Do we need more energy in this country

[Blaise]

I find it amusing the speculators are getting so much of the blame for this. Goes to show the power of the media over the ill-informed general public. The same general public that somehow believed John Kerry shirked his duty by "learning" from the Swift Boat Political Ads.

Speculation is little more than a bet placed, just like is Las Vegas, you place a bet on the outcome of a game or some other event that is to happen in the future. The bets don't change the outcome of the game (unless you are an ardent conspiracy theorist). The same is true about speculation, yes it can drive a frenzy sometimes, but that is very short lived, the realities of actual pricing is still on the simple economic principal of supply and demand.

Anyone notice how oil has begun to decline? Could the be the efforts of this country to reduce consumption (because it costs so much), and anyone also notice that at the time China began to shut down much of it's economic machine in preparation for the Games to reduce pollution?

The speculators didn't go away, they didn't stop betting, but oil is declining anyway...

No we don't need more energy, we do need better, more sustainable energy for sure, the idea we've allowed ourselves to be so energy dependent is a shame. What we really need to do is reduce waste in all aspects of our day-to-day lives, it's about efficiency, not adding capacity. My old A/C system drew up to 30 AMPs of energy, the new one cools better, is quieter, and draws only 6 AMPS, there are probably a dozen more examples in your every day life. I still have air conditioning, we don't have to change our lifestyles, but there are ways we can conserve.

Interesting discussion, isn't it. I have reduced my energy use substantially and I live in an apartment.

[Riverwind]

me too, I stopped driving my car, a year ago. Well that is not totally true I moved it a couple weeks ago and drove it to the VA in January but thats it for this year. No AC just open the windows and turn on a fan. Keep the lights off unless you really need them on in the room your in. There are a lot of things each of us can do to save energy.

River

[sag111]

Great idea now if we can just get the farmers to stop driving their tractors and the truckers to park their trucks we just might have something going here.Just think of all the oil we can save when the trains stop and the plains stop flying this will be such a wonderful green day.We can all breathe clean air and for once be happy we are saving this planet.To Jemagirl it was the republicans who passed drilling and Clintion vetoed.When GWB became president it was the Democratic party who wouldent let it go through congress like Bush tried both terms.Life is good isent it

[sag111]

If we had more of our own energy we would be in better shape when this war comes to the middle east.Dont be fooled because oil has dropped this last week anything can drive it back up again.

[Riverwind]

The world at one time lived on the gold standard, today its OIL.

Sag, we are still going to need oil, for those farmers, and truckers, trains and planes but they don't use but a small portion of what we Joe Public uses. Right now everything we have and do is based on OIL. WE NEED TO CHANGE THAT. We have more then enough reserves right now to last us a long time. It would last forever if we found other power sources and ways to use them, Something that is clean because if we as a world don't stop using oil in a hundred years or less it wont matter. Over time the earth will fix everything, its good at that, it may take 60,000,000 years but in geological time that's just a couple days and Oil will once again be the power fuel of the day.

We need to make oil a fossil fuel again before we are.



We don't need more oil wells, we need less.



River

[nonuts]

I keep hearing or reading that figure. I don't know what the decline of the dollar has played in what we have paid. When you do not get a return on your investments, you look for better returns with ohter investments. We have waged a war on a credit card. The interest has been high.

The weak Dollar has had a much greater impact on the pricing of oil in this country (the USA) than speculation. The price of oil and gas in Europe has only gone up about 25% in the past year, compared to more than 60% here. They are using strong Euros though to buy oil that is priced in cheap dollars...the weak dollar can be placed on one's mans desk, were he a real president that accepted responsibility for his actions the way Truman did...remember the buck stops here?

[nonuts]

Saying the trucks and trains and planes will stop, the economy will die is just irrational, extreme over reaction that will get no one anywhere. Energy prices have been high in Europe of 2 decades now. They are as efficient as possible as a result, and now look, the Euro is KILLING the Dollar.

I NEVER even remotely suggested oil prices would continue to decline. When demand goes back up so will the prices, the only thing that can help us with pricing in the short term is to have a stronger dollar, in the long term it's to import less oil. Yes, there are a couple ways to skin that cat, drill for more oil, or use less of the stuff. I think it needs to be a combination of the two. But to do it so American's can have cheap gas so they can drive 8,000 pound SUV's to the store and back is pretty damn short sighted too.

Another extreme solution is DO NOTHING, oh yeah, that's right, that's what we've been doing...hum, guess it's not so effective.

We could be 100% self sufficient on energy. All those trucks, tractors, and yes even planes could be running on bio versions of the fuel they use. But I really don't understand the opposition to the basic premise of waste not want not. My Grandmother exercised that adage to a fault at times and I think we could use much more of it.

[lookinginuk]

The weak Dollar has had a much greater impact on the pricing of oil in this country (the USA) than speculation. The price of oil and gas in Europe has only gone up about 25% in the past year, compared to more than 60% here.

its true its only gone up about 25% but it now costs $8.60 a us gallon or
$10.30 a uk gallon - i only wish we had the same price as usa !!

[sag111]

Your right we need to do everything and as fast as we can.I think their is some good inventions coming in the near future like the air car yea google air car it could be something we could use.I also seen on Jerusalem post this neat electric scooter that would be very cheep to run.So I think their is some good things coming but we need all we can so we can stay free.I say this because cheep energy has kept this country free and strong.

[Ernie of Maine]

Driveing to office ,etc Hase allways ben a bad idea and doing it in a suv was the wors idea. then they leave it parked some where for 8 to 10 hrs and drive it back home in rush hour traffic! Now that was efficient and all the time the train the light rail and the buses are running hafe empty! Oh by the way though triers they were whaering out are made from oil too._______Ernie of Maine________________

[kristoff]

Your right we need to do everything and as fast as we can.I think their is some good inventions coming in the near future like the air car yea google air car it could be something we could use.I also seen on Jerusalem post this neat electric scooter that would be very cheep to run.So I think their is some good things coming but we need all we can so we can stay free.I say this because cheep energy has kept this country free and strong.

Cheap energy has kept us from being free and strong. Cheap energy just sent lots of our money to Saudi Arabia, et al., Chavez, and others. It has kept us poorer and enslaved to foreign sources of oil. The higher prices are actually a good thing in a perverse way. They force us to conserve, to find new ways, and cut our dependence upon oil. That will ensure our continued freedom, particularly from other countries dictating our energy supplies, and hence our economy.

[sag111]

OOOOO well thank what you may

[A-1]

Your right we need to do everything and as fast as we can.I think their is some good inventions coming in the near future like the air car yea google air car it could be something we could use.I also seen on Jerusalem post this neat electric scooter that would be very cheep to run.So I think their is some good things coming but we need all we can so we can stay free.I say this because cheep energy has kept this country free and strong.

YUP!

...so what is 4 buck a gallon gasoline and diesel fuel going to do to it?

...how about ENSLAVED and WEAK?

...I say, FUck the shrub, his daddy, his cheney, and ALL of his oil buddies!


... go ELECTRIC!

[sag111]

Their you go again A1 blaming everything on one man when all of Washingtion is the cause.Congress just passed a bill to bail out the housing mess and we are about to have another stimulus package and Fanny May and Mack will be bailed out next.All I see this doing is lowering the dollar and raising everything we buy.We need are own oil not sending our money to places against our country and if Bush and Cheney can find it for us over here so be it.By the way A1 have you bought your new electric car yet I did put up a solar water heater and I am saving about 100 a month.Who else has bought a electric car to save the planet?

[Uncle Flo]

How can a water heater save $100 a month? --FLO--