The_Sponge: How about all those celebrities who tell us to drive hybrid cars, but they live the lifestyle you juse mentioned?

They can shove it up their ass too. I remember watching something on TV a while back about some Hollywood producers wife and how she refuses to be friends with, or associate with anyone who drives an SUV. They then showed her own personal jet. I believe her rationale was something like "I don't like airports"

I'm simply pointing out an inconvenient truth, as it were: that the Americans who do not tend to their ambitions are going to be left in the dust, and now these hard-earned fruits of labor now include oil and gasoline. The poor can use public transportation if they can manage to have it built in their areas, I highly doubt they have the needed political focus to achieve it, but gasoline will be regarded as a badge of success, it's a little unfortunate, but I highly doubt any politician is going to put the genie back in the bottle.

We aren't going to see $2 gas ever again, get over it. The bigger picture is that this is a shift in the social order more than anything and the real movers and shakers of this society are going to once again show America what the fruits of success actually are.

2 other reasons why Georgie might want to keep everyone away from the Strategic Reserve:

A - He needs it to cover the attack on Iran,

Or (and I know this would seem contradictory, but they really are that stupid):

B - He and his oil buddies have been shorting it all along and tapping it would reveal inconsistencies between the reports and the actual supply

Does anyone really believe this administration is above B? Seriously?

The_Sponge: How about all those celebrities who tell us to drive hybrid cars, but they live the lifestyle you juse mentioned?

It's much more effective for Gore and the rest to encourage the masses to reduce greenhouse gases than do it themselves. It's like the Russian elites during communism. Some people just have to have access and use more things so that the population will be treated better. "All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others."

Gore has to have his private jets and 3,000 square foot houses or people won't listen to him anymore. How else is Gore going to convince world leaders, business groups, students, whoever if he doesn't come out there in a private jet? I mean, would people listen to Gore, Bono, etc if they lived in small houses, drove fuel-efficient electric vehicles, and used biofuels? No, they need to be in those big houses to convince people that they know what they are talking about.

In fact, I support all the stars who encourage energy reduction. They know that the best way to do it is to make the masses believe in it. Look, Bono goes around the world encouraging a reduction in energy consumption, Kyoto protocols that will curb energy emissions in the US and at the same time has a jet fly his special hat out to him.

Do I call him a hyprocrite? No. He is serving the common good. He is encouraging people to reduce energy. What difference can he, Babs, Gore do as individuals? The most important thing is to make sure that the masses reduce their energy consumption. That is their power and their great responsibility.

Nothing screams "good idea" like dumping part of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve because soccer moms have to drop an extra $20 to fill the XTerra.

GaryPDX: He also said he'll give HUGE tax breaks for alternative car purchases and extend the Bush tax investment incentives for 5 years since they expire in 5 months.

That'll piss off Darth Pelosi, it'll never fly. Remember kids, he's only running for POTUS, not King. It's all just talk.

Your act is pretty well worn around here. 'Darth Pelosi'.. you sound like a farkin retard.

kab: This is the second really stupid thing I've heard discussed on the left side of the campaign trail.

Band-aid in a basket, right along with ANWR, and any other delay the inevitable scheme being thought up.

I think most people differ in that we have a resource now that is cheaper than the alterantive inevitability, so why not use the cheaper resource to build up our society and create enough wealth to come up with better alternatives? If we'd followed this line of reasoning back in the 70's, we'd never have been able to grow our economy to the point that poverty = obesity. By pushing the transition point further down the line, we give technology the chance to mature further. What's wrong with that? Forcing a technology shift early means we get immature technologies that people aren't happy with (diesel cars from the 70's and 80's) and give foreign economic competitors a chance to catch up without really picking up best practices like they would if they had to compete with non handcuffed countries.

Barrack "Milkshake" Obama ...

reminds me of

Chimpy McFlightsuit!

skookum: We aren't going to see $2 gas ever again, get over it.

That is probably the only bit of truth you've ever uttered. Too bad it's hidden beneath layers of WHARRGARBL.

Not to mention your butt-buddies in the Dumbya administration and their "cowboy diplomacy" were pretty much the cause of that (or at least, helped drive the price up).

ok skookum has to be a troll. there's no way that a super right wing fascist is drooling about turning america into "all of the bad things about the soviet union", is there? if i'm not posting here tomorrow, farkers, you'll know that he's right!

proteus_b: ok skookum has to be a troll.

Read his profile and get back to us. Meanwhile, I'm going to try to make the list. That's an impressive feat.

for the love of hitler, please tell me skookum is just some kind of elaborate troll like mccain democrat

Remove all Republicans: Meanwhile, I'm going to try to make the list. That's an impressive feat.

If I could sponsor you for it I would. But alas...

I'm hoping Weaver95 makes a list that I can get one. Maybe like a "fellow fiscal conservative"-type dealy. Maybe can get dragged out of our beds in the middle of the night to give advice on how to balance the budget!

/that might be more scary than some internment camp

morning_foil: If I could sponsor you for it I would. But alas...

