it comes to outsourcing of American jobs. I’ve given up on the day of using labels: Republican, Democrat, Conservative, Liberal, Socialist, or Communist. WHAT DOES IT MATTER?

2) How have the average American people benefited from the war in IRAQ. CORP. have made billions if not more on the blood, sweat, and tears of American soldiers. Now CHEVRON, SHELL, and EXXON MOBIL are lining up to profit from those contracts created by the BLOOD of the American people. I’m supposed to believe Junior that he has our best intentions at heart when he wants to re-open drilling off the west coast when his connections have benefited from over speculation of oil. Am I to be backed-up against the wall by fear of gas prices so that they can have their way? They talk about the terrorists abroad, but who will protect us from the terrorist within who are disguised as American politicians and corporate businessmen. Republicans may not have created the Sub-Prime Mortgage crisis but they better stop bailing out these companies and start prosecuting those who have benefited from it. Which, as of today, the FBI made well over 300 arrests. 3) And last, but not least, the .com bust didn’t threaten OUR economy and OUR country like the mortgage crisis and oil prices are. If we can give the excuse to Junior that he had to deal with what the Clintons or a Republican Congress created then what is the excuse for Bush Sr.? He was coming off of 8 years of Regan. Does it not bother you that we have a deficit? Any manager or CEO of a company would be fired if they were running that kind of deficit.

Obama may be idealistic with his message of CHANGE but what is McCain doing other that recycling old Republican rhetoric. This presidential election may be more a judgement against the Republican philosophy rather than support for Obama’s plan for CHANGE. As long as this economy is not stable, both parties run the risk of working class America waking up and seeing them for what they truly are.

Comment by Tim
June 19th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Gas Prices are HIGH!
Everything Costs MORE!
The Economy is Horrible!

That’s what 8 years of a Republican President
& 6 years of a Republican Congress does!!!!!

You can’t give Corporate Lobbyists all they want, because in the end America ends up paying for it!!!!

Obama 08!!!

Tim, gas prices are high, things cost more due to this. The economy is NOT horrible. We have not had a recession since the Clinton admin, we have not had as high of unemployment as in the Clinton admin. You must not understand markets or economies. Obama wants to raise taxes on oil which raises the prices on gasoline. You must want gas prices higher, and prices higher on everything that gets shipped; otherwise why would you want Obama? Dumb ass! Learn man, go to school, get your GED, take an economics class. You are obviously a high school flunk out. Also (if you work); you will pay more in taxes, just check back to your ‘99 return. (if you know how to figure your taxes)

G D Manzano,
Anyone who knows anything about the economy knows that it goes in cycles and it is normal to have a recession every 7 to 10 years. your logic is completely wrong, u think that just because the economy was going great at the end of clinton that he made it better. It was called the .com bubble that blew as soon as bush came in and inherited it. And remember the republicans had congress during most of clinton and congress is what passes the laws, so if I am going to use ur logic i guess i can make that argument.
Anyways, here are the two main factors that caused the housing bubble.
1. laws were passed in the late 90’s to require mortgage companies to consider poorer and higher risk familes.

2. This is the main reason. Money has been so cheap. Alan Greenspans policy of low interest rates made it possible for almost anyone to buy a home, anyone to get a credit card, and for people to use their homes as an atm. The u.s. government a long time ago gave up the power of the federal reserve to one chairman and a bunch of private bankers. If u don’t know this is a simplified version of how the federal reserve works. The federal reserve sets the interest rates, this is the rate that banks borrow from eachother and from the federal reserve. The federal reserve automatically prints money everytime one of the elite top commercial banks borrows from the reserve and the federal funds rate you hear about is the rate they borrow from. This rate was at 1% after 9/11 for over a year which meant a ton of printing and borrowing more money.

“John McCain understands what OUR COUNTRY NEEDS. John is going to protect the country. John is better for the economy. John is better for the military (HE WON’T CUT THEIR FUNDING)…(LIKE ALL THE DEMS WOULD/HAVE)”

WOW! What a mouthful. I’m sure that the average American filling up at the pump and buying groceries for the week is worried about whether they will cut Military Funding or not. You are right about one thing. John is better for the economy: ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC, BP PLC, EXXON MOBIL CORP. and CHEVRON CORP. and every other BIG BUSINESS CORP. THAT GAUGES THE AVERAGE AMERICAN OR OUTSOURCES THEIR JOBS TO CHINA OR INDIA FOR PENNIES ON THE DOLLAR. This is not a question about whether or not McCain is good for the economy, it is about WHO’S economy he is good for.

