I'm sorry but Obama's offshore drilling position is a political loser

[Alhena]

I agree with Obama on 98% of his positions, but I just cannot figure out why it's ok to have offshore drilling in Louisiana and Texas but not off the coast of Virginia and North Carolina, if those states want to allow it. I don't see any real environmental argument- there was not even oil spillage after Hurricane Katrina demolished several oil platforms.

Another thing that bothers me was that Obama didn't (in the clip I saw) address the logic of the proposal on its merits as to why we shouldn't drill for our own oil. Instead, his argument was that we wouldn't see any reduction in prices for 5 years. So what? Are we supposed to base national policy on whether or not we get instant gratification? He also said that it wouldn't help much because the US only has 3% of the world's oil. Again, so what? We shouldn't do something that helps a little just because it doesn't help a lot?

I'm really hurting with these gas prices, and it's making it harder to feed my family. And I simply can not agree that we should let whatever offshore oil resources we have go to waste when environmentally friendly countries like Norway have no problem with offshore drilling. Even if I'm somehow wrong on this, I am very confident that most Americans share my view on this, and so Obama is going to have a hard time with the high gas price issue politically if he doesn't modify his position on this. Flame retardant suit on.

[villager]

1. so you're buying the oil company spin that trashing coastal protection

...for a limited amount of oil that won't even be available for a few years is the way to get out of this crisis, which they caused?

[Alhena]

4. What coastal protection? I don't recall oil ever washing onshore in La and Tx

and if it didn't happen after the worst hurricane in history, I'm not sure when it would happen.

This is not unproven technology- we have an actual track record in La and Tx. How has the environment been harmed there? It's a genuine question. If the environment HAS been harmed there then I may reconsider.

[villager]

Let some people up the road in Santa Barbara tell you about years' worth of oil-ravaged beaches...,

[OwnedByFerrets]

10. Alhena, oil is still washing up on the

California coasts from spills from 30 yrs ago. Just because its not happened yet in Texas is no reason to bet the future on it. Besides, see my post below. It wont help any. SS, but it just wont.

www.wearableartnow.com

[Alhena]

37. Ok, that's the first good reason I've heard. I wasn't aware of any accidents

[villager]

48. What!? The oil company talking points don't include the accidents!!? ;-)

n/t

[kestrel91316]

69. You are promoting offshore oil drilling and were unaware of the

Santa Barbara oil spill??????

Sounds like somebody needs to go do a little homework before sticking their neck out........

[alarimer]

76. It did happen in Texas.

Some years ago (not sure how many) an offshore platform had a blowout. Oil washed up on all the beaches. Now and then we still get some tar-like substance that washes up. LA and TX have more lenient coastal protection than other states and that is the ONLY reason offshore drilling is still allowed. We simply cannot prevent it by law.

[sandnsea]

13. The wetlands are gone because of the oil

Particularly in Louisiana, they destroyed the wet lands to build canals to transport the oil. That conversation was brief, but a big part of the problem in fixing the Louisiana river problems is that most professionals agreed the real problem was the wetlands and barrier islands. The more they changed the river, the worse the delta got. That's what used to break storms before they hit New Orleans.

And you need to do a little more research on Texas oil spills, because there have been plenty.

[babylonsister]

17. FACTS:

And FTR, I lived in Corpus Christi, TX, for 6 years. EVERY time I went to the beach I got home to discover tar on my feet. I don't know what your experience is, but that's mine.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3476139&mesg_id=3476139

The President’s proposal sounds like another page from the Administration’s Energy Policy that was literally written by the oil industry: give away more public resources to the very same oil companies that are sitting on 68 million acres of federal lands they’ve already leased.


FACTS:

The fact is there are 68 million acres onshore and offshore in the U.S. that are leased by oil companies—open to drilling and actually under lease—but not developed.

If oil companies tapped the 68 million federal acres of leased land it would generate an estimated 4.8 million barrels of oil a day – six times what ANWR would produce at its peak.