Too bad it doesn't work that way.

Speaking of which, a few questions for skookum about your profile:

1. When you say that "McCain is going to win and clean up this country. I guarantee this nation will be put back into the proper place by early 2010.", doesn't that necessary imply that the country currently isn't in its proper place, even after eight years of President Bush? Are you saying that you prefer McCain's politics, more moderate in parts, over Bush's, or is it just that Bush is not that competent in the way McCain is?

2. When you say that "And once again, in just a few scant years Bush's image will be improved upon with time. He will have bridges, parkways, auditoriums and airports named after him. Schools will have a George W. Bush scholarship, essay contests, Valedictorian sponsorships, and perhaps even a flavor of ice cream will be named after the man.", does that mean you support San Francisco naming their sewage plant after him? I mean, it's a start.

Remove all Republicans: you support San Francisco naming their sewage plant after him? I mean, it's a start.

I'm waiting for the "George Bush school for kids who don't read so good and want to learn to do other things good as well".

Remove all Republicans: 1. When you say that "McCain is going to win and clean up this country. I guarantee this nation will be put back into the proper place by early 2010.", doesn't that necessary imply that the country currently isn't in its proper place, even after eight years of President Bush? Are you saying that you prefer McCain's politics, more moderate in parts, over Bush's, or is it just that Bush is not that competent in the way McCain is?

I'm sure there's a way to place blame directly as the Democrats for Bush's incompetency, or that Bush and co. set everything up and hence will be regarded in as a hero (similar to, I suppose, Lenin and the USSR, particularly given that a lot of instances where he was wrong about something were censored after his death).

But hey, I'm not trying to provide ammunition or anything...

Remove all Republicans: morning_foil: If I could sponsor you for it I would. But alas...

Too bad it doesn't work that way.

Speaking of which, a few questions for skookum about your profile:

1. When you say that "McCain is going to win and clean up this country. I guarantee this nation will be put back into the proper place by early 2010.", doesn't that necessary imply that the country currently isn't in its proper place, even after eight years of President Bush? Are you saying that you prefer McCain's politics, more moderate in parts, over Bush's, or is it just that Bush is not that competent in the way McCain is?

2. When you say that "And once again, in just a few scant years Bush's image will be improved upon with time. He will have bridges, parkways, auditoriums and airports named after him. Schools will have a George W. Bush scholarship, essay contests, Valedictorian sponsorships, and perhaps even a flavor of ice cream will be named after the man.", does that mean you support San Francisco naming their sewage plant after him? I mean, it's a start.

Oooh ooooh let me take this one.

Ahem.

Bush has been just waiting for all of the left-wing radicals to come to the forefront as they have during the campaign season. They can now be identified much more easily by their ridiculous support of this ultra-left wing democrat candidate.

The camps are built and ready to go, so in a few months when the traitorous liberal fervor reaches a crescendo the vermin can be spotted, rounded up, and taken to the camps for re-education.

Meanwhile, McCain will be running unopposed and be elected with 100% of the vote. The most honorable and just president Bush will pass the torch to our next great and magnificent leader, president McCain, with very much rejoicing and pageantry.

Immediately after the inauguration, the former president will unveil his great gift to the right-thinking American people, a 1500 ft statue of himself that has been placed on the spot where the Washington Monument once stood. The statue will depict a glorious president Bush, a crumpled up copy of the old constitution in one hand, and a bible in the other. Under his right foot will be the crushed body of the disgraced former liberal democrat candidate Baraq Hussein Osama. All broadcast, cable, and satellite TV stations will be required to cover the inauguration and the 12 hour celebration that will follow. There will be displays of our military might, parades of youthful republican soldiers in their new national uniforms, marching bands playing our new national anthem, beautifully choreographed and co-ordinated patriotic dance routines performed by thousands of our women and children, and displays of some of the more prominent disgraced librul leaders in cages.

The new thousand year reich...er Republican nation will be born!

"Silly Republicans, drilling a small amount of oil in the US will have no effect on prices! But releasing a small amount of oil from the strategic reserve, which will then have to be refilled from the same if not smaller oil market, now that's price relief!"

Talon: The strategic oil reserve should not be used to lower gas prices. It should be saved for a time we actually NEED it, when oil, for one war reason or another isn't coming our way and without tapping into it we face complete and total economic downfall.

From http://www.oilposter.org/images/xtralargeposter.gif



The more clever of you will notice this is for production, not discovery. It's not open to debate that the oil is produced after it is extracted (that's how 'time' works). So that would look like this in a graph...



We have already hit peak for discovery. There are a few dozen fields in Iraq that were untapped (because of the previous embargo against Saddam and the Iraqi nation over the last 2 decades). Something now rectified, thanks to a little war and no-bid contracts going out to some very influential friends of the GOP. But once they are tapped and emptied, that's a shiat-load gone.

And if we don't start developing alternative fuels, and the alternative infrastructures to disseminate those fuels RIGHT NOW, the Republicans will be saying "waaah waaah the Democrats didn't do anything to help waaaaah" in a decade's time or so.

