Senate Green Lights new Alaskan Oil Spigot

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bookrats\";p=\"73273)</div>

Jeff:

Maybe that's why Slick had to go to the hospital? Too many magic blue pills??

The human male only has enough blood to run either the brain or that other organ. Can't run both at once ...

 

Depressing answers indeed. Also the conclusions I have come up with, but we still need to keep asking the question if only to get the bumbling masses to pay attention.
"we're screwed" is not an answer. It is akin to "sticking your head in the sand or snow" as you stated.

The only solutions I have come up with are
1) buy a Prius/
2) reduce spending to needs only, and preferebly buying only "green" and/or American whenever possible.
3) Buying my own solar panels, and wind turbine to spur development and production in this deeply needed market.
4) Eliminate debt and buy acreage and gardening supplies to protect my family from the coming dilemma.

What else can I do to ensure my son's survival?
Really. I'm looking for more answers.

 

BTW, the local gas price here jumped again to 2.20. That's 20 cents in 2 weeks. And oil reached yet another new high, meaning the gas price is due to keep increasing for another month as it lags behind the oil price.
I've been saying 2.50 to 3.00 dollars by July and everyone I tell this to says I'm nuts.

 

Darwood:

I hope I didn't depress you, but sometimes the truth can be a bit of a shocker. That said ...

Your plan is very sensible and more people should follow it. As far as "survival" topics, I started this myself with the purchase of my hobby farm. I hope to make it as self-sufficient as possible.

There are many good resources out there for self sufficiency that you can Google. As far as what sort of future your child will face .... I chose not to make any. Does that indirectly answer your question?

I'm hopeful that more people will wake up to the serious problems we face. Unfortunately, based on my interaction with most people out there, my hopes are somewhat dim.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Darwood\";p=\"73302)</div>

Let me guess: they all drive a pickup, a giant SUV, or both??

To quote from an episode of King Of The Hill: "Denial isn't just the name of a club in McManerberry."

 

Some do drive SUV's, some don't. The problem though is people making political decisions based on smokescreen issues. After all, the solution must be instigated politically to drive change. The free market (which is not as free as they like to say it is) will be too slow to adapt in time to save us lemmings from running off the cliff. The change has to be developed now while we DO have the affordable oil to produce the things we will need.

I just listed to an hour of NPR in which MN politicians debtated bitterly the prospect of anti-gay amendment. Followed by discussion of steroids in baseball. Who the hell cares? I am so pissed off at people who make voting decisions based on crap like this. "I don't care about oil, just make sure them darned gays are persecuted" Same as the abortion issues, same as the SS issue, steriods in baseball, etc.
All a bunch of crap that will mean absolutely nothing in 10 years.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Darwood\";p=\"73302)</div>

World economic growth continues, providing more bidders with more cash to chase a fixed amount of production.

There is no excess oil production capacity right now, OPEC is maxed out, so there is absolutely no way to go up, but any number of events could bring production down.

So what if it hits 3.00, or more? We need for fuel prices to go up because Americans are driving vehicles that they otherwise would not.

You don't really think that the price of a used Prius is going to go into steep decline as fuel prices escalate do you?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Darwood\";p=\"73314)</div>

Demographic issues do matter, and abortion is part of that. Had the USA not aborted the millions since '73, Social Security would have the workers needed to keep it solvent. But those people are not with us, so we face vastly higher taxes with certain benefit cuts.

The only federal energy conservation policy that makes sense to me is just to raise the tax on fossil fuels, the market will react appropriately.

The feds would NEVER have come up with anything as nice as a Prius, its creation was pure market forces at work.

 

I agree with you that rising gas prices is a good thing, as it will hurry up the masses to deal with the problem. I must disagree with your analysis of the abortion issue.
Not that I am for abortion. I think it is a terrible thing to do and don't think anyone should do it.
However, had it been illegal this whole time, things would not be better.
We generally do not abort babies who will be born into a good situation. The population of undereducated, low wage earners would be a little higher, that's about it. This would have made a negligible difference to SS. However, social costs of things like public wellfare, healthcare, unemployment would be higher. Besides the illegality of abortion would only deter some. Back when it was illegal, woman would seek out black market abortions, stick coat hangers up there, get thrown down stairs by abusive partners who didn't want the child, breed genetics of rapists that caused many unwanted pregnancies.