The fact is 80 percent of the oil available on the Outer Continental Shelf is in regions that are already open to leasing—but the oil companies haven’t decided it’s worth their time to drill there.

The fact is that drilling in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge wouldn’t yield any oil for 10 years—and then would only save the consumer 1.8 cents per gallon in 2030.

[OwnedByFerrets]

29. Thank you for bringing facts to the table BS....

It was funny and sad today during the Thom Hartman show. Thom was reciting these FACTS to a republicant and all he could answer was "thats a lie, thats a lie". Thats all they have left.


www.wearableartnow.com

[Alhena]

40. Thanks for the info- Obama needs to emphasize that point

[Hell Hath No Fury]

25. Try digging on the beach at Santa Barbara, CA...

It looks beautiful when you are just walking along, but if you start digging a little you will find oily sand and oil balls from the offshore platforms there. It pollutes the seabirds and the animals the seabirds live off of.

Oil is dirty from start to finish, from its removal through its burning.

We can spend 10 years and a bazillion $$$ on a dying technology, or spend that time and money finding the solutions for the future.

[jwirr]

27. How good is the fishing off shore in those two areas? That is one of

the big factors we are worried about. Or the shrimp catch?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

31. There've been, what, seven major accidents in the last five years?

Geez louise.

[elehhhhna]

62. there was not even oil spillage after Hurricane Katrina demolished several oil platforms.

Uh, you need to google and check your facts. I believe you are quite mistaken.

[Beetwasher]

2. Jesus Fucking Christ, More Offshore Drilling WON'T REDUCE GAS PRICES BY EVEN ONE CENT

Holy fuck, I can't believe so many dimwits are falling for this propogandistic bullshit.

Read this, then come back and retract this idiotic post:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/6/18/134047/614/81/537906

[uponit7771]

8. You're right but the GOP has told the "BIG LIE" fast and hard and dems sat there and "nuanced" their

...answers with explanations instead of bumper stickering the issue with "...They don't even drill what they have..." etc.

[Iwasthere]

14. Falling on deaf ears out there

So sad. Millions of acres of onshore oil available! Wake up people, get this out there!!

[Alhena]

18. If that's the case then Obama should have said that ...

his arguments about "it won't help right now" and "it won't help a whole lot" simply don't seem persuasive to me. Those aren't good reasons for not doing it.

[Beetwasher]

23. "Those aren't good reasons for not doing it." YES THEY ARE

They're the BEST reasons for not doing it. It's pointless and idiotic. What better reason is there?

[Alhena]

32. It's pointless because we won't get results for 5 years?

and because it will only mean a few cents a gallon difference? Sorry, but that just doesn't make sense. When you're talking national policy a few cents a gallon can mean hundreds of billions of dollars of difference to the US economy over a period of years.

[Beetwasher]

38. BULLSHIT!!!

Read the fucking article I posted and STOP PEDDLING BULLSHIT. Either educate yourself or shut up. You look stupid. I've given you information to educate yourself, do it.

[kestrel91316]

71. And what will we do after we have used up THAT oil and yet

failed to switch to alternatives???

[uponit7771]

36. RIGHT ON! I've explained this to many GOPers and they get it

[OwnedByFerrets]

3. Selling more oil leases to the Oil Companies

wont do anything. All they want them for is to sit on them like they are sitting on the thousands of leases they already own. When profits go down under what they feel is reasonable, they will drill them. Until then, they will sit on them. Opening up these areas that the republicants are bitching about wont help you or me one penny. There are lots and lots of other good reasons, but that one is the biggie.

www.wearableartnow.com

[uponit7771]

11. YEAP, I explained that to my GOPer buddy and he understood COMPLETELY. Even GOPers get Big Oil is...

..the REAL evil on in this story.

[Disturbed]

22. "More Offshore Drilling WON'T REDUCE GAS PRICES BY EVEN ONE CENT

This is another scam from the Oil Corpse & the Busholini Regime.

Of course, McLame jumps right on it.