This isn't a good idea. Here's the problem with it; it needs to be replaced. the oil companies will buy the same amount of oil to replace the oil they borrowed.

Drilling adds more oil to the market. Even if it's a few years off, the treat of opening up more area to oil drilling is much more likely to cause prices to drop (look at the bush executive order).

This is one of Obamas position "refinements" I can't agree with.

rohar: Um, Germany is terribly socialist, Britain is indeed the Nanny state, France is going in a realy odd direction and Spain is still doing their damned level best to keep the comunists from taking over. It's almost not worth mentioning Portugal. You're not actually trying to compare our situation to them are you?

Your analysis of global politics: wanting.

For real, buddy. You can define the deviancy any way you want, but in the grown up world Obama is center-right. In Hee-Haw land, he's a socialist leftist commie, even though the majority of Dems support NAFTA and global free trade.

There are two parties in America: the free trade party that wants no unions and no gays, and the free trade party that wants some unions and has no problems with gays. Other than that, they are indistinguishable.

Spanky_McFarksalot: This isn't a good idea. Here's the problem with it; it needs to be replaced. the oil companies will buy the same amount of oil to replace the oil they borrowed.

Drilling adds more oil to the market. Even if it's a few years off, the treat of opening up more area to oil drilling is much more likely to cause prices to drop (look at the bush executive order).

This is one of Obamas position "refinements" I can't agree with.

Kudos! It's a rare "treat" to be able to see so much fail packed into such a short post.

Good jerb!

Yeah, 4 1/2 days of oil should do it, problem solved. This guy is great.

Well, it is much better than the other guy's bad ideas.

rga184: Remove all Republicans: you support San Francisco naming their sewage plant after him? I mean, it's a start.

I'm waiting for the "George Bush school for kids who don't read so good and want to learn to do other things good as well".

The lieberry is already under construction.

Tor_Eckman: Meanwhile, McCain will be running unopposed and be elected with 100% of the vote.

Why McCain? Why not just write in Bush (^) and start the repeal of the 22nd amendment?

Talon: The strategic oil reserve should not be used to lower gas prices. It should be saved for a time we actually NEED it, when oil, for one war reason or another isn't coming our way and without tapping into it we face complete and total economic downfall.

THIS

Are we really so retarded that we can't ride bikes again? Seriously.
I was on vacation in Berlin a few months back and all walks of life were riding bikes and taking public transit like it was no big deal. Businessmen riding to work in suits.

There doesn't have to be an economic collapse because of gas if we get the fark off of it already.

Remove all Republicans: The_Sponge: How about all those celebrities who tell us to drive hybrid cars, but they live the lifestyle you juse mentioned?

It's much more effective for Gore and the rest to encourage the masses to reduce greenhouse gases than do it themselves. It's like the Russian elites during communism. Some people just have to have access and use more things so that the population will be treated better. "All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others."

Gore has to have his private jets and 3,000 square foot houses or people won't listen to him anymore. How else is Gore going to convince world leaders, business groups, students, whoever if he doesn't come out there in a private jet? I mean, would people listen to Gore, Bono, etc if they lived in small houses, drove fuel-efficient electric vehicles, and used biofuels? No, they need to be in those big houses to convince people that they know what they are talking about.

In fact, I support all the stars who encourage energy reduction. They know that the best way to do it is to make the masses believe in it. Look, Bono goes around the world encouraging a reduction in energy consumption, Kyoto protocols that will curb energy emissions in the US and at the same time has a jet fly his special hat out to him.

Do I call him a hyprocrite? No. He is serving the common good. He is encouraging people to reduce energy. What difference can he, Babs, Gore do as individuals? The most important thing is to make sure that the masses reduce their energy consumption. That is their power and their great responsibility.

a 3000sq ft house isn't huge... If you're going to generalize, go for the gusto and give him a 10,000 sqft house. Anyway. Whatever.

this isn't intended to supplement supply.

it's a way to severe existing contracts/futures on the oil price.

it's short term alt supply, meant to allow the market price reset to a sane value a bit more quickly other wise. a day's cheap supply to shake out the day-traders.

otherwise, traders will drag out the decline.

Tor_Eckman: DrGunsforHands: The Strategic Reserve is there in case of an emergency. "Hurricane Katrina killed all of the oil rigs" was kind of an appropriate emergency. "Iraq invaded Kuwait" was definitely an appropriate emergency. "Gas is too expensive" is not an appropriate emergency. If we use it up and Kuwait gets invaded again, then what do we do?

Read the article. Anything taken out would be replaced.

Jebus, you freaking people biatch about gas prices. This guy suggests something that will reduce gas prices almost immediately, and have absolutely no negative affect on anything.

And you still biatch, and call it a stupid idea.

I have yet to hear one reason not to do this, except that it's a "dumb idea".

Someone is being dumb here, and it's not Obama.


Exactly. Who is going to disrupt our oil supply? We can nuke the world back to the stone age if anyone truly came close to messing with us. We have over 150,000 troops right over the largest oil reserves in the world.