Only McCain will protect the people. Obama and his secular fundamentalist left-wingers only want to keep poor people on the welfare plantation so they will be beholden to the government for their livelihood so they will vote for the Democrats. The Democrats do not have compassion, only lust for power.

Once again, the Republican Party will help free the oppressed from slavery, this time, economic bondage that affects all races and creeds.

YES, WE McCAN!!!

Go Johnny Go — Go!

There are many comments posted hear to the effect of wishing for the good ‘ol days of Clinton. In 1996 the Republican controlled Congress approved increasing domestic oil production from ANWR, Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Shelf. Then, Pres. Clinton vetoed it. Tapping into our ouwn supplies then could be providing supply now, and less dependence on foreign sources. Now it may take 10 years to realize any price relief from new sources or new alternatives. Also, the economy was alot better off when Republicans were in control of Congress from ‘96-’06, first with a Democrat President, then with a Republican.

Carmelo Valone - I am just guessing you have never served in the military? John McCain spent over five years as a POW, had his legs,arms broken He was tortured meaning (Infliction of intense pain as punishment, he suffered pain and anguish each and every day serving our Country! He has gained experience from real life event,s he has endured some things most of us could never understand. So don,t put Obama on the same level as John McCain! It,s sad American,s don,t appreciate his sacrifice.NO John McCain is not just a Senator he is much, much ,more. My husband served this County and some times i wonder why,Some just don,t understand the blood and treasure .Some times i wonder if some American,s are worth it?

Gas Prices are HIGH!
Everything Costs MORE!
The Economy is Horrible!

That’s what 8 years of a Republican President
& 6 years of a Republican Congress does!!!!!

You can’t give Corporate Lobbyists all they want, because in the end America ends up paying for it!!!!

Obama 08!!!

It’s NOT CONGRESS, and DRILLING WON’T HELP.

LISTEN:

BEN STEIN: I was just in a room with a whole bunch of speculators who are former Enron traders that are now trading natural gas and oil. And they’re laughing their heads off about how much they’re manipulating the price of oil. They couldn’t care less.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,369005,00.html

Where’s the OUTRAGE? Please PAY ATTENTION!

It’s about time somebody started to listen to the American majority. This whole oil drilling thing has been like when that O’Hara lady who got her athiest law pushed through because nobody yelled “No!” This time we will yell and the word is “Yes”….drill. It’s also way past time for a smell test in Washington, especially the Senate/Congress. We need to figure out which ones are involved in the oil and mortgage messes and send them packing, preferably to some faraway place. Don’t even let them stop at th Caymens to pick up their ill-gotten spoils! I think we need to clean house in Congress. Half of them do nothing and the other half are there for their own profit.

You people do not understand!!

Listen to Obama’s message: Its all about CHANGE. And Hope. Hopefull CHANGE. The government will provide all.

Lets punish the evil oil companies at the very time we need them to think and work smart. We will tell them how much they can make and what they will spend money on. We’ve been in the Senate a WHOLE YEAR, you know, and have brought huge CHANGE there, which we can’t quite remember right now.

Lets blame Bush for the high oil prices, while we refuse to tap into our own resources. No wonder OPEC thinks we are dependent on them. We tell them we need the oil, beg for it, even as we stand on our own deposits, refusing to put a drill in the soil.

Lets tell everyone that high oil is Bush’s gift to big oil, even as oil and gas consumption drops. Just brush aside the obvious question as to what sort of gift results in you selling LESS of the product? You must not think like that. Its not CHANGE.

Lets run story after story in the press about how everything is falling apart, even if it isnt.

We, the enlightened agents of CHANGE, will tell the American people that the standard of living they have built is evil, and unsustainable. They will believe. Its CHANGE.

We can ignore those folks outside the cities who are clinging to their guns and religion. They do not have our vision, but we will, for their own good, make them CHANGE.

Its all about the CHANGE. and hope. And CHANGE. Keep chanting it. The fools are lapping it up.

