Muslims and oil money
Posted on 01/06/2008 4:01:44 PM PST by Graybeard58
An elderly caller to Dan Lavallo's program on WWCO-AM told a harrowing tale Wednesday about energy prices. The man keeps his home thermostat at 40 F during the day, raising it slightly at night to ensure the pipes don't freeze. He is trying to make 200 gallons of oil last the heating season.
His is the most dire story we've heard to date, but he is not alone in feeling the pinch. Heating oil was about $2.50 a gallon after Labor Day but climbed to $3.15 this week, and is expected to rise further when $100-a-barrel oil hits the market. A prolonged frigid spell, a disruption in world oil production or a refinery breakdown could send the price into orbit.
Meanwhile, offshore and beneath Alaska's north coast are tens of billions of barrels of crude just waiting to be tapped. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is said to have enough oil to meet 100 percent of domestic demand for 25 years, and the offshore fields could be richer still. Congress, however, has declared those areas off-limits.
Sensible Republicans on Capitol Hill have tried for more than a decade to open a few square miles of the 19.5 million-acre refuge for exploration and development.
Cheered on by Rep. Christopher Shays, R-4th District, then-Rep. Nancy Johnson, R-6th District, and the rest of the Connecticut's congressional delegation, Bill Clinton vetoed a bill in 1995 that would have opened ANWR to drillers. His justification? It would be of no immediate help because it would take 10 years for the oil to reach the market. Reps. Johnson and Shays were more concerned about winning environmental awards than securing their constituents' energy future.
Back then, crude fetched less than $20 a barrel; it's an inflation-adjusted 333 percent higher today. Suffice it to say, the elderly caller to Mr. Lavallo's program might benefit from a little ANWR oil today.
President Bush, the Democratic Congress and the Connecticut delegation are insane if they think energy independence will be achieved with 35-mpg vehicles, ethanol and compact fluorescent light bulbs. Alternative fuels are decades from replacing oil as the fuel that drives our economy, heats our homes and powers our autos. How high must the pile of frozen corpses be before they come to their senses?
Shivering consumers should raise holy hell with the delegation. Here are the numbers to call: Sen. Joseph Lieberman, (800) 225-5605 or (202) 224-4041; Rep. Christopher Murphy, aka Congressman Green, D-5th District: (203) 759-7541 or (202) 225-4476; Rep. John Larson, D-1st District: (860) 278-8888 or (202) 225-2265; Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3rd District: (203) 562-3718 or (202) 225-3661; Rep. Shays: (203) 579-5870 or (202) 225-5541.
Forget former Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd; he's been too busy running for president to help anyone back home.
If that's the case, when it starts becoming real scarce, watch for a war with China for that last reliable supplies..And before that happens, prices for homes, rents and real estate skyrocket in the southern half and southwest regions of the country.
Be interesting to see a war fought with little oil, leaving the winner with little or no oil.
“Democrats have little to say about most world oil production.”
True. But they have a lot to say about domestic oil production.
The irony is that high oil prices are effectively a regressive tax, hitting the “little guy” hardest. Aren’t the Dems supposed to be standing up for the “little guy”? Yeah, right!
When the “little guy” can no longer afford to drive to work, maybe he will finally wake up to the reality of supply and demand.
Is this a trick question? It turns out that there probably is one person who bears a large responsibility for the current market squeeze: Vladimir Putin.
But at least it would repel Islamist terrorists.
Someone pointed out that the low domestic oil levels ware caused by all the oil being in Calif., Okla., La., Tex., Alaska, Wyo, N.D., etc. while all the dipsticks are in Washington D.C.
Who’s to blame? Well, the war, for one. And inflation. The dollar is worth perhaps half of what was worth in 2000, perhaps less. The inflation is a creature of George Bush. The War is a reaction to the Islamic resurgence. We are in it no matter whether we recognize it or not, whether we fight it or not.
There you have it.
It’s time to get serious about nuclear and space power satellites. And then we need to figure out how to make it mobile, which is how we use much of the liquid fuels we use.
A more specific and relevant question is: “Which major political party in the US is most to blame for high oil prices? Hint: which party is constantly trying to block domestic oil production? And which party is succeeding at that effort?
well, such party is a defacto ally of Putin and his puppet dictators in the mideast and south america.
I blame myself. ;)
Actually, I’d like to know what people are doing out there. I live in a 1906 American Colonial farmhouse, and have for the past 14 years. I’ve seen heating expenses go UP and I’ve seen them come back DOWN, though they never go below previous costs, of course. I’ve insulated, added weather stripping, a hot water heater blanket, wrapped hot water pipes, closed off rooms that don’t need to be heated, have a set-back thermo, have replaced drafty windows, have sealed up the ones that won’t open anyway and I haven’t been able to replace yet, keep the heat at 58 during the day when we are gone, warm the house up to 68 when we are home, then drop it to 58 at night for sleeping under piles of quilts and a very warm husband and dogs and cats. ;) In the summer, the central A/C is set HIGHER than it is in the winter months and it’s still comfy inside on hot, humid days.
However, on my Budget Plan, I ALWAYS go into the Heating Season with a large CREDIT on my natural gas bill, and a smaller CREDIT on my electric bill..
Are people truly not understanding their natural gas, propane, electricity or oil usage? Do they run the furnace with the windows open? Do they turn on the oven to bake one batch of cookies...and don’t throw in a casserole or some potatoes to bake while they’re at it? Do they take 20 minute showers with the hot water blasting the entire time?
Does everyone on this planet have a Hot Tub except me? LOL!
I just don’t get it.
Loved it! :)
Crude is easily $25-35/bbl higher than it needs to be based on exactly your argument and the ramifications thereof.
Hey, if that's OK w/you, it's fine with me...but I must confess to a sentimentality for mkts operating more or less as they should do, you know, informed buyer, informed seller, able to trade freely, no external restraints...all that old-fashioned sort of stuff.
;^)
Right along the lines of Elle McPherson calling me up and saying she can't live without me. (rolls eyes)
Sheesh, man, who the devil are you kidding? Not I, m'friend.
>>So many houses owned by the elderly were designed and built during the era of cheap energy. They didn’t or couldn’t afford to retrofit. In California we have had rebate programs to encourage adding insulation, double pane windows, and attic fans.<<
I understand what you’re saying. I guess up here we are always thinking in terms of everything being expensive and always wondering how to maximize what we have. It’s not a bad habit of mind. I’m sorry for those who thought the gravy train would always be running, that’s all. I have a feeling that anyone who lived through the Depression would also think the same way we do up here, too.
low dollar’s to blame.
They either don’t think of improving their houses or don’t think they can afford to. It’s sad to see the elderly caught in this sort of bind. Their lives are often hard enough as it is.
Liberals will never do anything positive on this issue...
...unless it negatively affects THEIR leadership.
When Al Gore suddenly cannot afford to heat his home, he’ll vote to drill in ANWR. But not until then.
For liberals are the quintessence of the “I’ve got mine, so screw you!” mentality.
It’s also propanganda to state “If there are 10 billion barrels of oil in ANWR, at the US 20 million bpd usage, all of that oil would last about a year and a half.”
As if the US would suddenly cease production in other parts of the country... and stop importing all oil, period. For that’s what you imply in this.
Do you really believe that?
I’m thinking that the price of pork bellies is about to shoot through the roof!
Just advertise in southern Thailand.
“Buy 1000 pork bellies and we’ll deliver them to your front door. Guaranteed to ward off any deranged muslim wanting to behead you!”
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