Barack Obama and the 'don't drill' Democrats

A few points: 1. There is a finite amount of oil on planet Earth, and it is not a renewable resource. Yes, drill in more places and you can buy a few more years, or even decades ... but eventually the oil is gone. 2. No, a winndfall profits tax will not solve the problem. But it would provide the resources for a 21st century "Manhattan Project" - puting the brightest minds in the country to work researching and developing alternative, renewable and sustainable energy sources. 3. If the oil companies see profit to be made innon-oil technology, they will gladly invest - some of the earliest prototype funding fore solar energy came from Mobil, Arco and British Petroleum in the 1980s. Mobel Solar had a facility in Billerica, which is now owned by Schott Solar. 4. It's not just Democrats in Congress that oppose offshore drilling - check with Republican Governors Crist of Florida and Schwarzenegger of California. This is not a partisan problem.

If we don't drill of the coast foreigners will using horizontal drilling techniques. And then we'll pay them for the oil. Who's kidding who?

Realist wrote:

4. It's not just Democrats in Congress that oppose offshore drilling - check with Republican Governors Crist of Florida and Schwarzenegger of California. This is not a partisan problem.

Wrong! Crist is in favor of drilling off the coast of Florida.

this is such a skewed article. brazil is energy independent because it gets most of its energy from ethanol produced from local sugar cane, not because they drilled off the coast for oil. they also live in cities that have real public transit so they don't even need to drive everywhere. the lesson from brazil is not to drill, drill, drill. instead it is to develop local fuel sources, and alternatives to driving.

i say we dont drill to keep the price of oil high. ive made a fortune on my oil stocks.i love paying $4 plus for gas.if you want to do something about the high price of oil, then buy some halliburton stock.as long as we have those idiots in congress trying to blame everyone else for high oil prices, buying stock in exxon, chevron, or any oil co. is a sure bet. congress guarantees it.

You know all about nooses don't you racist jerk. You're gonna have a rough 8 years coming.

Florida wrote:

The "NOOSE of LIBERALISM"
The country is bracing for 4+ long years of cries of Racism, whether Obama wins or not, bullying from Bigots like Race Cop Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Farrakhan and violence and arrogance from their Bigoted Opprobrious Broods...
The "POISON of LIBERALISM"

Regardless of the role black leaders influence will not influence racist views which propel white voters to vote for candidates on other parties because of race.
I know of many cases where normally Democratic voters will vote Republican to prevent a Black person from holding office as President.
Racism and Liberalism are separate issues.
Most Democratic voters are more interested in the working middle class and not fringe views as some Republicans suppose. Republicanism today usually results in a lower middle class stature and richer rich. Of course rich by means of deceiving the working people.

Regarding drilling. I am not against drilling for oil except where it would mess up groundwater where people live, endanger fishermen and beaches and other deterioration conditions. If we drill where no groundwater, ocean damage or people's livelihood are endangered then drill away.

bob wrote:

this is such a skewed article. brazil is energy independent because it gets most of its energy from ethanol produced from local sugar cane, not because they drilled off the coast for oil. they also live in cities that have real public transit so they don't even need to drive everywhere. the lesson from brazil is not to drill, drill, drill. instead it is to develop local fuel sources, and alternatives to driving.

Bob, have you ever been to Brazil? Public transit there is AWFUL! And they are independent because of oil, not sugarcane. They had ethanol and were not and are not independent, when they open the newly found oil sources, they will be.

re: Realist - A few points: 1. There is a finite amount of oil on planet Earth, and it is not a renewable resource. Yes, drill in more places and you can buy a few more years, or even decades ... but eventually the oil is gone.

That is the conventional wisdom, but as time goes on this appears to wrong. Some say hydrocarbons were part of the primordial soup that became the earth.

We can solve this problem is congress would get out of the way. Of course this presidential election would be a starting point.

True, we don't have enough oil to last for eternity, but we have enough to last a few hundred years if WE DRILL NOW. Waiting to drill is not the answer. Drill here, drill now. Build more nuclear facilities. France generates over 80% of their needs via nuclear energy. Are we so dumb or hard-headed that we can't follow suit? Sell your SUV's and speedboats. vacation closer to home. Turn off a few lights. For crying out loud use your head!

take a look at real life pictures of ANWR. It is a coastal plain. It is not the picturesque moutain range that opponents are touting. It's a barren wastland along the coast. No one in their right mind would say we shouldn't drill there because it's so "nice'.

A-Patriot wrote:

True, we don't have enough oil to last for eternity, but we have enough to last a few hundred years if WE DRILL NOW. Waiting to drill is not the answer. Drill here, drill now. Build more nuclear facilities. France generates over 80% of their needs via nuclear energy. Are we so dumb or hard-headed that we can't follow suit? Sell your SUV's and speedboats. vacation closer to home. Turn off a few lights. For crying out loud use your head!

We have enough domestic oil for at least 100 years. This would provide more than enough time to perfect alternatives. But radical environmental democrats don't see it. They would rather gas prices spike to 6 plus dollars a gallon. The idiots we elected are killing our country. Say not to both parties and go Independent.

A-Patriot wrote:

True, we don't have enough oil to last for eternity, but we have enough to last a few hundred years if WE DRILL NOW. Waiting to drill is not the answer. Drill here, drill now. Build more nuclear facilities. France generates over 80% of their needs via nuclear energy. Are we so dumb or hard-headed that we can't follow suit? Sell your SUV's and speedboats. vacation closer to home. Turn off a few lights. For crying out loud use your head!

We have enough domestic oil for at least 100 years. This would provide more than enough time to perfect alternatives. But radical environmental democrats don't see it. They would rather gas prices spike to 6 plus dollars a gallon. The idiots we elected are killing our country. Say no to both parties and go Independent.