The response from the Democrats regarding the price of oil proves that we have idiots in congress. In an economy that is dependent upon the supply of oil, the only path to independence is to produce more oil ourselves. How hard is this to understand?

Alternative energy sources such as ethanol, solar and wind are attractive but have their downsides: 1. Ethanol production is now polluting the Gulf thanks to the use of substantial use of fertilizers. Algae in the Gulf of Mexico is consuming oxygen and producing and ever-increasing dead zone. 2. Solar power is a long way from any meaningful solution to our energy woes, and who wants a windmill in their backyard? 3. Wind is great as a great source of power for sailboats, but pretty rediculous for automobiles!

Congress: it is pretty simple to become energy independent. 1. Produce more oil now and build refineries to reduce prices and gain independence from foreign oil. 2. Build more nuclear power plants to reduce the strain on coal and natural gas. 3. Develop alternative energy sources for the future, but stop this rediculous push to solve all energy needs with conservation and renewable energy sources such as ethanol. A growing economy needs oil!

If you really are concerned about the environment, don’t encourage production of a product such as ethanol from corn, if it is going to pollute more than it helps!

It really isn’t that difficult!

John McCain understands what OUR COUNTRY NEEDS. John is going to protect the country. John is better for the economy. John is better for the military (HE WON’T CUT THEIR FUNDING)…(LIKE ALL THE DEMS WOULD/HAVE)

I hope everybody understands that gas prices did not get CRAZY out of hand UNTIL THE DEMS TOOK OVER CONGRESS….. Make sure to thank Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid for that one!!!!!

I think the solution will occur with the Great Depression of 2009. A lot of preconceived ideas and political posturing will have to end as we descend into a depression far more severe than that of the ‘30″s (which I lived through), and we will have to come to grip with the root causes of energy/food price escalation and develop real solutions. If we are lucky and only have to face internal problems as was the case of “30″s depression we may muddle through. If, however, our multitude of external enemies decide that this is a good time to topple the wounded giant, then all bets are off. An internal civil war is not out of the question and a much more general war between belligerents who realize that we are unwilling/unable to prevent it may occur. This will result in a major reduction of world population, which is probably two billion too high, and thus solve both the energy and food problems simultaneously and world-wide.

Why do Democrats want to turn us into a goverment owned socialist nation? It’s one step away from Communism. I don’t need the government to take care of me from the cradle to the grave. I believe in the American dream and capiltalism. If I work hard and make good decisions with what I earn, I can take care of myself.

Also, I’m all for the Fair Tax. We need a revolution here. Stop taxing the S%!# out of us. It’s not the answer. And the government needs to spend less. Are they drunk?

We need to get off the OPEC tit. We are Americans. We are innovators. Why does this seems so hard to understand.

We need leadership in congress to be visionary and stop being job-keepers.

I’m so tired of their crap. To our elected leaders: Step up and DO SOMETHING GREAT! Stop being afraid.

Unfortunately, I no longer believe in the day of voting for a candidate. After 8 years of a Republican Presidency, what is real to me is what I am paying at the pump and at the checkout line in the grocery store. As well, the Republican stance of “less government” has played a pivotal role in the sub-prime mortgage crisis and the outsourcing and in-sourcing of American jobs because of free trade. I sure didn’t have these concerns at the end of Clinton’s 8 years. The bottom line is that there are more Americans, like myself, facing these daily realities than those who are at the top of the socio-economic ladder. The solution can not be found in the Republican philosophy because their less is more theory doesn’t do enough to protect working America. Only apathy will save McCain in this election, but there is nothing like attacking one’s pocket book to wake up the sleeping giant. Think I’m crazy? Just compare the state of the economy at the end of Clinton’s term with that of Junior’s. Numbers don’t lie.

Slooowly it does indeed look like common sense is rising from the masses to reach the Republican party.

Some things I don’t understand…
If you were told you had cancer, or you had some other health problems, and treatments &/or therapy would last a number of years, do you use that as an excuse to do nothing? If it takes years for some of the damage to go away when you quit smoking, should any smoker still quit? It takes years to get through school - should anyone bother going?

It’ll take years for any new oil supplies to come to market… DO you say: “well let’s get started” or do you give up, curl up, & go away? It’ll take more than one oil well - OK… so what? Very few things in life, and even fewer real solutions are one step affairs. But there’s risk involved… There’s risk both ways, whether you drill or not. Both sides make overblown claims on what those risks are, but the current situation if you’re poor is intolerable now! And to billions of people around the world that’s what matters.

