Posts

Showing posts from October, 2008

Drill ourselves silly?

Isn't it more than a bit silly how politicians and some normally sensible people act during campaigns? Just take the offshore drilling idea. I find it is always best to follow the money and you'll understand much better. Ignore the fact that drilling takes a decade and say we could buy that deep ocean oil tomorrow. Gas prices could drop $0.02 per gallon. But, of course, if it had any real impact, OPEC would just reduce production by 2% simply closing a valve -  that would be the end of that brilliant idea. So why the big noise about drill, drill, drill? Simple, the oil companies get $2 Billion in subsidies for drilling offshore, but none for drilling on the land they already lease. "If you can keep your head when all around you are in panic; you may not understand everything that's happening." - jm

Did "Joe the Plumber" Seem Too Convenient?

It was a great story for McCain, but it may backfire. Technically, "Joe" turns out not to be a plumber. He has no license. The hypothetical "business" would seem to be a two man unlicensed plumbing/handyman operation. He ( Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher) isn't likely to be earning $250,000 profit any year soon unless he gets it from gullible TV booking agents paying for interviews. Am I too suspicious of politicians? Or, have I just interviewed too many of them in Washington? "If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, ..... Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son! - Kipling "If you can keep your head when all around you are in panic; you may not understand what's really happening." - jm

Outrageous campaign claims

OK, I stay out of politics since I never trust any politician to do what they say, but some claims are just too outrageously exaggerated to ignore. We've heard politicians suggest that ALL american oil dollars are going to countries which sponsor terrorists. Do they really consider Canada and Mexico to be dangerous? Those two countries supply half our imports. By the way, if fully exploited ASAP, offshore U.S. oil would provide about 1% of U.S. consumption in 10-15 years. The drill-drill-drill crowd forgets to mention that there are NOT unleased deep water oil rigs in the world. To drill you first have to order and wait for delivery of new production drill rigs (3-5 years). OH yea, and if people are serious about conserving oil and reducing the cost of gasoline, why does Detroit still sell cars that can go 130 mph? All it takes is a simple reprogramming of the computer to limit every vehicle to 75 mph max, making it safe for conservative drivers to travel at the speed limit. Als