We need less oil, not just less domestic oil
Since the inception of the terrible BP oil spill it would seem that America has sufficiently shunned the utterers of “drill baby drill”. With such a rude awakening it would be logical to infer that America should be entering a new epoch of environmental awareness fueled by greener energy and increased productivity. However, that doesn’t seem to be in the cards for America when all we can do right now is point fingers and bellow “don’t drill baby, don’t drill”. Less drilling without a commitment to finding better alternative energy sources is just going to increase the revenues of foreign oil cartels like OPEC while draining the coffers of all American energy consumers.
There needs to be more incentives for private innovation in the field of alternative energy without the naïve enthusiasm over currently limited resources like wind power. Because let’s be honest, the only way wind power is going to take the place of petroleum based fuels for vehicles is if we strap fucking sails to the roofs of our cars. If we’re going to stop drilling there needs to be a serious alternative to petroleum. For an environmentalist to worry about global warming, discourage drilling here in the US, but then be fine with idea of becoming equally as addicted to foreign oil is complete bullshit. That makes no sense at all. If that becomes the case then we will all be paying more at the pump, using just as much oil, and releasing just as many metric tons of auto emissions into the atmosphere. It’s a worthless endeavor to discourage drilling if we can’t figure out a way to replace gasoline. Large corporations will be able to pay the new higher price of mostly foreign gas and they will have lobbyists in Washington to help them wheel and deal while small businesses and private individuals will just go broke paying for gas they can’t avoid using.
The same problem plagues cap and tax proposals. We will all be hit with new energy taxes that will drive up the prices of commodities that will cost the little guy more while the big guys can sweat these losses. It’s not fair to ask people who rely on using fuel for their living to shoulder the burden. John Doe who drives trucks for a living can’t afford a heavy tax on his gas just so environmentalists can fuel their sanctimonious conquest against domestic drilling if there’s no promise of relief. Artificially raised prices can only bring down emissions so much. Big corporations will be able to buy more carbon credits (which equates might with right) while the rest of us can’t afford to buy those environmental get out jail free cards. All of these economic maladies will afflict us if we continue babbling “don’t drill baby, don’t drill” without any plans for encouraging private innovation in the field of alternative energy. So remember, my friends, we need more innovation not more taxation and importation.
-Jack Daniel Betz
Amen. I’ve been saying this same stuff for a while now…
I agree with this. I don’t understand why americans can’t cut the oil cord. I’ve been told Obama should spearhead the way, take charge, ban oil outright. But there’s not enough of a market for alternative energy because the oily snakes of the industry lobbyists are running the show. There aren’t really any good immediate solutions. Government subsidized converter kits? Too expensive, we’ve already got deficit up the ass (these kits run on waste vegetable oil http://www.greasecar.com/ but only for diesel cars and trucks) Cash for clunkers program as incentive to trade to a hybrid? I doubt John Douche will relinquish his hummer. Not to mention electricity and all other energy uses suckling at the oil industry’s teat. So long as alternative energy isn’t seen as viable commodity to the masses, I don’t see any way out
Yeah we do need to cut the cord. We’ll have to remain on oil until we can find a satisfactory solution but lets try to find that solution instead of fussing about no drilling when no drilling by itself will just result in more oil importation. I’m not one of those naive people who thinks alternative energy solutions are right around the corner but I just don’t hear enough of an emphasis in news and science to make me think that people really are looking hard right now. Oil might be a necessary evil for a long time but we still need to keep looking for alternatives.
Hopefully not for too long. The technology Is there it’s just kept down by the Oil Man. Power to the solar powered people.
Absolutely. All I’m saying is that we can’t throw people who can’t afford expensive alternatives under the bus during a recession. That’s why I’m sort of weary of cap and trade. It won’t just punish the allegedly evil, soul-sucking, capitalist pig, corporations *sarcasm* but plenty of poor people will suffer if we tax energy too heavily. It’s a transgression of basic social justice to sacrifice blue collar people and average energy consumers to “Gaia”. You’re right though, there is a concerted effort to keep oil the main fuel forever and that does need to end.
Plus, John Douche should be free to drive his big stupid Hummer. We just need to make the green lifestyle appealing to people. I am a huge skeptic of “being green” but when it doesn’t cost me wads of money or isn’t terribly inconvenient then I’m be happy to be “green”. I don’t think anyone actually hates the environment. People just hate to be told what to do. People should be able to freely choose to do the right thing when it comes to “being green” but individuals should also be allowed to be jerks. It’s a free country after all. I don’t think most people will go the Hummer route haha.