Some things are impossible to understand…
You go in to buy a suit, or a car, & no one refuses you saying you already have what you need. You go to the hardware store - they don’t refuse to sell you a new faucet because your sink has one at home. If you’re determined to get more money from the oil companies, sell them all the leases they want - after all, they never drill on the land they lease, right?

Some things I don’t want to understand…
I never want to understand the mindset that, because someone else screwed up, I deserve to pay a very high price. Many don’t frankly have the slightest idea what they’re talking about when they envision some magic solution popping up to instantly cure all our energy woes - all you have to do is force it. For others the greatest hardship they’ll endure is *maybe* one less trip to Starbucks during the day. You cannot legislate the laws of science, anymore than you can easily get away with condemning billions of people to hardship because *You* think they deserve it, especially when you think you’ll not suffer with them.

Spend the resources on *Serious & Practical* R & D - if you want to tax somebody fairly, put a tax on vehicle registration based on mpg - and spare as many billions of the poor as possible.

I think simply the news that America will do some drilling and will produce some oil itself will have an effect on the price of the oil, because the price is not anything solid. It’s decided on many psychological factors and speculations.

I think that comment posted by Brad is really brilliant! We’ve got to stop depending on foreign oil and give away our wealth just like that. It’d be like China giving away its silver and gold in exchange for opium, and soon afterwards, China became extremely poor. Oil is not worth that much, but if we depend on it and can’t live without it, then they can charge any price they want, and we’ll all basically become slaves for the foreign oil, just like the Chinese became slaves to opium at one point. We need to have some supply of our own to have a say in price, and at the same time, invest to develop new alternatives and also reward companies that build better, more energy efficient cars, and set up policies that reward conservations on energy. So all these need to be done. We can’t keep giving money to our enemy and expect to be strong against them at the same time. We must do some drilling on our side as well, no total dependence on foreign oil. It’s suicidal.

You gotta remember one thing, it’s all about votes. For decades the Democratic Party garnered votes by catering to the greens and presenting themselves to the idealistic altruists amongst the rest of us as ‘the party with a heart’. How awful that a drop of oil should touch the pristine soil of our ‘holy ground’. Rudolph the red-nosed might smell it and alter his migratory route by a few steps. The ANWR is a god forsaken pest hole of mosquitoes in the summer and a frozen wasteland in the winter but by championing its cause you present yourself as, drumroll please, ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE. It doesn’t matter that you’re so rich you never ride in anything less than a Mercedes limousine, if you block the oil companies from doing their necessary business, the greens love you. Luckily the Dems have painted themselves into a corner on this issue. The people seem to have finally realized that if you block the production of a product that people must have the price will rise. What a shock to a green’s sensitive nature.

Why anyone would invest $10’s of millions for a $250,000 job, that if re-elected, would only pay them $2 million (before taxes) is not fiscally sound. Then both sides say they can balance the budget, solve the energy crisis, improve the economy, raise taxes, lower taxes. What idiots we are to allow them. Anyone with fiscal ideals to knowingly invest more than cold be possibly returned has no business running anything, much less the greatest country in the world. When our forefathers began this country they were true representatives of the people of this country. Now our representatives and leaders are actors, rich elitist and so far out of touch with the people there is no possible way they can represent us. Global warming is a farce. There were storms and catastrophic events (Galveston 1900) long before any significant fossil fuels were burned or trees cut down. More natural disasters are archeologically proven (I’m sure more they we do not even know about) before any fossil fuels were even used. Drill more, develop more, conserve more; each side has good ideas. The issue is do we love GOD with all our hearts and do we love our neighbor as our self. If we follow these 2 rules we would have an incredibly great country!

I plan to install active solar panels to recharge my Chevy Volt. In fact I plan to get my house off the grid completely using solar power. As I have stated in a previous post, I also believe we must invest in new power plants, especially nuclear and open up the OCS and Alaska to drilling. But those of us that can get off of oil completely should do so to reduce demand. I really want to stick it to OPEC!