[jwirr]

54. Everyone here who has read The Shock Doctrine should recognize

what is happening. Gas price crisis = opportunity for disaster capitalists to get laws changed to satisfy their needs not the needs of the victims and then when they get the oil rights they will hold out for top dollar and we will have nothing. Let us tell then to go pedal their propaganda somewhere else.

[newspeak]

82. yep, we are being "Enronized"

hey, they screwed California and now, it's the whole country. You basically have some pathological greed heads, like at Enron, who have been allowed since Bush I to speculate futures on oil---along with deregulatory laws that are driving up the prices of oil--Hell, KO had it on tonight-even mentioning Phil Gramm and how Congress attempted to close the Enron loophole in a farming bill and "let's drill the hell out of the coasts" McCain wouldn't sign on to it. You know what his reason--there's pork in that bill. McCain is nothing but a fabricator just like someone else we don't hold dear. We're being screwed by Wall Street-by Big Oil--and they keep feeding the lie. I noticed the neo-con MO--intentionally create the problem or magnify the problem and readily have the solution that more than likely will enable their friends to make out like bandits while causing everyone else suffering. The Constitution calls for regulated commerce--all I know is everytime there's deregulation it eventually hurts labor, consumers, etc...

[sandnsea]

5. It's a band-aid when we need surgery

We need to get off fossil fuels and on to wind, solar, and other energy solutions that are renewable and clean. He's wrong on coal too, unless we can make it truly clean and the mining process doesn't destroy the plant either.

[GrantDem]

6. Oil is the problem; not the solution.

We need to use less of it. Not more.

[polichick]

7. The offshore drilling thing is as much a scam as the gas tax holiday...

...and, thank God, Obama knows it.

[otohara]

9. Yep - This Will Be A Tough

one to weather for Obama.

The mindset of doing something NOW vs doing the right thing is gonna way in on the race.

[uponit7771]

19. Wouldn't be tough IF the DNC would stop their stupid "nuance" responses and bumper sticker issues...

...like these the way the GOP does; "...They don't drill what they have..." could've been the easy reply YEARS ago but the GOP told the "BIG LIE" hard and fast and the stupid ass'd MsM took it hook line and sinker.

[DrDan]

12. what's wrong with the approved leases?

Why not push for drilling there.

I sympathize with you. But - off-shore drilling is not necessarily the only answer.

This is just another pile of money in the pockets of the oil rich - and it does nothing for the rest of us.

Alternative fuels. Increased mileage.

This is just a campaign ploy by mccain and bush. Push for the off-shore drilling because they know the Dems will fight it - for good reason. And many will be swayed based on the artificially high gas prices.

Just dirty politics ala KKKarl and his band of felons.

[melody]

15. My hyper-Republican neighbor told me "the oil drilling thing is just oil company BS"

So much for it being a political loser.

[uponit7771]

28. I just heard today someone from the DNC bumper stickering a reply to ANWAR but the GOP has told the

..."BIG LIE" hard and fast and it'll take time for it to get the truth out.

My GOPer buddy understands it's not congress that's the villain hear but after explaining that Big Oil sits on the leases he said the democrats do a HORRIBLE job of explaining themselves in a short fashon.

[OwnedByFerrets]

47. The democrats are indeed horrible at

explaining themselves. Every one of them needs to buy, read and memorize Thom Hartmanns book, "Cracking the Code."

http://www.thomhartmann.com/CrackingTheCode/

www.wearableartnow.com

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

16. So, you're very concerned...

that Obama isn't taking the wrong position on an issue, because dumb people are too stupid to know any better...

Am I getting that right?

[Alhena]

24. No, my main concern is that the reasons he himself gave were bad ones

if there are good reasons not to do this then he should say this.

In the interview on an airplane that I saw, the reasons he gave were that 1. it won't help for 5 years and 2. we only have 3% of the world's oil, so it won't help a whole lot.

Neither of those is a good reason not to do it. If such good reasons exist, he needs to start giving them.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

26. So then you're one of those people...

OK.