Clearly I don't condone these actions or abortions, but they are facts of life. Prohibition of alcohol did not decrease drinking, it created black markets, the mob, violence, and hard liquor (which was easier to transport). In effect, it may have increased problems associated with alcohol, or best case, had no effect. Same goes for cannabis prohibition, and the same goes for abortion. You cannot legislate morality to masses of frightened biological creatures, you must teach it.

What I am saying is these types of social issues won't mean anything in 10 years. It's not like any of these issues can be legislated/regulated in a great depression type situation. Which is where we might find ourselves in 10 years. Politics should focus on long term survival of the society, not short term red herrings that will mean nothing by the time anything could be implemented anyways. (as if we could afford to implement new programs and regulate or enforce them.)

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Robert Taylor\";p=\"73315)</div>

Are you sure about that? I heard on the news that OPEC is considering increasing production.

 

Busharabia says this whenever prices start rising. They've been saying it nearly monthly for a year now. THere have been and will be no increases. It's merely a way to use media to try and relax buyers and artificailly lower the price.

Can you imagine what would happen if these same people speaking "on the behalf of OPEC" said "Gee we'd like to increase production to counter this recent spike in prices, but we have no further capacity to do it." The markets would go nuts. In 1 day, the price of oil would hit $100 and wall street would crash worse than on 9-11.

Ahh, the power of properly placed statements in the media.
Obviously these people would never admit an inability to increase production, as it would shoot themselves in the foot. One well heard statement like this would cause an immediate stock crash costing big money holders billions of dollars.

Remember: the media is guided by its financial backers. (Big oil, GM, Pharma, Wall-Street) They put out filtered news only. Any more, and they lose many advertisers as well as access to news from the newsmakers themselves.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Robert Taylor\";p=\"73320)</div>

Prior to 1973 abortion was not illegal in all 50 states. I believe that 22 states allowed it though I could be wrong on the number.

And people with money came from all over for that procedure. And people without money often used filthy procedures, and many died.

And although the Republican Party embraces the concept that a woman's body does not belong to her, you can be assured that if a rich Republican wants an abortion once the Supremes ban it in this country, those rich Repugs will just fly to Europe just like they flew to NY before 1973.

And as Darwood says, had many of the fetuses been born alive, who says that they would have ever become taxpayers? And as does Darwood, I also think abortion should be made as rare as possible. Safe and clean, but rare. NOT illegal. Illegal will not necessarily make it happen less, it will only make it less safe.

 

God forbid that Americans might actually have to CONSERVE gas. Thank you George Bush and Dick Cheney for sponsoring our little trip back to the 19th Century. By the way, George, rumor has it that the earth was created in more than 6 days, and global warming is a fact of science not an article of politics.
Our president is an embarassment on the environmental world stage.

 

And when most people think of conserving fuel they think of buying a fuel-efficient car. Of course, this is correct, but a fuel-efficient car is only one piece of a huge puzzle.

Fuel consuption is tied to nearly everything in our society. From the production of toilet paper to mowing of lawn, from taking a Sunday drive to buying plastic forks, and from getting hugely wasteful Malboro paraphernalia in the mail to watching TV, every one of these consume oil directly or indirectly.

At least I can sleep at night knowing I'm doing what I can. I haven't used a paper plate, napkin, or cup at home in years, I mow my lawn with a motorless "old school" push mower as much as I can, I bought a Prius (still on order), recycle everything I possibly can, including taking styrofoam shipping peanuts to a parcel shipping company to reuse and using a worm bin to compost food scraps. My home's thermostat never rises above 63 degrees F and I bought the most efficient furnace I could get. My hot water heater temp is set as low as it will go and I coax my workplace into doing things for the better.

If more of the "normal" folk would just get into this line of thinking, we could make strides in lowering our consumption of fuel, and maybe even more importantly, having the side effect of other positive environmental effects.

Jeff "Zep"

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Bob Allen\";p=\"73376)</div>

Global Warming is a myth, and even if its true, there is no downside. Fact is, it is Ice Ages induced by very large volcanos or meteor strikes on the planet surface that cause massive killing of plant and animal life.

The hysteria over the first Earth Days! was all about how we were entering another ice age. Not a bit of that lunacy was true, and neither is the present idiocy.

