Drilling For Oil
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I got an e-mail this morning which was forwarded to me from a friend living in Venice, Italy. It is so good that I am reproducing it below:
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"Most of us know that the worst time to make a decision with long-term consequences is when we are in a state of panic.
Yet, I have a gut-feeling that many people will cast their vote in November believing that the only thing standing between cheaper gas and oil are environmental extremists and politicians who care more about fish and reindeer than you and me.
While I am in favor of putting all options on the table in the effort to promote "energy independence" (AKA getting out of the religious crazed Middle East). I also know that if we opened and sold every oil lease from the coast of Florida to the Alaskan wilderness tomorrow, it would be years before we see would see that translate into cheaper gas and oil.
In fact, there is good reason to believe that we would never see it.
Why? At least two reasons. First there is the obvious, logistical reason. It will take years before the actual drilling for oil begins, even longer for the production of refined products such as gasoline.
The less obvious reason and one no one seems to be talking about in the mainstream media is the fact that the oil produced from new leases will be sold on the WORLD MARKET. Thus, we'll be competing, as we are now, with China, India and every other industrial nation for the same resource.
The U.S. is not Norway. We don't sell our oil leases with the proviso that the resulting oil and profits will be shared equally between the multi-national oil company doing the drilling and U.S. citizens. While the natural resource may "theoretically" belong to "we the people," the oil products that are produced will belong to the highest bidder.
Simply put, the idea that opening-up off-shore tracts and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to new drilling will solve the much bigger problem of energy in this country is a scam being perpetrated not by the petroleum companies, who know better, but by radio and TV talk show hosts who are paid nicely while using the public's (another scam) airwaves to keep the people misinformed and ignorant.
Of course, that's just my opinion."
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