Bush Calls for Easing Offshore Drilling Restrictions

[Gilding the Lily]

I think the day of the big SUV is quickly fading into the sunset.Detroit is dumping most of their entire lines.

On another front:

Sell the Prius

I agree, Delldude. The auto industry is not like the steel industry. In the steel industry, several plants would close and people would lose jobs, but when the price of steel rose again, some plants would reopen and the steelworkers would go back to work. In the auto industry, when a plant closes, it generally doesn't reopen. Recently, GM closed 4 plants in the US, Canada and Mexico. These 4 plants were once heavy-hitters in GM's truck and SUV line. This move has been discussed as a permanent move, and it is expected to decrease the production of its trucks and large SUVs by 35%.

 

[KCFlyer]

I agree, Delldude. The auto industry is not like the steel industry. In the steel industry, several plants would close and people would lose jobs, but when the price of steel rose again, some plants would reopen and the steelworkers would go back to work. In the auto industry, when a plant closes, it generally doesn't reopen. Recently, GM closed 4 plants in the US, Canada and Mexico. These 4 plants were once heavy-hitters in GM's truck and SUV line. This move has been discussed as a permanent move, and it is expected to decrease the production of its trucks and large SUVs by 35%.

I disagree with this. While it's true that auto plants close and don't reopen, you really can't compare it with steel. They were closing auto plants that were building SUV's and opening them up in Mexico to build the same SUV...and this was when SUV's were selling like hotcakes.

I wasn't referring to jobs, that's sad enough...Right now in America we have watched as America moved from a leader in manufacturing to one of the lesser countries on that front. That's pretty damn sad - these closures didn't happen in a down market...they happened during boom times.

I talking about American behaviours. Look back at the 1970's...people were abandoning the "gas hogs" when gas went to a dollar a gallon. After we got used to a buck (or even a buck and a half) per gallon, we wondered why we were driving such little cars. And the SUV craze began. It's obvious that we don't care if they were built in Cleveland or Cucamunga, they were what we wanted to drive. And I believe that if gas drops to a more "affordable" $3 per gallon, interest in SUV's will increase again.

 

[Gilding the Lily]

While it's true that auto plants close and don't reopen, you really can't compare it with steel. And I believe that if gas drops to a more "affordable" $3 per gallon, interest in SUV's will increase again.

I wasn't comparing, bud. I was contrasting. Perhaps interest in SUVs will rise if gas becomes cheaper, but I strongly disagree with that assessment. GM appears to disagree with you as well, as they have made pretty clear that they believe this is a permanent adjustment of American's attitude towards those vehicles.

GM CEO SAYS SHIFT TO SMALLER CARS IS PERMANENT

"General Motors is closing four truck and SUV plants in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, affecting 10,000 workers, as surging fuel prices hasten a dramatic shift to smaller vehicles.

CEO Rick Wagoner announced the moves in response to slumping sales of pickups and SUVs brought on by high oil prices. He said a market shift to smaller vehicles is permanent."

 

[Redbird]

I drive a Prius. I can tell you from firsthand experience that the Prius doing 80 was also getting about 42 mpg. On winter gas.

But the overall philosophy is to see how little we can hurt Mother Nature and we can only do that by having as little impact as possible.

And the more oil we drill today provides less incentive to develop alternative sources. That's the catch 22...why bother...we have oil.

I believe that is the left' argument but I am not sure it works. From what I see and read, most realize that easy oil is going to be a thing of the past and we are not going to be able to go back to dollar gasoline but we MAY be able to keep it from going to $10 gas IF we develop new ways to extract the oil. It seems the argument is we need to explore new technologies as long as it does not involve anything to do with oil

Another argument is that it is going to take so long for the deep water oil to come on line. Well.. the fact is tomorrow we are one day closer to the 2020 or 2030 calendar and I would rather address the problem now rather than keep putting it off in hopes that wind/solar/X is going to solve the problem. And I think the ethanol charade adequately demonstrates the point. One thing effects another and what looked like a great thing is now being shown to be a not so great idea. Costly, subsidized, rendering less BTU per gallon... but for some reason no one has the ***** to say, "You know, we are on the wrong path... we need to stop this." They can offer that rationale for the war, the economy, foreign policy but when it comes to a pet project of the left, there is silence. ???

And I disagree about the impact gas prices lowering to even $3 a gallon would have.

I am not arguing for $2, $3 or $4 gas. I am arguing against doing nothing and having $10 gas. Habits are in fact changing. We here change, change, change but anyone who has studied culture or human factors knows it takes considerable time for a culture change within an AIRLINE, much less a country. The process is not immediate but from what I read, a lot of people are 'getting it'.

 

[lpbrian]

I drive a Prius. I can tell you from firsthand experience that the Prius doing 80 was also getting about 42 mpg. On winter gas.

And the more oil we drill today provides less incentive to develop alternative sources. That's the catch 22...why bother...we have oil. The ones who use the "silver bullet" theory are those that propose using all the oil we have as fast as we can (if they aren't willing to alter behaviours) because "we landed a man on the moon in 10 years, we can develop alternative sources".

And I disagree about the impact gas prices lowering to even $3 a gallon would have. Remember when gas was about a buck and a half? When it went to $2.50, there was outrage...then it settled in at $2 and we loved that the price was lower....enough to demand bigger SUV's. In the past, we have watched oil prices rocket up, then settle back to a postion 50 to 75 cents higher than what the had been...The impact was an surge in SUV purchases because gas was once again "cheap". IMHO, $3 was the point where gas prices started to have some impact. If gas settles back to that level, my guess is that there are a lot of SUV's in peoples futures.

