Monday, June 23, 2008

The Flip Side

If you watched any of the Sunday talking heads yesterday, you probably heard this Republican talking point more than once. If the US had started offshore drilling off the coast of Florida twenty years ago gasoline wouldn’t be four dollars a gallon today.

Okay, how about this? If the US had put serious money and effort into finding alternative fuels twenty years ago, perhaps we wouldn’t be so damned dependent on oil and gas today.

19 Comments:

Blogger Fixer said...

We learned about this in grade school (40 years ago). We knew it was coming, everybody knew it was coming, but the oil companies and automakers convinced everybody that the good times would be here forever.

We knew about global warming too and the same people spent a buncha money convincing us it wasn't happening.

June 23, 2008 2:39 AM  
Blogger Fran said...

Oh. PoP... please stop making sense. You know it so vexes people.

(this is so sad, this offshore drilling is like feeding the overweight yet hungry mc donald's when we could be filling people with nutritious and fresh food.)

June 23, 2008 3:33 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

No, it wouldn't cost $4.00. It would cost about $3.96. Big whoop. We need to develop alternative sources now, the Republican band-aids won't stick.

June 23, 2008 5:37 AM  
Blogger Sherry Pasquarello said...

why do they think we are so gulible?

because we have proved time and again that we are.

sad.

June 23, 2008 5:38 AM  
Blogger SB Gypsy said...

Ya got that right!

And now, to make matters worse, we need to destroy the Florida beaches.

ITGCB
(impeach the greedy cheating bastards)

June 23, 2008 5:58 AM  
Blogger robin andrea said...

Yes, but alternative energy wouldn't make the oil companies happy, and they must be kept happy. They own everything, and it's still not enough.

June 23, 2008 7:22 AM  
Blogger Forty Paws said...

Yup. That is true.

Luf, Us

June 23, 2008 7:58 AM  
Blogger fallenmonk said...

They laughed at Jimmy Carter and other over this and now McCain is trying to paint Obama as the new Jimmy Carter. Jimmy was right 20 years ago and if we had listened to him then we would be in a much different world.
Joe the Troll is right. There just isn't that much oil to be had out there at any reasonable price and as long as we are beholden to the oil producers we are chumps.

June 23, 2008 8:06 AM  
Blogger dguzman said...

Ridiculous, but it's typical rethug "logic."

June 23, 2008 8:10 AM  
Blogger Randal Graves said...

What joe the troll said.

June 23, 2008 9:03 AM  
Blogger Spirula said...

His named has already been mentioned, but here was warning and the policy advanced 30 years ago.

Oh yeah, who was that guy that came after and demolished this?

June 23, 2008 9:50 AM  
Blogger Anne said...

absolutely right.

oil is NOT the answer. and people have to transform or die.

June 23, 2008 10:44 AM  
Blogger two crows said...

did any of those talking [and, obviously, not thinking] heads note that, 20 years ago we were coming off the Great God Reagan's watch?

or that Carter had urged us to conserve oil and research alternate energies [and been ridiculed for suggesting such heresies] 8-12 years earlier than that?

thought not.

June 23, 2008 11:05 AM  
Blogger jmsjoin said...

You are right, if they seriously wanted alternatives we would have them by now. Bush is a friggen idiot more drilling in the US will do nothing more than give oil company's more oil to sit on while doing nothing for us! but what the hell is wrong with OPEC? Why has no one spoken the real truth? The plain and simple facts? The real problem Bush? Why has Iraq's oil not been mentioned? 2003 come on! Why was it not mentioned the effect Bush's war mongering has had on the price of oil and everything else in the world?
Why is not not mentioned the effect Iran and Israel's cries for war has had on the price of oil? why has the world not been reminded that pre Bush oil was only $28 per Barrel? Saudi Arabia is doing more than their share and should be commended. They alone will nullify the effect if any that Nigeria has had on the market. However it will do nothing.
There is no supply problem but there will be once Iran is attacked and this entire mes gets going and if you have been following my stories you know what comes next so I will try to lighten up today.
First It keeps being brought up by the dems in Congress the amount of drilled wells and oil the oil company's are sitting while they cry oil poor saying they have to destroy ANWR and drill more off shore. Yeah that's safe my ass! Biden was arguing today with I forget who but every time he mentioned that 73% of the wells already drilled are capped and contain 54 billion barrels the blond Republican I can't stand from the south whose name I can't quite remember just kept smirking ignoring it and changing the subject to more drilling.
I don't see anything wrong with socialism or anything that works for any society. Whatever works for them. I think nationalizing the entire oil industry would be great if we could find some honest independent managers to operate it.
The Politicians have proven to be as corrupt or more so than big oil. They would probably screw us even more. Nothing will bring the price down. More oil too much oil not enough oil a glut, anything and everything will be used as an excuse to keep raising the price. Just wait until Iran is attacked and this entire mess really gets going.

Take care!

June 23, 2008 12:59 PM  
Blogger Dr. Monkey Von Monkerstein said...

Stop making sense you.

June 23, 2008 2:43 PM  
Blogger Mike said...

It's kind of a double edged sword for me because I make my living from oil exploration. One thing for sure though, oil is going to be gone soon. A lot sooner than anyone thinks. Chaos will certainly ensue.

We've had countless opportunities since the early 70's to seek alternative energy sources, but have repeatedly turned out backs on it. Even the presumptive presidential nominees don't really have a concrete alternate energy policy other than to agree we need to do something.

I'm not sure what the answer is, but when the oil runs out and the crap hits the fan, our children are going to wish someone had done something.

June 23, 2008 9:17 PM  
Blogger two crows said...

hi, Mike--
I've read that Denmark and Holland have been quietly researching and producing [and patenting] alternate technologies and resources. so all is not lost.
the US will have egg on its face -- since its so competitive and wants to be out front on everything. but, it refused to look at the long-term and looked only at costs rather than benefits.

the US media refuses to pay attention to what's going on elsewhere -- especially in a little place like Denmark. [many of the talking heads probably couldn't find it on a map.] so the US public isn't informed.

but, at least, progress is being made-- just not here.

June 24, 2008 12:05 AM  
Blogger Dean Wormer said...

Also they keep saying it's refining capacity, not supply, that's driving up the price of oil.

Liars.

June 24, 2008 1:37 PM  
Blogger Swinebread said...

"If the US had put serious money and effort into finding alternative fuels twenty years ago, perhaps we wouldn’t be so damned dependent on oil and gas today."

dat's da truth!

June 24, 2008 3:25 PM  

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