Veteran suicides are rising steeply and a U.S. health official says suicides may end up outnumbering combat deaths. The military keeps lowering standards for enlistees just to meet recruiting goals. They are accepting more recruits without high school diplomas, recruits who are not as physically fit and are taking more convicted felons. Beginning in 2005 Army officials were told to not get rid of recruits just because of little things like drug abuse, alcohol, poor fitness and pregnancy. Politicians and top military officials are calling to reinstate the draft. Signs show we are headed that way. Do you want to send your sons and possibly daughters to fight in Iraq? A country that had nothing to do with 9/11 and did NOT possess weapons of mass destruction?

Read the facts and spread the word. Email this page to everyone:
http://www.stopthinkvote.com/facts/militaryfacts.html

I live in medium to small population area and I have noticed the decrease in traffic of people on the
road due to high gas prices. People appear to be eating out less and saving there money for the basics.
It appears the democratic side of congress wants us to wean off oil and embrace alternate forms of energy. I submit that if 4 dollar a gallon gas puts us in this kind of turmoil then one little natural
or manmade event will drive oil prices beyond belief. It looks like we will have a democratic administation in November. I believe that an intelligent person like Barack Obama can break with his
party’s global warming theology and realize that if our economy goes into turmoil that there will be no tax base to fix all the social ills. Just like a person who is on heroin, you cant take this country off oil overnight and expect it to function. Drilling for additional oil in Anwar and the and the continental shelf
is not the total answer: however it would offer some HOPE to a scared country. It will also offer a little time for the utopian dreams of our future leaders to occur.

I don’t understand how this oil problem is blamed on one man, the President. We have a congress that makes the laws. All the President can do is sign or veto. Why isn’t the blame being placed on the congress that refuses to allow drilling in America. No, we can’t drill our way out of this oil problem, but we can decrease some of our imports from foreign countries.
As for the canidates, I haven’t heard much from Obama except “change”. At least McCain is describing his policies. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like McCain either, but he is the lesser of two evils. Now, if we could just do something about congress!!!

God Bless America.

1). Shut up and drill in ANWR. For many years, Congress has put us over OPEC’s barrel to appease caribou huggers. The technology has advanced significantly. The footprint would be about the size of an airport in the midst of millions of still pristine acres.
2). Expand refineries. They operate 24/7 at full capacity. Permit them to expand.
3). Lower the federal tax on gas sold in states that allow off-shore drilling. Offer meaningful financial incentives.
4). Subsidize the ailing car manufacturers turning out hybrids and require them to pass those savings on to consumers. It will create more jobs and save consumers money. It’s time to “Hy OPEC”.
5). Continue to explore alternatives and let the free market work freely. Our “oil” companies are actually “energy” companies that will transition once viable alternatives are achieved.

Obama apparently never studied economics 101. His appeal to the ignorant masses is frightening.

I only have one question for everyone who is pushing the use of electric plug-in cars. How do you think we get electricity in this country? Coal, nuclear, natural gas, and conventional hydroelectric are the 4 major contributors to the United States electricity, of those hydroelectric production has fallen 15.3% in the last 2 years due to severe drought (www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epm/epm_sum.html).

If you are going to support plug in cars then you cannot be against nuclear, coal or natural gas power. The problem is the same people in government who are telling us to buy electric cars are the same people who are saying reduce the use of fossil fuels (coal and natural gas) and no more nuclear power plants.

Not to mention that once we all start plugging in our cars, supply and demand will effect electricity prices just the same as gas prices. We will need more power to charge our cars, but the government wants to reduce use of coal and natural gas, and build no new nuclear power plants, thus power supply will diminish as demand increases and thus cost of electricity will increase.

I am not trying to support either candidate. I am simply trying to show that neither side can have it completely their way. We need a compromise between and neither party, in my opinion, is willing to do that because they place party interests above the American people.

I am happy some one hears the voice of Americans!!!!! People say it will take to long to get the oil out. Doing nothing is not an option, this is what we have been doing ,look where it has us today. All of us that are on this web site put together could do more then congress!!!!!!!!!! Do you agree?????? I have have enjoyed all the comments,Debra Patton you hit it right on about McCain he needs to put the gloves on,Obama has. Obamas new ad against McCain shows he is ready for WAR and if this is what he wants all i can tell him is BRING IT ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! McCain better put his gloves on and show some teeth,this is the fight for our lives. Obama stands for change alright NO DRILLING, MORE TAXES, and alot of pain for his change mesage! He said it wouldn,t be easy, Americans would have to sacrifice,and it will take alot of time!!!!!!!!!!!! People need to take those rose colored glasses off befor it,s to late! You know any one could get into the White House, you don,t have to have Judgement, morals,experience, what a resume, That would not happen in the real world, It,s harder for us to get a job! Stay on the web sight ,seems like the people with the smarts are here, Keep it up!!!