[Beetwasher]

33. Are You Fucking Kidding??? Those Are GREAT Reasons NOT TO DO IT!

IT WON'T FUCKING DO ANYTHING. Why should you DO something if there's NO POINT???? Game over.

[uponit7771]

42. They're not good POLITICAL reason not to do it but it's an excellent reason NOT to sell Big Oil

...any more leases than they have now.

They're buying the leases and sitting on them

[shraby]

73. And where they are drilling and finding oil, they

are capping the wells for future use. i.e. Michigan in the Niagran reef.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

55. Ok, so what do *you* think would be a good reason?

because I'm pretty sure those are two great reasons right there.

[gatorboy]

20. What about Florida?

As Republican as the state is, I'm sure they wouldn't like an oil spill near all that beach front property.

[OwnedByFerrets]

21. We need a Manhattan Project

for the energy crisis. It would serve two purposes. It would put thousands to work and it would eliminate our dependence on oil.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan_Project

www.wearableartnow.com

[uponit7771]

34. Just the ANNOUNCEMENT of a practical project would be a 30% dump in oil price IMHO but the...

...market has heard this before from America.

RayGun killed all of Carters initiatives.

[OwnedByFerrets]

41. I hate Raygun for it too....

he killed our chance of being oil independent by 2000 and he began the killing of the middle class.

www.wearableartnow.com

[uponit7771]

44. Most GOPers are mis-informed about one of the fiscally worst and most racist president in a...

...generation of Americans.

[OwnedByFerrets]

49. Hell, I wish it was just republicants that were

misinformed about him. Millions of democrats think he was a freaking god. Marketing trumps common sense every time.

www.wearableartnow.com

[uponit7771]

52. Hopefully "not this time" can inlcude the internets, Netroots usually are more informed and this yr

...30% of people are going to the net for information....that's 2/3 of people who vote in this country IIRC.

[saigon68]

59. He is a Racist he ranks up there with Justice Taney

See Dred Scott vs Sandford 1857 actually Sanford (the supreme court mispelled his name)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dred_Scott_v._Sandford

was a decision by the United States Supreme Court that ruled that people of African descent imported into the United States and held as slaves, or their descendants<2>—whether or not they were slaves—could never be citizens of the United States, and that the United States Congress had no authority to prohibit slavery in federal territories. The Court also ruled that slaves could not sue in court, and that slaves—as chattel or private property—could not be taken away from their owners without due process.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

45. Or the JFK moon challenge...

If pressed to do it and given the funding, I am 100% certain we could find a solution to our energy problems within tens years.

I hope Obama has the foresight and political will to make just such a project happen.

[OwnedByFerrets]

53. Yes, that one would sell better to democrats....

comparing it to a project that built a killing machine would appeal to the republicants more:rofl:

www.wearableartnow.com

[LSK]

30. if you think there is a supply crisis, show me the long gas lines please

[Terry in Austin]

66. If you think there's a leak in the boat, show me your wet hat

Yes, gas lines and even rationing have occurred in cases of extreme shortage, such as in the 1970's. However, there are other indicators about supply. Fact is, world oil production has been essentially flat since 2004. Meanwhile, demand continues to increase. EIA numbers tell the story.

That's definitely a shortfall in supply. Whether anyone cares to label it a "crisis" is another matter altogether, but it's safe to say that the supply issue has gotten pretty darn critical.

[LSK]

72. EIA numbers show a SLIGHT demand increase from 2004 - 2007

With no numbers for 2008. Per YOUR SOURCE.

However, the price of oil has nearly DOUBLED in 1 year. DOUBLED IN ONE YEAR.

DOUBLED IN ONE YEAR.

Get it yet?

DOUBLED IN ONE YEAR.

[Terry in Austin]

83. Slight?

Well, not exactly. I'm going to agree with you about a few things, but not about that. The total increase in demand over the 2004-2007 period was around 7%. With production flat, that means a seven percent shortfall. By comparison, it only took about a five percent shortfall to cause all that upheaval in the 1970's.