I would love to hear what these "alternative"sources are. Stupid liberals believe in anything they hear. Well, KCFlyer, what is this magical, clean, renewable, mythical energy source?

 

[delldude]

You know....it makes absolutely no sense at all to drill now to ease the price while attempting to find the 'Holy Grail' of energy sources.We should pay through the nose and sit idly by while the planets economy goes into the tank(no pun intended).Or better yet,we should attack and conquer the third world countries that have these vast amounts of oil.Yeah...thats the ticket.

 

[KCFlyer]

I would love to hear what these "alternative"sources are. Stupid liberals believe in anything they hear. Well, KCFlyer, what is this magical, clean, renewable, mythical energy source?

Well lp...they really don't have one right now. So it's still oil. So let's drill it...I've said over and over again - let's drill it. At the same time, let's conserve what we drill, because even if we drill it all, we are still going to rely on imported oil. So drill it..and offer tax incentives for fuel efficient vehicles and tax penalties for gas guzzlers. Remember when the government under Bush offered a $2500 tax incentive on a hybrid, and pretty much the entire purchase price as a tax incentive on the Hummer? That's a sound energy policy there.

So this "stupid liberal" is telling you to drill (it's not going to lower the price of gasoline...but drill). Seems to me I hear more "stupid conservatives" justify their use of dwindling resources by saying "we landed a man on the moon in 10 years, we'll discover an alternative energy". So any ideas of what that alternative might be? Or do we wait until our oil reserves have a 10 year supply before we start looking. They point to the "holy grail" of the hydrogen fuel cell. IMHO, it's still got well over 10 years before it's viable enough to replace gasoline.

Or better yet,we should attack and conquer the third world countries that have these vast amounts of oil.Yeah...thats the ticket.

You know, the more I look into Iraq, I honestly think that was part of Cheney's energy strategy back in 2000.

 

[delldude]

You know, the more I look into Iraq, I honestly think that was part of Cheney's energy strategy back in 2000.

Heard Hugo is buying Sub's........next sortie....Venezuala.

 

[KCFlyer]

Heard Hugo is buying Sub's........next sortie....Venezuala.

What the heck...let's conquer the whole world. I mean , I'm 51 I've got about another 25 years in average lifespan left...after I'm gone, who cares if the world rises up against the US...I'll be dead. But it'll be interesting - since I really think that Bush will have us in Iran around August...maybe he can do September in Caracas. He is after all a military genius "war president".

 

[delldude]

What the heck...let's conquer the whole world. I mean , I'm 51 I've got about another 25 years in average lifespan left...after I'm gone, who cares if the world rises up against the US...I'll be dead. But it'll be interesting - since I really think that Bush will have us in Iran around August...maybe he can do September in Caracas. He is after all a military genius "war president".

I think the Israelis' will do the dirty work.......there will be retaliation IMHO of the nuclear kind.Then it will go to hell in a hand basket on the global stage.Once again,acting in the interest of survival of their own and surrounded by those who wish to see them exterminated.....Israel will be condemned on the world stage.

 

[KCFlyer]

I think the Israelis' will do the dirty work.......there will be retaliation IMHO of the nuclear kind.Then it will go to hell in a hand basket on the global stage.Once again,acting in the interest of survival of their own and surrounded by those who wish to see them exterminated.....Israel will be condemned on the world stage.

So to prevent that, Bush and Cheney launch a "tactical nuke" strike before Iran can do anything. You know..better to stop them now than let them do anything. And Cheney has already pondered tactical nukes in Iraq. This administration is the only one in the civilized world that has pondered an OFFENSIVE nuclear attack.

 

[cooper43]

Or better yet,we should attack and conquer the third world countries that have these vast amounts of oil.Yeah...thats the ticket.

Yeah Bush already tried this one and see what it got us. It seems strange that oil prices have quadrupled under the Bush administration. I am sure that his oil buddies that helped fund his campaign are laughing all the way to the bank.

 

[Seatacus]

I am sure that his oil buddies that helped fund his campaign are laughing all the way to the bank.

While you're condemning the oil companies don't forget they are corporations owned by pension funds and millions of Americans.

 

[delldude]

Yeah Bush already tried this one and see what it got us. It seems strange that oil prices have quadrupled under the Bush administration. I am sure that his oil buddies that helped fund his campaign are laughing all the way to the bank.

The Chinese venture with capitalism and manufacturing is the impetus.

 

[American Air Surf]

The outrageous and quick runup in the price of oil has left many of us common folk stunned. The price just skyrocketed and has remained incredibly high now for long enough that it appears not to be a bubble. It seems odd that this could have happened seemingly overnight with the explanation that world demand is the reason. Okay, but that quickly?

So today Bush called for easing the restrictions on drilling offshore. (He's on record being against those restrictions, but has been unable to make Congress budge.)

I had been wondering all along when the answer to the puzzle of why the high oil prices, and today Bush answered my question.

Bush and his oil industry cronies have devised the artificially high price ploy to force the hand of Congress by inflicting financial pain and suffering on the voters. Congress will now likely be deluged by letters demanding that the drilling restrictions be lifted, and Congress will give in. The second the restrictions are lifted, the price will magically drop.

If you can't get what you want by normal efforts, you create a crisis designed to get it clandestinely. It's a tried and true method used by governments throughout the ages. And the general population, never ever seeming to catch on to the dirty trick, plays right into their hands every time.

Dr. Robert Hirsch Phd. .... Also check out the Robert Hirsch Report, for the Department of Energy..2005


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGHpWOSsDZk