Ben Stein quoting Glenn Beck? That's rich, now I know Ben is off the reservation. According to Glenn Beck, oil is the equivalent to "human life;" that really is a barrel full. The oil establishment is laughing its way to the bank as governments around the world have been distracted with false solutions that were failures before they were proposed. I'm sure many of these "alternative" fuel solutions originated in oil company board rooms, as they run counter to what most energy experts believe.

So far the "green" movement has been a joke. They might as well just figure out a way to make the exhaust of a Hummer green, and say its better for the environment.

Rising gas prices has done more for the "green" movement than any other bogus initiative.

As gas goes up, driving goes down

Fewer cars on Japan's roads

For Ben to go along with Glenn's premise that we could drill ourselves out of our dependence on foreign oil, either exposes his ignorance, or his ties to oil company profits; either way, that's total crap, obviously directed at those with less than average intellect.

And for them to foment the notion that unless we drill in your backyard, the world will spiral into chaos is f'in' ridiculous!

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Big Number of 2008
8,217,246
Obama's Margin of Victory

"Shake off all the fears of servile prejudices, under which weak minds are servilely crouched. Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call on her tribunal for every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear."

-Thomas Jefferson

the key takeaway here is that we should have invaded Venezuela instead of Iraq: does Venezuela even have an army? we could have sent the coast guard to do the job.. and besides, we wouldn't be dealing with arab-oil backed insurgents there and we could have secured a reliable oil supply for the near future... sound crazy? well, in hindsight, the money, resources, American lives lost, American reputation tarnished would it have been a worse option? it would have have shut up and shut down Chavez, secured our oil interests in one bold stroke... I mean if you are going to tell the entire world to take a flying hike, why not take an easier road?

More seriously though, it is unbelievable that fully 100 years since Ford introduced the Model T to the American market in 1908, we are still driving cars that are effectively based on the same technology (internal combustion engine). It shows you just how powerful the oil lobby is. Btw, the Model T got about 25 mpg a century ago -- so while we have made progress which should be measured in light years in just about every other industry, we have basically done nothing to address America's addiction to oil.

You reap what you sow.

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Shows you how good a invention it was. We still use wheels and fire too.

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http://www.fairtax.org

Elminate all taxes on income and replace with a national sales tax.

the wheel, fire and the internal combustion engine? i wouldn't take it that far. my point is simply that while technology has helped advance nearly every product / service we use, -- and yet 100 years since the introduction of the automobile, we are effectively using the same technology.

you think the oil companies / lobby has had nothing to do with that?

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No, I think they have little to do with it. Supply and demand have everything to do with it. Simple machines work best, and oil is most efficient. We still use the combustion engine and will continue to use it for many years because it is the most efficient and cost effective method for propulsion. And 100 years is nothing. I also dont equate lobbying with anything wrong. All citizens have a right to petition govt in support of their interests.

__________________
http://www.fairtax.org

Elminate all taxes on income and replace with a national sales tax.

I doubt that we will get serious about fiding an alternative to petroleum as a fuel source until we have no choice in the matter.

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Don't startle him, Joe - it's almost full!

What's the quote? You can count on America to do the right thing when all other options have been exhausted. Something like that.

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When they come a wull staun ma groon
Staun ma groon al nae be afraid
Thoughts awe hame tak awa ma fear
Sweat an bluid hide ma veil awe tears

The combustion engine is very reliable. No question. It is efficient and cheap (or was)... Forget about environmental issues for a moment (another can of worms) -- but the appeal of the combustion engine has continued because there has never been a real and sustained concern with regards to the price and supply of oil.

So I absolutely agree that supply and demand has underpinned the popularity of the combustion engine. Let's see how those supply and demand dynamics shift when the world starts facing $200+ per barrel prices or when Joe Schmoe has to consider forking over $200 to fill up his tank.

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Well possibly. General Motors, and Goodyear, killed light rail systems in the San Franciso Bay Area. But I think oil being relatively inexpensive for the last 100 years has a lot to do with it.

__________________
Big Number of 2008
8,217,246
Obama's Margin of Victory

"Shake off all the fears of servile prejudices, under which weak minds are servilely crouched. Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call on her tribunal for every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear."

-Thomas Jefferson

The days of sub $5 /gal gas will soon be over if Cap & Trade becomes law. I would expect it to be around $8 /gal by next year.

Congress won't allow us to refill the US Strategic Oil Reserve so it looks like they're purposely trying to raise prices.......just to change our driving habits.

They claim that this isn't the case, but everything they've done to increase our dependence on foreign oil makes it look like they want to change our habits through high prices.

It won't change mine because I already drive as little as possible now. The only other option is to sell my car and walk to work every day.....but that wouldn't make much sense because it would take 6 hrs a day to make the round trip. Maybe I could call in sick twice a week....that would save on gas.

What this will effect even more for me is electricity and natural gas will be much more expensive. Forget about using the AC and to heat my home during the winter I'll practically have to take out a loan. No more dishwashers or clothes dryers because they use too much electricity.

Some people say that there will be two classes.....the rich and the poor. No middle-class.

I think this is wrong. The middle-class won't be poor, just broke.....like they are in California.

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"We can't screw it up any worse than they have." - Barack Obama

Wanna bet?



"You never want a serious crisis to go to waste...." - Rahm Emmanuel

Yeah, but that wasnt what you said. You said we still used the engine because gas companies lobby for it. Were they lobbying to keep gas cheap?

__________________
http://www.fairtax.org

Elminate all taxes on income and replace with a national sales tax.

I think it would be less harsh on America if they put in place the infrastructure needed to give us alternatives rather then jumping straight to outrageous energy prices.

Install mass transit systems before you boost the price out of reach.

Is that too much to ask?


Does it make any sense to ruin our economy just to force us to change now? We will eventually change, but this seems to be a war on oil instead of an attempt to do what's best for America.

Let's not forget that the Global Warming taxes and fees that we will be forced to pay are not intended exclusively to developing alternatives or cleaning the environment but instead to sowing up Social Security and paying for Universal Health Care. Alternative fuels still release CO2. In some cases more then fossil-fuels. Anything that burns releases CO2. The only viable alternatives are electric cars or Hydrogen Fuel Cells, but there are drawbacks to these as well.

No, this is about entitlements and mass distribution of wealth. The environment won't be effected because the program has to be agreed to and strictly adhered to by all nations. Our nation alone won't make enough difference to put a dent in the problem/hoax in the first place.

How it works: Cap and Trade systems


Get ready for story after story about the wonderful benefits of high gas prices to be in the news. If you think I'm kidding, just watch.

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"We can't screw it up any worse than they have." - Barack Obama

Wanna bet?



"You never want a serious crisis to go to waste...." - Rahm Emmanuel

My point is simply that in 100 years we have effectively not advanced when it comes to autos (certainly in relative terms) given the quantum leaps and bounds technology has provided in virtually every other area.

Now you have to ask yourself who benefits the most from this? The consumer? Not really. Consumer adoption of technology in the marketplace as products progress from one iteration from the next has proven successful (take for instance music from phonographs to LPS to 8-tracks to cassette tapes to CDs to MP3s, etc.) And yet 100 years since Ford introduced the 25mpg Model T, we are effectively driving around the same technology and getting similar mileage to boot. What's wrong with this picture?

I find it incredible that we are still using effectively the same technology when it comes to autos. I firmly believe that Big Oil has had a lot to do with that. They have the resources. They have the influence. They certainly have the dollars and most importantly are properly motivated to ensuring the status quo -- i.e. that consumers continue to consume their product. Any alternative that threatens this status quo is effectively a knife to their collective throats. No one understands this zero sum situation than Big Oil -- and let's face it -- they play dirty and they play to win. Period.

I don't buy the theory that the internal combustion engine represents the pinnacle of automobile technology to the point where we should accept that there can and never could be a superior substitute. If oil jumped to 500 per barrel overnight, you'd bet that there would be a national Manhattan Project like urgency to introduce an acceptable substitute (whether biofuel, electric, whatever). The fact is in a perfectly "normal" marketplace substitutes would have already been introduced years ago to challenge the status quo (just as there have been advances / competition in literally every other area) -- but the marketplace isn't a level playing field as long as Big Oil has anything to say.

That was my point.

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Don't blame this exclusively on Big Oil.

The Dems are the ones driving up the price.

In California if you want to use chicken-grease and vegitable oil in your car you have to pay extra fees and taxes for the right to do so. You also need to get a hazardous waste permit just in case you get in a wreak and dump chicken-grease on the road. Arnold Swartz.......the California Governor has all of this on his Hummer. People are complaining that he's causing people to eat more because the smell makes them hungry for french fries.

My point is if you come up with alternatives on your own they tax you in California. I think they really just want the revenue from the gas pump. They figure this is the best way to pay for their entitlement programs. And once we start weaning off of fossil fuels they will still have their expensive programs to pay for, so they'll hit us elsewhere. Any new Global Warming programs will become Sacred Cows that have to be paid for somehow.

__________________


"We can't screw it up any worse than they have." - Barack Obama

Wanna bet?



"You never want a serious crisis to go to waste...." - Rahm Emmanuel

Id say weve improved a lot on the Model T. But, if the lobby is so powerful, why is every other country still making the same auto then? Japan, always on the cutting edge, doesnt do much better. Europe, if anyone was going to switch to Mr fusion, itd be them, but Peugot still makes combustion engines, Porsche still makes Porsches. The US energy lobby simply cant control the world auto makers. WHat you are sugessting just isnt possible.

__________________
http://www.fairtax.org

Elminate all taxes on income and replace with a national sales tax.