Democrat Solution for the Oil Crisis? Stop Driving
Democrats, who were outfoxed by President Bush last week when he lifted the executive ban on offshore drilling, have been scrambling to come up with their own energy plan. And now they have. Does it call for an increase in the oil supply? No. What it does call for is Americans to cut back on their oil consumption.
Congress is doing nothing about this problem other than to say that we, the ordinary people, are using too much oil anyway. They are saying that we are the problem, so how do they propose that we solve this problem that we created?
–expand public transportation;
— encourage “pay-as-you-drive” auto insurance policies that reward low-mileage drivers with lower insurance premiums;
— reduce commuting costs by providing incentives to employers and employees to take transit, bicycle, carpool, walk, or telecommute to work;
— help local governments create “walkable, bikeable” communities;
— help Americans make “smart” transportation and housing choices by educating them about their options;
— create “location efficient mortgages” that would make owning a home near transit more affordable.
What a do-nothing crock of shit this bill is. With congress unwilling to do anything they just pass the buck on to us and tell us that we must sacrifice for the common good. How much are all of these plans that the Democrats going to cost the taxpayer? I don’t think that we want to know the answer to that question. More government programs are the answer to the oil prices according to the Democrats. More government control. Just remember, when the government takes control of anything, when they regulate anything, the price always goes up. Once again the Democrats offer no real solutions to the problem other than to try to tell Americans how to live their lives.
More government programs are not the answer, more oil is!
America's Watchtower 
Boo Hoo. You have to do something you don’t want to. Waaaaaaaaa
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No I don’t.
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Oil is finite, nonrenewable energy, and here you are bitching that we need more oil consumption. Find Endgame by Derrick Jensen and Ishmael by Daniel Quinn; both books will show you that *more* is *never* the answer.
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I didn’t ever say we needed more consumption. I said we needed more supply. There is a huge difference there.
I don’t have a problem with other, alternative energy sources, but that is not what this bill is about.
You are a fool if you don’t think that increasing the oil supply will bring the price down. If you couple increasing the oil supply with other energy sources, even better.
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Typical American (USA) who whines at the mere suggestion that maybe he can’t do whatever, he wants whenever he wants. Just a bunch of spoiled children. It’s the beginning of the end for oil use. Get a clue.
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Smurf village, here we come! All this helping, reducing and creating sounds like good old government control to me. Children need to be told what to do and cannot make wise decisions on their own. Men and women give their very lives, everything that they have to protect our right to be free. Hey, Canada is just a hop skip and a jump away, I’ll pack all three of you a lunch!
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In order to lead the world agin, the United States must bury the fosil fuel era. The Techmology is available and will grow quickly if the Nation determines to be energized by renewable, sustainable, alternative energy. America put a man on the moon in a limited time, surely we can tranform a fossil fuel economy into a New Energy Economy in a matter of ten years. We should be leading the world in R&D and implementaion of a New Era of energizing our society. A fossil fuel economy burns our assets, a sustainable erengy economy will add wealth and groeth to our economic assets.
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While the smurf village is too far to one extreme, the “me! me! me!” mentality shown in this country is too far in the other extreme. Maybe part of the problem with gas/oil prices is the self-absorbed arrogant jerks who drive gas guzzling SUVs 80 MPH in 55 MPH zones. From personal experience, this is not an exaggeration. It is a proven point that driving slower will save gas but oh no, that people in general think they are so important that they have to get to where they’re going a couple minutes earlier. Also, most people with SUVs don’t even need them! In short, the best way to improve fuel efficiency is to fix the nut behind the wheel.
Increasing supply is not going to fix the problem by itself. Demand must decrease as well. Of course, this fact would be lost on someone who has bought into the supply side economics song and dance. The technology is available it’s Detroit that’s dragging it feet. When was the last time CAFE meaningfully increased? The fuel efficiency of cars today are not much better than they were after Iraq War I even considering the fact that the EPA changed the rules.
Seriously, what is wrong with the government encouraging improved mass transit and making it possible to reduce the need for driving? Is it such a bad thing to encourage people to change their habits to reduce the demand for oil?
Oh no! That would require a sacrifice on my part! We can’t have that! That’s government intrusion! I have the right to go around wasting gas and helping to drive prices up! It’s my god given right!
Americans, in general, are so self-absorbed that they lose focus on the fact that their actions have repercussion on others.
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You go Mr. Pink Eyes. Facts be damned, EVERYONE knows that “…when the government takes control of anything, when they regulate anything, the price always goes up”. That’s exactly why energy rates in Texas are about 20% higher than in the rest of the country despite the fact that it’s one of the few states that has fully deregulated the electric industry.
source: http://www.khou.com/business/stories/khou080528_ac_energyprices.35063d4b.html
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And leave us not forget banning drive-thru windows at fast food places.
More of the same from the Democrats.
Maybe they could pulll their heads out of their butts long enough to come up with a viable solution insted of expecting us to ride to work on a bicycle.
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“–expand public transportation;
– encourage “pay-as-you-drive” auto insurance policies that reward low-mileage drivers with lower insurance premiums;
– reduce commuting costs by providing incentives to employers and employees to take transit, bicycle, carpool, walk, or telecommute to work;
– help local governments create “walkable, bike-able” communities;
– help Americans make “smart” transportation and housing choices by educating them about their options;
– create “location efficient mortgages” that would make owning a home near transit more affordable.”