Yes, the upward trend in http://www.inflationdata.com/inflation/Inflation_Rate/Historical_Oil_Prices_Table.asp">price is steep, and it's alarming. Average price over the 2004-2007 period was $52.55. The 2007 average was $64.20. The 2008 average so far is $97.98. You very understandably expressed outrage that prices have doubled -- on top of that, we can see that the doubling isn't just between a couple of select spikes, but for longer-term averages. Yes, I get it.

And yes, the financial boondogglers should all have their Enron loopholes plugged with handcuffs and orange jumpsuits.

But underneath all the hanky-panky lies the fact that oil production worldwide is entering permanent decline. Peak oil is here, friends.

So. When a resource gets scarce, the price goes up. The question, then, is this: how much of a price increase would be legitimate? What is a fair, un-manipulated price for a barrel of oil today?

Thank you for your time.

[Lex]

35. " . . . if those states want to allow it . . . " Hey, if we did, we would.

We don't.

Tell the Big Oil profiteers to suck it.

[gulfbreeze]

39. Norway does not let the Oil Companies take 100% of the profits

It's a totally different thing. The oil and other big companies will have carte Blanche with this. I guarantee not one small business or local will profit from this in any meaningful way. Just look at whose getting rich in Iraq.

I am from Florida and we have an economy that is dependent on our natural resources, especially the Gulf and Beaches. There are so many different types of businesses that would be hurt if this goes forward.

All I ask is that you go back and look at photographs of Texas Beaches before they started drilling and compare them with todays. It's disgusting.

I believe the oil market and the American people have been manipulated to where we are today. It seems so set up. We have been brought to our knees and now is the time the Republicans bring this up again. It's too perfectly timed and it has all the characteristics of "Disaster Capitalism". (by Naomi Klein)

[whatchamacallit]

43. "Offshore drilling", "position"? Sounds like a republican congressional trip to Thailand

:evilgrin:

[OwnedByFerrets]

56. Or a drug addled gas bag....

Limballs, to the Dominican Republic.:rofl:

www.wearableartnow.com

[Phred42]

46. Read the Congressional Report that just came out

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3479139&mesg_id=3479139

[uponit7771]

51. Yeap, they're buying up leases and sitting on them. My GOPer buddy heard this and said "now wonder"

...I just can't understand why the DNC isn't just keeping it simple and explaining it that way.

[Phred42]

84. They are - DeFazio said it yesterday - Corporate Media is just not COvering it

Whoda Thunk?

[Lydia Leftcoast]

50. Ah, anything to avoid driving less, I see

I don't know what your personal circumstances are, but most Americans, even those who live in inconvenient places, could learn to drive less: car pooling, replacing trips of five miles or less with bicycles...

[uponit7771]

57. Bikes? Are you kidding,.. around where I live? Also, MOST major cities in the US do NOT have mass...

...transit out to were MOST Americans are living now...the suburbs.

"Drive Less" when people have a 27 minute 20 mile avg commute sounds very unpractical.

It's not our life style that doesn't support "carpooling" and "driving less" it's MOST of Americas large and medium sized cities transportation infrastructure.

This country was never "built" for 4 dollar a gallon gas, we don't have a choice.

There is NO MORE room on the one cross town transit train that's in my US city of 6 million people.

[taterguy]

67. What's unreasonable about using a bike for a trip of less than five miles?

Granted, it's probably not practical for 20 mile commute in Texas heat but that's not what the person that you were replying to actually said.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

68. But most Americans were silly enough to move to those places

Those were the trendy places to live. Those were the places that were--still are--touted in the media as being desirable.

There was a mad rush to the Sun Belt beginning in the 1980s. There was a mad rush to the fringes of the metropolitan areas of other cities at the same time, all because people imagined they could live as country gentry.

Nobody held a gun to their heads to force them to move there. Yeah, yeah, they "couldn't afford a house otherwise." They fell for one of the biggest scams in the history of America: thinking that they had to own a house, whether they could afford it or not. They paid a dollar to the bank to get 30 cents back from the government.