Global Warming is pure politics, a manufactured crisis to strike at the developed world. Foremost in the proof is the fact that some of the worst polluters are exempt from the great reductions in economic output that the treaty imposes.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Darwood\";p=\"73330)</div>

Actually, all law is moral, or immoral as the case may be. The law is not amoral. Think about it. You murder someone, are brought to trial. Sentenced and put to death. That is a moral issue. You drive drunk, get caught, are fined steeply. That is a moral issue. The law isn't amoral.

And behavior is changed by law as well. And the assertions about abortions not taking place in reduced numbers since the dictators in robes usurped the power of the people's elected representatives, we have had incredible losses in workers who would be otherwise with us.

And look at the demographics of birth. The educated do NOT breed like the illiterate do, the poor breed more than the rich. Europe is depopulating. We would be too, if not for our religious fervor in America and our blessed Catholic Hispanic immigrants.

The nation is people short.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(prius04\";p=\"73374)</div>

Prior to 1973 abortion was not illegal in all 50 states. I believe that 22 states allowed it though I could be wrong on the number.

And people with money came from all over for that procedure. And people without money often used filthy procedures, and many died.

And although the Republican Party embraces the concept that a woman's body does not belong to her, you can be assured that if a rich Republican wants an abortion once the Supremes ban it in this country, those rich Repugs will just fly to Europe just like they flew to NY before 1973.

And as Darwood says, had many of the fetuses been born alive, who says that they would have ever become taxpayers? And as does Darwood, I also think abortion should be made as rare as possible. Safe and clean, but rare. NOT illegal. Illegal will not necessarily make it happen less, it will only make it less safe.
[/b][/quote]

I am not troubled by fifty states doing what they want to do on domestic policy. The competition of ideas in law is a very good thing indeed.

The problem arises when the federal government, courts, congress or the executive, meddle in domestic policy. I do not believe that the federal government should be involved at all in domestic matters since it has no competitor, it is a monopoly power.

And the federal government should sell off all lands not used expressly for military purposes and get out of law enforcement in many areas, including drugs, guns, alcohol, etc. Let Alaska decide whether to drill or not, same for California, Florida etc. If they own the land as states. If a person owns it, which is vastly better, then they can do so or not.

Domestic policy should be crafted by locals, not some federal regime with a monopoly power.

 

As far as OPEC and oil "capacity": remember that the majority of oil production on the planet is controlled by a completely legal cartel. They are "free" to collude with each other to set price, volume, whatever.

I imagine some sort of "stickiness" must exist on the Production curve and especially the Marginal Production curve. This used to be called "stiction" but the term may have changed.

However, this "stickiness" could only contribute a minor amount to the production volume problem. Everything else is completely controlled by the cartel.

Another interesting curve to examine is the Demand curve for crude oil, or the Capacity Demanded curve. Unlike a "pure" free market, this demand curve has odd and non-intuitive behavior. The slopes are not linear and the slope is generally very steep, indicating a relative indifference to price until price is literally sky high.

One thing I find interesting is that during the 1990's, American dependance on foreign-sourced crude oil dramatically increased as prices tanked. In most other countries, gasoline price didn't change much.

As an example: the price of gas around here went to around 64 cents a litre during the "best" of the 90's, and is now hovering around 86 cents a litre. Roughly around 75 cents a U.S. gallon in Cdn funds.

I remember getting gas at truck stops in Utah for 85 cents a gallon, at its cheapest, during the same time.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Zep\";p=\"73432)</div>

Jeff:

I heartily congratulate you on your conservation efforts. That's the whole point to being Thrifty, you practice austerity in everything you do and save for the future.

It doesn't matter what administration has been in office, we have always been sold on this "dream" of "bigger is better." Whether that thing is a house or a car, we have mostly bought into it and are now paying for it.

Since about 1980, the average size of a new home has doubled. Yet HVAC is marginally more efficient at best. It doesn't matter if you replace a 60% efficient natural gas furnace with a 96% efficient condensing variable fire gas furnace with PID control loop: not if you go from a 1,000 sq ft home to a 2,200 sq ft home. That new home with that super efficient gas furnace will *still* use way more natural gas than the 1,000 sq ft bungalow.

I do firmly believe the Mainstream Media is lying their a** off to us on almost every issue you care to mention: crime, health, safety, security, etc etc. If you don't believe me, I suppose I'll have to bring up Phillip Morris and other tobacco giants that *killed* millions.

And I suppose I'll have to bring up how Phillip Morris et al made the very clear threat to Mainstream Media if anything negative was mentioned about tobacco products, the advertising dried up and so did the revenues.