I’m confused.

Drilling off-shore and in ANWR is a “bad” idea because it will take 10 years to come online to produce 10-15% of our energy. And it won’t cost the government anything - let Big Oil use their profits to pay for the drilling and building the infrastructure. All we have to do is tell them “go for it”. If Clinton hadn’t vetoed the plan 15 years ago we’d be there already, but nevermind… but everytime it gets brought up it gets shot down because it will take too long for us to see results.

But investing in alternative sources is a “good” idea because it will take 10 years or more to come online to produce 10-15% of our energy? And all it will take is pouring billions of dollars into some government-managed research agency? By the same logic, I’d expect the Dems to refuse to make this investment because it will take just as long or longer to see results.

And where are we supposed to get all this electricity to power our electro-hydrogen powered cars? Don’t you realize the vast majority of our electrical power comes from burning stuff? Those aren’t polution-free sources, the polution is just created a few miles away from the cities - unless we start building nuclear plants again.

And don’t bring “global warming” into it, that’s been proven to be a sham. People are starting to wake up to that fact, but it will take awhile for the religious fervor to subside, but the truth is the melting glaciers in Iceland and the Antarctic have been shown to be the results of lava flows under the ice. There are more polar bears around now than 40 years ago. The planet’s been cooling for over a decade. It’s a blow to our ego, but we’re simply not that important to the planet. The measure of our arrogance is not that we will destroy the Earth, but that we think we have the power to do so.

This is not a one-dimensional problem. Any rational energy policy has to consider every aspect, including conservation (yes, I want us to reduce demand), drilling (while maintaining supply) and alternate sources (so we can grow the economy and replace our non-renewable sources). We’ll be sitting much more comfortably if we allow ourselves a three-legged stool instead of just one or two.

So drill already.

In response to the comment by Michael June 17th, 2008 at 6:42 pm

I suppose you’re a transcendentally more informed Brit or Canadian.

Canada: Where unelected courts decide whether written statements are hate speech (with no protection even if true—web search Mark Steyn) and therefore worthy of fines. We have free speech here in the Hubris rich USA–which ensures all of us will from time to time be offended by other Americans freely exercising their free speech rights–no matter how asinine or idiotic).

England: Where Sharia law is being embraced and your welfare state is accepting responsibility to support multiple wives. Londonistan which will briefly continue as the Socialist’s Utopia until the Islamic Courts take over…

And for D.J. Crosby: It’s all about S-U-P-P-L-Y. Increase the availability of a commodity and the ability of those who possess it (or futures on its possession) to demand a premium price is reduced.

One of the current reasons for the run up in gas prices is futures trading on the commodity market. People are buying futures at high prices because the US has bound itself in greenie restrictions and appears ready to remain oil slaves to OPEC.

Positive steps to increase domestic production will reduce the amount of oil bought from the slave masters and force the commodity traders to rethink their current assumption that the future will continue to hold rapid gas price increases. They won’t outrageously bid up the cost of oil if there is no certainty oil supply will continue to trail demand.

D.J. the only thing you got almost right is that along with increased domestic drilling will necessarily come a need to increase domestic refining capacity–but even there you wrongly discount the impact of increased supply on world oil prices.

If we have to sell US crude from ANWR or the Calif Coast to Japan, we reduce Japan’s purchases from OPEC and we gain hard foreign currency which helps offset our balance of payments. Since Demand for OPEC oil drops, that oil becomes cheaper. In addition selling US produced oil makes sense as crude oil varies from fiedl to field–it’s not the same. Some requires greater refining and produces better diesel or heating fuel than gasoline. Other types like “light sweet crude” is ideally suited to prooduce a maximum of gasoline per barrel. It’s a global oil market and the type of crude for sale determines where it is best refined and what final state it takes.