I actually warned people not to do that. I told them that gas prices wouldn't stay low forever. But I was a killjoy treehugger.

People consistently VOTED DOWN transit in the suburbs because they imagined that (gasp!) dark-skinned people might venture out to their little dream world.

That's what happens when people don't think ahead. They end up wanting to risk the health of the planet so that they can go on living in their media-manufactured dream world.

Maybe next time they'll vote for bus service and realize that it's not dark-skinned people who are the enemy. Maybe the next time they have to move they'll opt for a smaller house, closer in.

That squawking isn't just suburbanites with three cars dealing with high gas prices. It's also chickens coming home to roost.

[27inCali]

75. THEN WHY DON"T YOU MOVE

YOU'D HAVE A BETTER QUALITY LIFE IN A METRO AREA, YOU'RE KID WOULD GET A BETTER EDUCATION TOO.

[Epiphany4z]

58. well it wont relieve

gas prices for years to come if all ...my guess is more oil...more oil use..prices stay high...just seems logical to me ..plus we are nearly running at max capacity now ..no?

I truly think the only thing that will bring gas prices down is simply not to need as much of it ..world wide.

I just don't think anything else we do will bring it down..there is money to made and it will be made dam it!

Anyway now we can argue about drilling off shore and forget about speculators, tax cuts for oil companies making record profits ect...

[uponit7771]

61. Yeap, more oil for Big Oil to sell on the market and OPEC will respond by decrease production

....there's no fix to this other than taking the speculation out of the market and getting the CFTC to regulate like they're supposed to.

Bush admin has told them they can let the London Interchanges regulate "themselves".

Free Marketers are stupid

[HughMoran]

60. If you're hurting because of gas prices, this drilling WILL NOT help you

Are you smoking crack?

Do you really think we should be drilling and drilling until oil is gone, then just say "ooops, all gone - nice knowing y'all."

Stupidest, least thought out post ever on DU.

[uponit7771]

65. I don't like the way they've let GOPers frame the issue, they could've SIMPLY demonized Big Oil long

...time ago but have chosen to let our stupid ass'd MsM repeat the ANWAR crap over and over again.

Big Oil is sitting on the leases they have and we wont sell them any more JUST to sit on the supply and drive up the price.


Simple, to the point.

[HughMoran]

74. It's true that they may not have chosen the best of the many arguments against drilling

The arguments are so numerous - there isn't a single strategist anywhere that thinks drilling more holes (or in this case, giving them permission as you have noted they won't be drilling any time soon anyway) is going to provide one iota of relief for the high prices this summer (or next summer for that matter).

[2Design]

63. gas prices aren't about oil - it is about oil men and profits - they did this in the 70's - need

we need long term solutions by investing in alternative means - these guys don't want that because it isn't where their profits are
we have OIL MEN in the white house - don't get sucked into their propaganda - it only serves them - not the people or the earth

look at the flooding in the midwest - they (WH) don't care about people

[babylonsister]

64. Alhena, please read this: Fakery and Fibbery on Oil Exploration

http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_spine/archive/2008/06/17/fakery-and-fibbery-on-oil-exploration.aspx

Fakery and Fibbery on Oil Exploration

The oil companies want to be able to lease more land (and water) from the feds in order to be able to drill for more oil. But the government has already leased 91.5 million acres for just this purpose. So what's the rub? Only about a quarter of this acreage is producing oil and gas. The oil drillers don't know whether there is possible production in the other 75%. And they're not trying to find out.

What they are doing instead is trying to persuade the powers that be to lease them more and more land (at very cheap prices, by the way) so that...so that what? So that they will control oil and gas turf way into the future.

Such transactions will not relieve the present power crisis.

This fakery and fibbery are discussed in "Quest for Oil: Where to Look Is the Question, Drill on New Lands or Existing Fields," an extremely informative article in yesterday's Wall Street Journal.

