Alaska: Energy fix meets political pandering(CNN whining)

CNN Money ^ | 7/20/08 | Steve Hargreaves, CNNMoney.com staff writer

[DallasBiff]

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Either we're sitting on a potential cure of high oil prices or we're wasting our time.

Those seem to be the two schools of thought emerging as politicians call for expanded drilling in Alaska.

It's no surprise that with oil prices at $130 a barrel, lawmakers facing angry voters want to be seen as tackling the problem head-on.

And while it's hard to deny that the jackpot of all untapped domestic oil lies just north of the Arctic Circle, in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, it's tougher to say whether or not extracting this energy will benefit our nation in the long run.

Republicans in Congress - along with President Bush - want vast sections of the country currently off-limits to drilling opened, including the Arctic Refuge.

[DallasBiff]

It's working people, when CNN starts whining, they know they have lost.

[lexington minuteman 1775]

I am a Pastor, and I learned something a long time ago that is not taught in biology ...the shortest nerve in the human body goes from the wallet to the brain. Americans don’t like high oil prices and they will vote for whomever they feel will do SOMETHING to alleviate $4 a gallon gas. Politicians can pontificate all they want, but come november the party that shows the most promise of bringing down oil pricea and working on boltering alternative energy should score big.

[kittymyrib]

The USA bought Alaska from Russia for the specific purpose of gaining access to its natural resources. The caribou do not own this land. We do. And we should use it for its intended purpose of enriching our country. To let the enviro-nazis ruin our economy is absolutely crazy.

[bray]

800,000 barrels here 800,000 barrels there pretty soon you really have something. Even DNCNN couldn’t make this argument fly. In an area the size of NC we want to use 2000 acres, big deal.
If you like $4/gal, Thank Congress in Nov.

Pray for W and Our Freedom Fighters

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

The problem is that the mind-numbed idiots are still blaming the evil oil companies. The GOP is dropping the ball on this issue, they should be running commercials and having press conferences attacking the Dems.

[Will88]

“Ultimately, most analysts say its impossible to predict what drilling in the refuge would do to prices - there are too many other variables like the fast growing economies of Asia, OPEC production decisions, and new technology to make a meaningful guess.”

And that well illustrates how stupid the pissing contest around ANWR is. What half-wit thinks there is any useful information yielded by estimating what oil from ANWR will do for our total crude needs, or to the price of gasoline?

ANWR is just ONE of what has to be many new sources of domestic crude, as well as viable alternatives. What a disingenuous and pathetic waste of time to go around babbling as if ANWR is to be the only new source of domestic crude.

[ArmyTeach]

For how many decades have we seen this coming? Congress bans oil drilling and all other proven means of energy production, while providing no solution. We must drill for the interim while we seriously develop realistic alternative energy. We can do this! Let Congress stand down and get out of the way.

[FreeAtlanta]

Send Congress - Particularly Ninny Pelosi - drill bits

Pass the word. Let's flood congress with old rusty drill bits!