What is really offensive to me is the restriction on oil shale production and liquified fuel from coal–we are the Saudi Arabia of coal! This will also dramatically increase the supply of oil in the U.S.

The fallacy underlying the psuedo-religion of Anthropogenic Global Warming has almost been completly debunked. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t explore alternate energies, improved technologies and seek cleaner hydrocarbon combustion.

Increasing short term production now however, ensures we have the economic health to properly develop future alternatives and avoid the knee-jerk policy moves like ethanol mandates. The sudden increase in demand for ethanol via federal mandate is contributing to a global shortage in grain and feedstocks. That’s right D.J., increasing D-E-M-A-N-D or reducing S-U-P-P-L-Y of US feed corn has resulted in increasing the price the world’s poor pay for staple goods.

Okay, schools out. You can go back to your X-box now.

We absolutely must open up the OCS to drilling and Alaska as well. Let the states decide if they want to take advantage the oil off of their shores. This combined with building of new nuclear plants and some wind, solar, hydro-electric and geothermal plants can provide the relief needed. If we do nothing, which is basically Obamas position then we will be a 2nd rate economy quicker than you can blink an eye. The concept that it won’t do any good for 5 years so why bother, is like saying, its a bad idea to get a college education because there won’t be any payback for 5 years. Its short sighted and lacking vision. We must act now not 8 years from now. I must say, for a presidential candidate to say we as nation would be foolish to exploit oil reserves with a current market value of $14 trillion seems a bit foolish in and of itself. Wake up America!

And this is why you all deserve to lose your country,… you can’t see the facts from the fantasies. You actually think Gore has a brain. You buy the lie. You think Green is cool. You would rather try to fit in with a fad than actually plan for a real future.
Alternative energy is needed, yes. 20 years of development and ramp up to put in place for any real person to use. Ultra-rich leftists are not real people,… get over that idea first and rest is a lot easier. They can all go out and buy their LH2 cars because they all live in the three cities where you can get LH2 commercially.
Drilling for new oil and expanding the refineries is the ONLY answer for right now,… the only answer you’ll consider. There are others, but that would require you to get your hands bloody, which we can already see, you don’t have the stomach for.

Steve from Atlanta: You’re one of the many that spread rampant lies and hopes the general population will swallow it. If you indeed sent this to congressmen, perhaps you should’ve done your homework. OBAMA voted for Bush’s energy policy. MCCAIN DID NOT. Perhaps you should rewrite your comment to note that “Obama and Bush’s energy policies failed us”, not McCain.

The Democrats policy can be summed up like this: NO drilling, no nuclear power plants, higher taxes, blame Bush for high gas prices. This day of high gas prices was inevitable. We were getting lucky for 25 years. The weak dollar has caused people to invest in commodities to offset a decline in stick prices. Also you have market specualtion. Thus if you see a barrel of oil at $135 and soem analyst predicts it will got to $200, the market works. You buy at $135 thinking it will got to $200 and bingo, a $65 per barrel profit.

The Greens are the problem. They have advocated high gas taxes for years. They have their wish now of high gas prices and their allies, the Democrats complain about high gas prices. We are stuck with $4 gas for the short term.

We need to build nuclear power plants. We stopped because the Greens hate any form of engery other than wind or solar. If France can operate on 80% nuclear than so can the US.

Right now wind and solar energy make up less than 1% of of our energy use. We are decades away from having wind or solar energy being even 10% of our energy use.

The Democrats have no plan for reducing gas prices and hope it stays this way, so people will blame the Republicans.

The Greens, Democrats and Socialists are the problem.

What I can’t understand, nor can I get any liberal to explain it to me, is why do liberals like Schumer threaten Saudi Arabia if they don’t increase production when they won’t allow their own country to increase production!? I’m all for alternative energy sources, I would love nothing more than to unplug my affordable, can run more than 3 hours without recharging electric car and never buy a gallon of gas again, but folks that ain’t going to happen any time soon! Why don’t we drill and look at alternate sources? We could increase are own production and explore alternative sources AT THE SAME TIME!!