[27inCali]

70. We could starting building the rigs today

and there would be no gas pumping out of them for another 5-10 years.

even if we had that gas now, we don't have the refineries to prepare it for consumption

those refineries will take 5-10 years to build.

Even after that, the amount of gas we would obtain would have little or no effect on prices.

So once your done destroying MY and MY CHILDREN'S beautiful coastline so you can drive your big gas-guzzling dumbshit mobile you might save a nickle or two. THANKS DUDE

THE SMARTEST WAY TO RELIEVE THE PAIN AT THE PUMP IS TO RAISE TAXES ON THE WELL-TO-DO WHO AREN'T EFFECTED SO DRASTICALLY AND CUT TAXES FOR MIDDLE AND LOWER INCOME FAMILIES TO OFFSET THE RISING COSTS, PLUS BIG FEDERAL REBATES FOR BUYING HYBRIDS, PLUS GETTING THE FUCK OUT OF IRAQ. THESE ARE ALL THINGS THAT CAN HAVE A RELATIVELY IMMEDIATE POSITIVE EFFECT ON GAS PRICES OVER THE NEXT YEAR, PLUS PEOPLE BEING SMART AND CHANGING TO JOBS SO THAT YOU WORK CLOSER TO HOME AND DON'T COMMUTE SO MUCH, INVESTING IN WIDENING HIWAYS TO GET RID OF CONJESTION SO THAT PEOPLE WASTE LESS GAS IN TRAFFIC. EXPANDING MASS TRANSIT, BUILDING COMMUTER TRAINS LIKE THE KIND THEY HAVE IN THE BAY AREA AROUND THE COUNTRY. THESE ARES THE SMART ANSWERS THAT WE CAN GET STARTED ON AND HAVE ROLLING WITHIN A YEAR, NOT DRILLING, WE'LL WAIT YEARS AND THE EFFECT WILL BE NEGLIGABLE. . GET A BIKE, HITCH A BASKET IN BACK AND RIDE IT TO THE GROCERY STORE OR AROUND TOWN TO DO CHORES, MAYBE YOU MIGHT GET YOUR LAZY ASS INTO SHAPE IF YOU CAN'T DO THAT BECAUSE YOU LIVE WAY OUT IN SOME SUBURB THAT'S ABOUT 10 MILES FROM EVERYTHING, AND YOU BOUGHT A BIG OLE SUV BECAUSE IT MADE YOUR DICK FEEL BIG, IT'S YOUR OWN DAMN FAULT FOR NOT THINKING AHEAD AND LIVING A WASTEFUL, NARICISSISTIC LIFESTYLE.

Try educating yourself about the issue and you will realize that THERE ARE NO EASY ANSWERS.

Even Republicans are against this, just read Arnold's response in California.

It's a stupid idea for stupid people who want the easy way out instead of facing the hard truth that we fucked ourselves in this and that there will be pain for a long time.

OBAMA is right in saying this is a disingenous Washington stunt.

AND I SAY THIS AS SOMEONE LIVING IN AN AREA WHERE GAS PRICES ARE THE HIGHEST IN THE COUNTRY.

[stillcool]

77. Why is it so effing hard..

to get the oil companies to release the plans, they surely have, for other renewable energy sources? Is this even a viable solution, or is it just bullshit? Talking about oil 10 years from now, does what? Who is going to be making the big bucks off this 'fix'?

[wain]

78. Good post, Althena, but nobody seems to want to listen

too many of us are in your shoes where the cost of gasoline is crippling. Instead of answers all we hear are political arguments and finger pointing. In the meantime, nothing gets resolved and the price of gas continues it's upward climb, hurting more and more families.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

79. Well, NO ONE can wave a magic wand and make the high gas prices go away

so you'd better start making adjustments sooner instead of later.

[Beetwasher]

80. OK, Jeenyus, Explain How This Idiocy Will Help

We're all waiting.

Why is there currently NO new drilling being done in the 100's of thousands of offshore acre's the oil co's currently lease?

[mdmc]

81. your thoughts are that of a swing voter

please allow us to pick your brain to clarify our position.