The Oil Game
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The game is an old one to the oil companies, and one which I have
watched happen again and again for the last thirty five years; they
push the prices up as high as they can while saying that it is simply the
market - and that the market is beyond their control; then when the
talk of alternate forms of energy begins to happen the price of oil drops
drastically.
I would not be surprised, considering all else that is going on, to see
the price of gasoline drop to below a dollar a gallon, and this is indeed
a blessing - it has given me more money in my pocket, and at a time
when I need it.
We will have to wait and see, though, whether the dance remains the
same. In the past, the US Government has capitulated to the oil
companies at every step of the way, making no effort, even in words,
to wean us off of oil.
The attacks of September 11, 2001 were a direct long term result of
our pollcy concerning oil - specifically mid east oil. And the dance then
was the same, for what did we do?
Did we make an effort - ANY effort - to get off of oil, or to even reduce
its consumption? No. We did not. Don't get me wrong; once a person
becomes a fanatic the best way to deal with them is sudden and
violent.
But if you do not take a long hard look at what made that person a
fanatic you either do not understand the situation because you do not
want to, or because it is simply beyond your grasp. The oil situation is
not hard to understand, and as energy is a matter of national security,
it should never have been left 'up to the market place' as conservatives
like to say.
National defense is not left up to the market place, and energy policy
in a modern society is directly correlated to our national security.
So we will ahve to wait and see whether the backbone of our elected
officials has strengthened. President Elect Obama, even if he tries his
hardest to get us off of oil, will fail unless he is supported by the
citizenry and the other houses of the government. My hopes are high,
but they have been before, and even if we do things exactly as we
should - especially if we do things exactly as we should - it will be the
work of 10-15 years, and it will take a large amount of sacrifice.
Who will be willing to make that sacrifice? Will it be only the people
who buy gasoline to get back and forth to work, or will it be the people
who make money off of oil?
Remember this, and think about it - if we do it right, we will destroy the
oil people's source of revenue; that's the entire point of the exercise.
It is the right thing to do, and so far it has been impossible. If another
country does it first and better, they will be the economic powerhouse
of the 21st century.
Now think about this one last fact; a Chinese company that makes cell
phone batteries is releasing a plug in electric car that goes further and
recharges faster than any other electric car on the market, and they
are going to be selling it for $22,000 dollars.
So the time to act is now - my hopes are high but past performance
tells me that the struggle will be harder than most people can even
imagine. The forces of greed and power are arrayed against us in this
struggle, but they must be broken.
watched happen again and again for the last thirty five years; they
push the prices up as high as they can while saying that it is simply the
market - and that the market is beyond their control; then when the
talk of alternate forms of energy begins to happen the price of oil drops
drastically.
I would not be surprised, considering all else that is going on, to see
the price of gasoline drop to below a dollar a gallon, and this is indeed
a blessing - it has given me more money in my pocket, and at a time
when I need it.
We will have to wait and see, though, whether the dance remains the
same. In the past, the US Government has capitulated to the oil
companies at every step of the way, making no effort, even in words,
to wean us off of oil.
The attacks of September 11, 2001 were a direct long term result of
our pollcy concerning oil - specifically mid east oil. And the dance then
was the same, for what did we do?
Did we make an effort - ANY effort - to get off of oil, or to even reduce
its consumption? No. We did not. Don't get me wrong; once a person
becomes a fanatic the best way to deal with them is sudden and
violent.
But if you do not take a long hard look at what made that person a
fanatic you either do not understand the situation because you do not
want to, or because it is simply beyond your grasp. The oil situation is
not hard to understand, and as energy is a matter of national security,
it should never have been left 'up to the market place' as conservatives
like to say.
National defense is not left up to the market place, and energy policy
in a modern society is directly correlated to our national security.
So we will ahve to wait and see whether the backbone of our elected
officials has strengthened. President Elect Obama, even if he tries his
hardest to get us off of oil, will fail unless he is supported by the
citizenry and the other houses of the government. My hopes are high,
but they have been before, and even if we do things exactly as we
should - especially if we do things exactly as we should - it will be the
work of 10-15 years, and it will take a large amount of sacrifice.
Who will be willing to make that sacrifice? Will it be only the people
who buy gasoline to get back and forth to work, or will it be the people
who make money off of oil?
Remember this, and think about it - if we do it right, we will destroy the
oil people's source of revenue; that's the entire point of the exercise.
It is the right thing to do, and so far it has been impossible. If another
country does it first and better, they will be the economic powerhouse
of the 21st century.
Now think about this one last fact; a Chinese company that makes cell
phone batteries is releasing a plug in electric car that goes further and
recharges faster than any other electric car on the market, and they
are going to be selling it for $22,000 dollars.
So the time to act is now - my hopes are high but past performance
tells me that the struggle will be harder than most people can even
imagine. The forces of greed and power are arrayed against us in this
struggle, but they must be broken.