JOHN MCCAIN WILL WIN IF HE PICKS CONDI RICE FOR VP. HE WILL GET THE VOTE OF WOMEN AND SOME BLACKS AND SHE IS SMARTER THAN ANY OTHER PICK FOR V.P. HE WOULD HAVE ALL BASES COVERED WITH THAT PICK BUT I NEVER HEAR ANYBODY TALK ABOUT HER ON THE NEWS. WHEN I LEASON TO THE NEWS ALL I HEAR IS ABOUT OBAMA AND HIS WIFE IS TO UGLY TO LIVE IN THE WHITE HOUSE.

All this talk about consuming less is tommyrot. My salary is 45,000/yr, my home is less than 1400 sq ft, I have myself, my wife and one 16 yr old daughter. We do “ok’, I have a truck and a van. I am not riding a bicicle to work when I drive 26 miles one way. We live frugally as it is and I am not going to be railroaded into the libral brand lifesyle as long as people like Al Gore preaches his global warming LIES and then flies in his personal jet and has a carbon footprint bigger than 10 average familes, BULL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

We knew over 30 years ago we had a problem and did NOTHING. While it is madness not to drill here (and now) the long-term solution is to wean ourselves off oil. Why millions of Americans spend hours everyday in front of a computer in an office when it could just as easily be done at home is also madness. Mandate 2 days a week telecommuting and theoretically reduce consumption by two fifths. That is just one idea. Yet legions of corporate MBAs and government policymakers can’t figure that one out? This is fundamentally a failure of leadership, policy by Jacobin partisanship and a lack of justifiable outrage by a citizenship who lacks the sand (or will) to demand a solution.

Guy Fawkes, are you ignorant? Not a single thing Deborah said was racist. If you do not know what it means, do not use it. Simple.

Stop, think, Vote, really!!!

http://www.stopthinkvote.com

I believe we should drill of the coast of North Carolina. It’s my opinion North Carolina has been in an economic depression for 2 decades. I’ve watched my brother’s computer store business shrink and shrink, and in the past decade more factories have closed than I can count. In the 1970s and 1980s when I was little my school toured three different textiles factories, and a Coca Cola factory in our county and the neighboring county alone, and North Carolina as a textile exporter was doing very well. Furniture making, too. Henredon was the s***. Now I don’t think but maybe one of those factories are still open. It scares me. I think if we had been drilling, SAFELY drilling, off the coast of North Carolina for the past 2 decades, it would have stabilized the state, and I wouldn’t be worried about my brother or his filing bankruptcy. My brother’s a good entrepreneur. He thinks things through, and he’s a very hard worker. He runs that business very well. Whenever I call, he’s always at the store repairing computers. He works into the night and does everything he can to keep that store afloat. I’m very disappointed in the North Carolina economy. My brother should not be taking a downfall. It’s gotta be the economy. I believe in drilling, but SAFE drilling, from trusted drlling companies. The last thing I want to see is a nasty oil spill ruining that beautiful NC coastline, and their tourist trade.

Beaches: http://www.ncbeaches.com/
Please give my bro some biz: http://www.discernercomputers.com/

I am responding to Tim, who said “Hydrogen cars run between $60-$127 thousand each. Pure electric cars tend to go less then 45 mph, need refueling within 3 hours or less, and costs $25k or more each.
You want to add solar panels to that, the prices seem to be around $50k. The problem with the “develop alternate energy now” crowds is they really don’t look at the price tag. The current alternate energy cars out there are beyond the purchase of the average person.”

My response is this. If that alternate fuels car purchase was tax exempt per federal tax law, producing a nice tax refund, I believe that car purchase would be affordable, and tax-wise. A green rebate, the industry could coin it. Couple it with an H&R Block or famous tax software package, that tax loophole becomes easily accessible and non-scary to many buyers, including those with poor reading skills or with language barriers (e.g. families who speak heavy Spanish and limited english).

Existing tax law for depriciation of electric cars (control-F electric to find it easy) http://www.irs.gov/publications/p3991/ch04.html

Existing tax law for hybrid purchase
http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=104549,00.html

Senator McCain will be dead by the time the horrific environmental impacts of this decision are fealt: massive oil spills along our coasts, the final destruction of coastal wetlands, increased CO2 emissions and concurrent rise in sea level. The greatest loss of focusing on the short term thinking of the elderly, however, is the opportunity cost of not doing the right thing now. Conservatives like McCain worked very hard in the 70’s in the OPEC crisis to make sure the country didn’t undertake a reasoned response. Look where we are now. Senator McCain has the answer for the America of 1957.