WOW! Not much action on here......

[BIG4D]

.....have you resounded yourselfs to paying the $4.50 per gallon? OR do you feel some relief because prices are down?

[daddysLBZ]

They gonna get us anyhow,so how do we win??Ideas..

[BIG4D]

Geezz, if I had the answer to that, I would be a gazillianair!! then I wouldn't care.

If we could just find a way to harnness all the HOT AIR the polititions are spewing these days, we would not need ANY oil!!!!

[daddysLBZ]

^^true...

[4x4Fantasy]

Imagine how they feel in Europe, Germany, and other countries where they get excited when prices drop to $10 a gallon. And thats for GAS!

[WorkTruck]

At the risk of pissing off a lot of people, and I apologize in advance, but there is a solution to high gas prices. Drill in Alaska. The Alaskans want it because they get paid. It's not like you're destroying all of the natural beauty. Besides, development has taken over the lower 48, why not Alaska. (That was kind of a joke.) Drill is Alaska to give us some relief until the car makers can figure out an economical way to build a fuel efficient car. Yeah sure some of the hybrids might get 40 mpg, but what's the cost to buy them? When you do the math it takes 10 years to make up the difference that you spent on the hybrid. Sorry for the long post, but there are solutions out there, just need to get through all of the political B.S.

[huskyhauler]

It's not the oil that is expensive. It's how much it is taxed.

Over here, I pay the equivalent of $2.70 a LITRE ( 3.5 litres to a US gallon) for diesel.

The UK government taxes the oil company as they produce the oil in the North Sea, they tax them when they land it to be refined, they tax us at the fuel pumps, they tax the profits the oil company makes at the year end, and THEN, they think they've not taxed them enough because the oil companies still made billions, so they invented an additional tax - an oil profit tax.

[BIG4D]

WorkTruck, that is the common stand we (and I mean me too) conservatives (Republicans) take.
My take is this. I have no problem drilling on ANY American soil, or in ANY American waters, as long as it is done safely.

The Democrats do have a somewhat valid point about protecting the enviornment, I have to agree. BUT, there were several off shore oil riggs that went through Katrina, this nations worst hurricane on record and not ONE DROP of oil was spilled! That sais something. We have come along way since te '70's and it is time to start drilling somwhere. Not to increase the supply to America, but to REPLACE what we import.
If we drill and add 1 million barrols of oil to the market, we need to use it and STOP importing that 1 million barrols!!! If we find 2 then we stop importing 2 and so on......

We don't need to increase the net oil useage because that fuels research on alternatives and we need alternatives. We just need to quite importing oil and break free from these countries that HATE us!
That is my take and I will get off my soap box!!!!!

[Biofuelsdude]

Originally Posted by WorkTruck

At the risk of pissing off a lot of people, and I apologize in advance, but there is a solution to high gas prices. Drill in Alaska. The Alaskans want it because they get paid. It's not like you're destroying all of the natural beauty. Besides, development has taken over the lower 48, why not Alaska. (That was kind of a joke.) Drill is Alaska to give us some relief until the car makers can figure out an economical way to build a fuel efficient car. Yeah sure some of the hybrids might get 40 mpg, but what's the cost to buy them? When you do the math it takes 10 years to make up the difference that you spent on the hybrid. Sorry for the long post, but there are solutions out there, just need to get through all of the political B.S.

I am partial on the subject of drilling in ANWR. Native Alaskans can get paid lots money while jobs would be created throughout the region. Remember though ANWR was set aside to be a wild life refugee. However the amount of drilling that would be done would have little, if any, long term negative effects. After all, tt would be domestic oil, not foreign oil, so I do understand where you would be coming from. However, I need to point out why I'm partial on the idea of drilling anywhere in general.

