Should Oil Be Cheap?

[the_smurf2008]

The bottom line is that the oil busines has a lock on our lives. I want to be able to plug in my car each night. Thats right, plug it in. Not to be green, not to clean up everything (even though having seen the mess oil production and refining makes, I expect there to be a benefit ) I just want to be able to decide how I want to charge it , and I want to stop feeding an ever growing monster that is making it very hard to had the standard of living my family and I enjoyed just 8 yars ago.

[episode26]

Because of our humongous use of this limited finite resource, we are shipping hundreds of millions of dollars out of this country. Money that I know our economy really could be using right now.

And if we don't start with a different approach now with consuming less oil when we have plenty. What do you think it well be like once we hit peak oil. When we know we are running out. Do you really think Canuks are going to destroy there environment to get shale oil just so we Americans can wastefully use it. (Look up how much it takes to get shale oil.) Do you want to have wars over oil with China, India or some other nation in the future. I would much prefer that I don't have to deal with wars between superpowers.

With gas being expensive as it is now forces us to stop using so carelessly. Especially considering the millions of years it took that stuff to develop in the Earth. With gas being expensive, we use it in more moderation. We learn to not use it so inefficiently. Which means it will last use longer. It will create fewer health problems for us humans and the environment we live in. We use less of it to the point were we will not be giving money to those nations that don't like us.

And do you really think that over the long term that expensive oil will harm our economy. NO. Our economy will adapt to the new conditions and thrive. Because it will not need this old fashion energy source. It would have moved on to the next best thing.

And the price of oil is putting a hurting on me. I live out in the countryside have to drive to the city for most of my needs. But I know this pain I'm feeling now probably will mean I won't have to feel it later.

[Saturn69]

Oil is cheap. Think about it before you pelt me with stones. Someone has to find the oil, drill for it, pull it out of the ground and put it on ship. Then, those ships have to sail here, pump the oil off into trucks or directly into refineries where it is processed into gasoline, benzene, diesel, etc., and that product is again sent by truck to where we live and where we have to pay only $4 per gallon. That's amazingly cheap when you consider all of the work and transportation that goes into making gasoline.

[TruckMan]

Originally Posted by chakis24

i dont need to, the only gas i buy comes from sunoco and hess, and they dont import oil from the persian gulf. canada and venezuela (i kno, not much better) is where they get their oil from.

and btw, canada is our number one importer of oil.

What a great idea! If you don't like ME oil, buy it from these companies. Just don't force your beliefs on everybody else.

[TruckMan]

Originally Posted by episode26

This is a pretty live discussion here.

To the few people crying socialist. Are you aware that we already are a pretty socialist country. Maybe not as much as the Europeans, but we are never the less. What do you think programs such as Medicad, Medicare, Social Security, Unemployment benefits, or a check for disability, Hud, welfare, rent assistance, WIC, school lunches, grants for college or vouchers for K-12 are. Those are all socialist programs. So please stop screaming socialist as if it's a horrible thing.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are somewhat socialist in nature. Yes, they are going through a difficult moment at present because people are screaming for them to fall. But you are aware that those two companies allow so many people to own a home. And those two companies are both enjoyed by business and the public because of there important position.

Sorry back to the point.

Oil shouldn't be cheap. Our use of it has led to many problems. Yes it has given us the lifestyles we have. But that in itself is not a reason for us to be addicted to it like a heroin addicts.

Those "socialist" programs you mentioned support and benefit the poor and less fortunate, nobody will disagree with responsible funding of those programs. The "socialist" programs we're debating over are ones that affect the quality of lives of everybody in America. I'm sorry, but if you don't make enough money to pay your bills, can't hold a job, can't feed your kids, don't have incurance, etc, I shouldn't have to pay for your house. That's why they invented rent homes and apartments.

[TruckMan]

Originally Posted by the_smurf2008

The bottom line is that the oil busines has a lock on our lives. I want to be able to plug in my car each night. Thats right, plug it in. Not to be green, not to clean up everything (even though having seen the mess oil production and refining makes, I expect there to be a benefit ) I just want to be able to decide how I want to charge it , and I want to stop feeding an ever growing monster that is making it very hard to had the standard of living my family and I enjoyed just 8 yars ago.

As long as you're advocating freedom of choice for each person to drive the type of vehicle that they prefer, I'm with you. I just disagree with people who say that everybody should be forced to drive what they want them to drive.

[TruckMan]

Originally Posted by episode26

Because of our humongous use of this limited finite resource, we are shipping hundreds of millions of dollars out of this country. Money that I know our economy really could be using right now.

Not trying to get off point, but scientists can't even agree that oil is a finite resource, or that it comes from decomposed organic material. Proven oil reserves increase every year, even in fields that were previously thought to be drying up.

And besides oil, there are billions of dollars leaving our country every year on all types of imports. Oil is not the only one. We import and export.

And I agree on having alternative energy sources if it makes our country more diverse and better off. It's the funding that I have a problem with. Giving grants to universities and research institutes to R&D is one thing, and I'm ok with that. But taxing the crap out of oil to fund large corporations for production is what I have problems with.

[wescoent]

Originally Posted by episode26

Because of our humongous use of this limited finite resource, we are shipping hundreds of millions of dollars out of this country. Money that I know our economy really could be using right now.

