How much would Oil cost if....

[crissy71]

We didn't undermine Mossadegh in Iran in the 50's?

We allow Chavez to stay in power in Venezuala?

We had followed a foreign policy in the 20th century of encouraging democracy in all it's forms, even if that meant socialist, religeous or communist elected leaders?

[camero]

1. Alot lower

Now the price of gas is a different story. Gas would be roughly the same as it is now because of our policy of deregulation and the mergers of the oil companies. The oil industry in the US is pretty much a monopoly now with all the mergers.

[Dogmudgeon]

2. A better question

How much would oil cost if its price wasn't held artificially low by tax and subsidy supports by U.S. taxpayers?

Most of the calculations I've seen run about $6-$8 per gallon.

But the point is well-taken -- we shouldn't be in the empire business.

--bkl

[lostnfound]

10. Another better question: how much if burdened by cost of the oil wars? nt

[Dogmudgeon]

12. A big unknown ... for now

We got off cheap in GW1, but so far GW2 has cost us about $300 bln.

The price of gas will go up, but the price of war will be spread throughout the economy, like so many rodent feces in a second-rate diner's food.

And wait until the bill arrives!

--bkl

[Beam Me Up]

3. It would be a whole different world, Crissy

Democracy and capitalism could have beat Communism easily WITHOUT a massive military build up thanks to the "Military Industrial Complex" AKA: Fascist Moneyed Elites. We could have built a global society that respected differences of religion, culture, etc., and that encouraged CONSERVATIVE use of our non-renewable resources. I could go on and on. HOWEVER, none of that was allowed to happen. The 'MIC aka FME' determined that it was in THEIR better interest to build industrial civilization on NON-renewable resources and to overthrow Democracies world wide, instituting dictatorships that would sell their resources to the industrialized nations at low cost. ETC. ETC. ETC. So, we have the world we have.

In other words, it isn't just the price of OIL that is to be considered here; it is the TOTAL price of corrupted world view.

[blurp]

7. Democracy and capitalism are somewhat opposites

Democracy and capitalism could have ...

Pure capitalism means private rule of property.

Pure democracy means majority rule of everything.

They are competing forces.

[yolatengo]

4. how much if...

the cost of two Gulf Wars, giving (and selling) weapons to
Saudi, Israel, Eqypt, Jordan, Iraq (then blowing it up ourselves),
tax breaks to oil companies, subsidies to build roads and spread
the cost to everyone, even those who don't drive, etc were
factored in?

Bigby

[pberq]

5. We don't need oil

Check this out: http://www.tompaine.com/feature2.cfm/ID/10083

In an article called "Dumpin Crude", we are told that the Pentagon itself has a plan to get us off oil in 15 years!

Excerpt:

"Fortunately for Kerry, he won’t need to study the problem for another decade. It turns out that three months before the Pentagon’s Office of Net Assessment published its explosive report about the threat posed by climate change (see Climate Change Alert), it published another report entitled, “A Strategy: Moving America Away from Oil.” The report, prepared by the Arlington Institute, outlines how to wean the United States off oil completely in 15 years. That’s well beyond Kerry’s 17 percent reduction over 10 years."

[newyawker99]

6. Hi pberq!!

Welcome to DU!!

[blurp]

8. Original report is here:

http://www.arlingtoninstitute.org/library/A%20Strategy%...

[crissy71]

9. Wow

What's the plan? wind? solar? or just lots of coal?

If it's fuel cells, hydrogen, ethanol etc, what's going to be the energy to produce these (since each need energy input to get to their energy producing and storing forms)

[specter]

11. Wont

happen completely, Airplanes wont fly with fuel cells