Providing Incentives = $
Create Walkable, bike-able communities = $
Create “location efficient mortgages = $
Help Americans make “smart” transportation and housing choices = Control
These “suggestions” require more money to be thrown at the problems in order to “try” to fix them and the last one is a control mechanism. All of which I want nothing to do with. AND how much more $ of our do they want to throw away! I’m sick over the 50billion AIDS bill. Enough is Enough!
While I am not 100 sold out for more drilling, I think we need to at least start there AND work on as many other layers as we can to create other option for energy.
In Phoenix they are investing in windmill and solar energy. They are planning to incorporate solar energy into a percentage of homes in the near future.
If Phoenix can do it, anyone can.
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That’s what my main point was. This legislation is nothing but a big government spending bill. It offers no real solutions.
Oil drilling isn’t the who answer but it is part of the answer.
Oh, and Deb might not be that far off, the sixth plank of the communist manifesto is the cenralization of transportation. I’m just saying…..
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Creepy! I guess I should read it (*shiver*). I don’t know if I could. I already have nightmares as it is. What’s going on, S.? where are you?
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More than one plank is already taking place in America.
Second Plank: A heavy progressive or graduated income tax.
Fifth Plank: Centralization of credit in the hands of the State ( according to conspriracy theorists this is the Federal Reserve)
10th plank: free public education.
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Of course, Congress will do nothing except offer empty promises and platitudes – as usual. We have to remember that government can only encourage or restrict what we can or cannot do. And they do this with incentives or subsidies, which is your tax dollars!
A better solution would be for private industry to develop alternative energy, transportation networks, and the rest of the “solutions” touted by government, and they would do a much better job than government. After all, when was the last time government did anything efficiently and economically?
But there is a catch…from one of my posts:
“Many pundits and detractors flame the energy companies for not developing new sources of non-carbon energy. There is a very simple reason for that – there isn’t a profit to be made from those sources (yet) unless they charge tremendous amounts for it, and the majority of consumers will not pay extra for it. Until there is a substantial business case for developing and using an alternative to carbon-based fuels besides the controversial Global Warming argument, it’s not going to happen.”
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“In Phoenix they are investing in windmill and solar energy. They are planning to incorporate solar energy into a percentage of homes in the near future.
If Phoenix can do it, anyone can.”
Unlike Phoenix where there is large tracts of otherwise useless land, any land around Indianapolis, that hasn’t been taken over by urban sprawl, is used for farming to feed the cows and pigs that feed the rest of the country (and in the future, if the farmers have their way, fuel your car).
On a side note, I’ve noticed that the remarks of Senator Warner’s national speed limit haven’t been mentioned. Is it that if the idea comes from a democrat, it is evil government intrusion and control? Yet, if it comes from a republican, it is golden?
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Wow, you have a hot topic that people still do not fully grasp.
Oil does not equal gasoline. Gasoline is a derivative of petroleum as are 128 commonly used items. 2/3rds of the oil consumption is in the form of nylon, nail polish, the 126 other things made from oil. Gasoline is only 1/3rd of the consumption.
Of that, you would need to redo the power generation plants to go away from natural gas and petroleum usage which takes a lot of money and time. Factoring in what land is used where and for what and various groups blocking the development of the land for whatever reasons, you are at an impasse.
There is no easy 10 year solution. The same groups that push it also block the ability to execute any solution. Redefining the entire economy, products, usage, integration of those products and materials into other items is far beyond the scope of our Constitutional government.
It is a pipe dream.
As for mass transit, the more weight that hops on the bus decreases mpg of the vehicle. So the more you use mass transit, the faster the local governments will go broke. This is already impacting school districts and the cost of maintaining the school bus systems. They have to cut back on the budget. That in turn will force more parents to drive their cars (using more gasoline than before) to get their children to school.
But wait, it gets better!! Where do the local governments get their money for such services? From the property tax levied against the value of the properties. Oh yeah, guess what else is dropping? Home values are dropping which means decreased property tax revenues.
Part of the reason why – People have to transfer their funds to the increased costs of food, heating costs, and fuel so they can get back and forth to work to pay the increased bills.
This all leads to greater dependency on gasoline as people will not have the disposable income to purchase the other options. They will be too busy paying for the increased food and fuel bills while trying to keep their homes.
So anyone have a nice and easy solution to a very complex problem? Poorly thought out proposals based on emotion and not a thoroughy researched answer will only lead to greater problems and economic collapse.
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Wow Gary, thanks for the info! I guess I don’t fully grasp it either. 🙂
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You are a fucking idiot if you believe that increasing oil supply will bring the price down. Here’s how it works numbnuts: domestic oil production peaked in the 1970s. Get a fucking clue. If I piss a quart of oil will that bring the price down? Fuck no. Same with your bullshit “increase supply” scheme. Demand will always outpace supply unless you want to nuke China and India. This is an irrefutable fact but right wing dipshits such as yourself seem to have a problem with irrefutable facts.
Here is some simple math for your simple brain: If I add five barrels of oil, but a chinese person buys ten barrels of oil because they don’t pay the actual cost of oil (because it is subsidized by the govt) then HOW THE FUCK DOES THAT BRING THE PRICE DOWN FOR US?!
Do us all a favor and just shoot yourself in the head please.
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Supply and demand really is economics 101, if you don’t understand it than I am not going to explain it.
If I were as angry and hateful as you are I probably would put a gun to my head and end it. Perhaps you should take your own advice, I am happy while you are miserable.
Thanks for stopping by, I hope you return, only next time don’t be such a coward and leave a link so that I can check out your blog. If you don’t have a blog than you are even more of a coward for leaving such a comment knowing that you will never return to read my response.
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