That's pretty much as far as this discussion has to go.

The United States has vast natural resources capable of producing energy for our economy, and frankly, the only reason we started using oil in large amounts was how cheap it was, and how friendly we were with Middle Eastern producers.

There is nothing wrong with pumping, refining, and consuming petroleum-based products, and there isn't anything wrong with consuming huge amounts of energy, but we need to start using non-petroleum-based energy much more than we do today.

[TJ95GAGT]

Originally Posted by the_smurf2008

The bottom line is that the oil busines has a lock on our lives. I want to be able to plug in my car each night. Thats right, plug it in. Not to be green, not to clean up everything (even though having seen the mess oil production and refining makes, I expect there to be a benefit ) I just want to be able to decide how I want to charge it , and I want to stop feeding an ever growing monster that is making it very hard to had the standard of living my family and I enjoyed just 8 yars ago.

This coming from a Corvette and SI owner..... there are more fuel effecient cars out there if its hampering your life style that much, we all make choices. IF I want a Silverado HD to tow my 40ft boat I should have the option to, if its what I choose to do on the other hand IF I want a Chevy Volt or Toyota Prius I should be able to. Naturally the first lifestyle will have a higher fuel cost than the second even without an extra tax to keep oil high. I am definetly against giving the government more funds mismanage oops I mean invest in alternative energy sources.

To anyone thinking we should keep oil high have no fear, the decline in price is ending and in a few weeks it will definetly end as Labor day nears.

[Saturn69]

Originally Posted by the_smurf2008

The bottom line is that the oil busines has a lock on our lives. I want to be able to plug in my car each night. Thats right, plug it in. Not to be green, not to clean up everything (even though having seen the mess oil production and refining makes, I expect there to be a benefit ) I just want to be able to decide how I want to charge it , and I want to stop feeding an ever growing monster that is making it very hard to had the standard of living my family and I enjoyed just 8 yars ago.

Just out of curiosity, what do you spend on gas each month?

[Saturn69]

Originally Posted by TJ95GAGT

This coming from a Corvette and SI owner..... there are more fuel effecient cars out there if its hampering your life style that much, we all make choices. IF I want a Silverado HD to tow my 40ft boat I should have the option to, its what I choose to do on the other IF I want a Chevy Volt or Toyota Prius I should be able to. Naturally the first lifestyle will have a higher fuel cost than the second even without an extra tax to keep oil high. I am definetly against giving the government more funds mismanage I mean invest in alternative energy sources.

To anyone thinking we should keep oil high have no fear, the decline in price is ending and in a few weeks it will definetly end as Labor day nears.

I have to agree with you there.

[TruckMan]

Originally Posted by Saturn69

I have to agree with you there.

Sounds like your typical liberal/Al Gore crap. EVERYBODY MUST CONSERVE AND SAVE THE EARTH SO THAT THERE IS MORE FOR ME!!!

[Saturn69]

Originally Posted by TruckMan

Sounds like your typical liberal/Al Gore crap. EVERYBODY MUST CONSERVE AND SAVE THE EARTH SO THAT THERE IS MORE FOR ME!!!

Uh, no, that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that choosing a vehicle that isn't known for it's fuel economy and then complaining about that lack of efficiency and how it is affecting other areas of one's life is kinda dumb. If I went out and bought a Hummer and then came on here and complained that the gas bill was making me have to consider cutting my DirecTv all-season pass, I'd be ripped to pieces for being a whiner. I just think that yeah, we all make choices and we have to realize that those choices may not be the best ones. Where's Al Gore come into that? Where is that saying that you must drive what I tell you to so as to save the Earth? No where, that's where. I have no clue where the hell you got that from.

"To anyone thinking we should keep oil high have no fear, the decline in price is ending and in a few weeks it will definetly end as Labor day nears." - I also agree with the fact that gas prices are going to go back up. Again, where am I pretending to be Al Gore?

"I am definetly against giving the government more funds mismanage I mean invest in alternative energy sources." - Yeah, cuz that sounds Liberal, don't it? Did you even read what he said?

[Jimm]

[quote=chakis24;1467213]i dont need to, the only gas i buy comes from sunoco and hess, and they dont import oil from the persian gulf. canada and venezuela (i kno, not much better) is where they get their oil from.

QUOTE]

Keep on believing that.

Regular gasoline, most premium gasoline and diesel fuels sold in the US are all fungible. That means as long as it meets specs, it's the same. Gasoline companies trade barrels constantly, to save on transportation costs, to balance demand, or to reduce cost. Your Sunoco could have been made by Shell, BP, or Exxon. Some of your Sunoco or Hess gasoline molecules could very well have come from the Mideast.

[TJ95GAGT]

Originally Posted by TruckMan

Sounds like your typical liberal/Al Gore crap. EVERYBODY MUST CONSERVE AND SAVE THE EARTH SO THAT THERE IS MORE FOR ME!!!

Thats not what I said at all. Everyone should have a choice on what they drive. If I want a Prius, thats fine, but if you want a Kodiak and don't mind paying to fill it up then you should be able to should you not? I sure as hell am not going to tell you or anyone else should drive and no one should, its a personal choice.