1. Oil is not just used to make diesel fuel, gasoline, jet fuel, or even kerosene for that matter. Oil is used in making plastics, pharmaceutical products, running our military (Americas biggest overall consumer of oil), the making of synthetic fibers like polyester. It is used in the production of asphalt, most cosmetics are sadly derived from it, not to mention various types of synthetic lubricants we use in are daily lives. The list goes on and on but these are just examples to name a few. By all means, in my opinion, burning oil is probably the dumbest thing we can do with it. Besides, the what does the next generation have left to use in terms of petroleum? Are we to assume that your kids and grankids are to forgo any or all of these products above? Our use of oil is a lot like how we Americans spend our money, we always use it up and never save it for a rainy day.

2. Oil companies are made for one thing, making money. Argue that how you will but at the end of the day they are not here to "keep America running" like some commercials want you to think. Making money is fine, its a part of a free society bound to a pretty damn good free market. Nevertheless, it is up to the oil company to decide where the oil goes to and NOT the American people or the American government for that matter. Again that is fine, this country does not need more regulations with regards to how businesses can and cannot operate.

Just keep in mind that most countries besides us, from Saudi Arabia to Italy, have state run oil companies. This means that the oil extracted from their wells is first given to the people of the country and then the "surplus" is sold to the world market. Our system works differently because whomever has the most money has the loudest voice. My point is that just because a well is drilled in ANWR does not mean that the fuel tanks of America will see this oil. That oil can be bought and sold abroad to whomever pays the most for it on the world market. After all, oil is a commodity. In fact, you can complain about how oil companies are making record profits but they are mostly making profits overseas (Close to 75% according to Chevrons CEO ). When gasoline is $4.00/gallon in the good old US of A and Germany is paying AT LEAST $10.00/gallon, who would you rather sell to? ( Random numbers I threw out there btw) Granted there are lot of factors that go into fuel prices in Europe, as well as aboard, but I will not dissect that here and now.

3. Remember, like BIG4D said, politicians are full of hot air. Duh, it's an ELECTION YEAR!! Any buddy with their job on the line, dealing with angry constituents in their district has to realize that 'times are a changing'. We can be apart of the do nothing yesterday crowd and keep rowing up sh*t creek with half a paddle or we can take a hit now and start changing the course of where our country goes. I do feel however that we need to snake China and India from the offshore oil that is forty miles off the coast of key west. Something there just an't right when China can drill off our coast but we can't, so I do understand the point of 'offshore drilling', opening up ANWR, and using other forms of oil deposits. However protecting what is ours and "drilling" us out of a problem are two separate issues, one has a potential reality tied to it and the other..... well you be the judge.

Curbing our overall petroleum intake is what is needed, hands down. People in this country hate being told what to do until their pants are on fire and you scream STOP, DROP, AND ROLL! IE. People trading up their SUV's for small cars. Personally, that should have been obvious years ago. But hey its a free market, do what you want with your money...

Yet look who I talk to? Men and women with trucks that run the most expensive fuel in America that couldn't squeeze 20MPG in downtown Chicago traffic even if they hypermiled the sh*t out of them. Obviously these trucks were not meant for that and most of you who own crew cabs didn't buy them to be cool soccer mom and dads with pick up beds. Yet even these trucks could use some modern day tweaking. For example variable valve timing, cylinder deactivation, and on board generation systems are all technologies that General Motors posses. So where is it and why can't it be implemented into a modern day Duramax truck? In my honest opinion, conservation through improved efficiency is the key to Americas future and success. From our cars, to our homes, to our factories, and ports. This will be our only guiding light...

WorkTruck: Now how is that for a long post? O and I'm not pist off, instead I understand your frustration and sympathize with most my fellow Americans.

Bring it back home... Big4D I agree, what gives with you guys?! I must repeat and define the question, have you settled on $4.50 a gallon for diesel fuel or are you ready to free yourselves into energy independence?



Erik

P.S. I need to crash out and I'm sorry for going off topic, I'll review any and all errors in the morning or evening.

[Duramax_JP]

Those hybrids arent even eco friendly. Maybe in their emmisions but making those lithium ion batteries is worse than driving a hummer for three years. Look it up on yahoo or google and you will see what i mean, sorry if that was a bit off topic