The only problem I see with this is that there hasn't been talk of innovation and alternative energy sources until this hike in fuel costs. Paying $4 at the pump sucks hard. But now there has been finally a public outcry for change. Car makers are finally touting cars with great MPG as being their big selling point. Attention is also going on public transportation which is pretty much a joke in this country. I wonder if we get the oil prices back down if all this innovation will go away and suddenly we will see the new H4 from Hummer.

scaught wrote:

The only problem I see with this is that there hasn't been talk of innovation and alternative energy sources until this hike in fuel costs. Paying $4 at the pump sucks hard. But now there has been finally a public outcry for change. Car makers are finally touting cars with great MPG as being their big selling point. Attention is also going on public transportation which is pretty much a joke in this country. I wonder if we get the oil prices back down if all this innovation will go away and suddenly we will see the new H4 from Hummer.

There's been talk of alternatives for a long time. The current price spikes are not the only reasons for getting serious. The problem is that technology takes time to perfect. There are numerous companies worldwide that are working on alternatives. Entrepreneurs know that a lot of money is to be made by producing an effective alternative to gasoline and diesel. It just so happens that the Japanese happen to be on the cusp of a breakthrough in battery technology and hydrogen, which has nothing to do with the current gas prices.

We can't even get a wind farm because the Kennedy's want to preserve their view:

RFK,jr:
Kennedy cautions that that wind farm project would mean the construction of "130 giant turbines whose windmill arms will reach 417 feet above the water and be visible for up to 26 miles."

The global warming crusader complains that the turbines will pollute the views from places like "Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket" - some of the Kennedy family's favorite haunts.

And that's not all. Kennedy gripes that if the wind farm plan goes through, "hundreds of flashing lights to warn airplanes away from the turbines will steal the stars and nighttime views."

And if that weren't bad enough, "the noise of the turbines will be audible onshore," he warns.

The Kennedy habitat horror doesn't end there: "A transformer substation rising 100 feet above the sound would house giant helicopter pads and 40,000 gallons of potentially hazardous oil," RFK Jr. grouses.

Kennedy's blatant hypocrisy has drawn the ire of even some of his erstwhile environmental allies.

"It's time for RFK Jr. to lead the Cape and islands towards a clean energy revolution," Greenpeace spokesman Chris Miller tells the Cape Cod Times. "It's about a vision for healthy oceans, not the view from the Kennedy compound."

drill get the oil and the oil companies will keep the oil in the US and we will be back down to $2 a gallon.

drill and increase the world supply and we will see $2 a gallon.

why is it that we only care when it directly impacts us, I predict in 5 years the next big thing will be to "BUY AMERICAN GOODS" after we already destroy our own economy

Always Independent wrote:

We can't even get a wind farm because the Kennedy's want to preserve their view:
RFK,jr:
Kennedy cautions that that wind farm project would mean the construction of "130 giant turbines whose windmill arms will reach 417 feet above the water and be visible for up to 26 miles."
The global warming crusader complains that the turbines will pollute the views from places like "Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket" - some of the Kennedy family's favorite haunts.
And that's not all. Kennedy gripes that if the wind farm plan goes through, "hundreds of flashing lights to warn airplanes away from the turbines will steal the stars and nighttime views."
And if that weren't bad enough, "the noise of the turbines will be audible onshore," he warns.
The Kennedy habitat horror doesn't end there: "A transformer substation rising 100 feet above the sound would house giant helicopter pads and 40,000 gallons of potentially hazardous oil," RFK Jr. grouses.
Kennedy's blatant hypocrisy has drawn the ire of even some of his erstwhile environmental allies.
"It's time for RFK Jr. to lead the Cape and islands towards a clean energy revolution," Greenpeace spokesman Chris Miller tells the Cape Cod Times. "It's about a vision for healthy oceans, not the view from the Kennedy compound."

I remember driving by giant wind farms just south of San Fran. I think they actually make the area more scenic. It is pretty incredible looking.

I wonder if Kennedy's condition has effected his judgement. I have no sympathy for obstructed views from 20 million dollar vacation homes.

Yah, right.

According to a loopy soviet scientist from 1960 maybe, but not according to reality.

Oil is found in sedimentary rock, not in rock pushed up from the earth's core...

Man, I wish people would take some basic primer courses in geology.

And our domestic reserves currently stand at 20 billion barrels. We use that in 3 years.

You are either very foolish or paid to promote Big Oil.

Larry,
Independent TX voter

Inept COngress wrote:

re: Realist - A few points: 1. There is a finite amount of oil on planet Earth, and it is not a renewable resource. Yes, drill in more places and you can buy a few more years, or even decades ... but eventually the oil is gone.
That is the conventional wisdom, but as time goes on this appears to wrong. Some say hydrocarbons were part of the primordial soup that became the earth.
We can solve this problem is congress would get out of the way. Of course this presidential election would be a starting point.

bowser wrote:

drill get the oil and the oil companies will keep the oil in the US and we will be back down to $2 a gallon.
drill and increase the world supply and we will see $2 a gallon.
why is it that we only care when it directly impacts us, I predict in 5 years the next big thing will be to "BUY AMERICAN GOODS" after we already destroy our own economy

One plan could be to allow drilling but also mandate a certain percentage of oil be delegated to the U.S. market. The bottom line is that oil companies must make a profit or else there is no incentive. Also, drill areas where there is infrastructure nearby to expedite getting wells up and running. This would mean the Gulf of Mexico would likely be the first place to start drilling. Then again, oil in the Gulf is miles below the ocean so I defer to the experts.