Comments on: The Costanza Energy Policy: 25 Ways to Drive Oil to $150

By: Baseball fan

Baseball fan — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 07:41:52 +0000

“BTW, here’s the sucker bet my barber turned into a life learning experience … Pick a baseball team and MULTIPLY all the final game scores they have. The other side ADDS scores. The ADDER will always win. Why … anything multiplied by zero is always zero. It only takes one shut out to lose”

Fish! Choose the 1932 Yankees or the 2000 Reds. They didn’t get shut out once all season.

By: twc

twc — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 21:50:45 +0000

In 2006, for people at or under the upper middle class segment, the hybrid tax credit went to the dealers, who were charging $2k or more over list. For the mass affluent to rich, one didn’t get the tax credit at all. Meh.

By: Tom C

Tom C — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 12:43:49 +0000

The man-made global warming scam. The arbitrary nature of all restrictions on production, refining, lng terminal construction, wind power and the grandaddy of ‘em all the ‘china syndrome’ hoax re nuclear power.

By: Peter M. Storm

Peter M. Storm — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 23:14:07 +0000

How can anyone believe that depleting our resources, as the advocates of more USA drilling propose, will increase our national security and lower the price of oil? The OPEC nations can control the amount of oil that comes on the market and, if the USA produces more, they will produce less. The result, we deplete our resources while the price stays stable. Those advocating more USA production should look back at what happened in the 1950s, when in the name of national security, Pres. IKE, and his allies in Congress put import controls on foreign oil so we could pump Texas dry. Well, Texas certainly is a lot drier, but how was our national security increased by that? Now they want to pump Alaska dry, and our coastal waters. A dangerously misguided idea. Why can’t they understand that holding an appreciating asset is better than spending it? I could add that the Law of Comparative Advantage has not be repealed, but I am afraid they wouldn’t care about that either.

By: Rez

Rez — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 02:16:10 +0000

The best way for the US to handle the current crisis is to stop giving foreign aid to the rest of the world. About 4-5 years of isolationist policies would leave all those world welfare funds at home, where they might do some good for our own homeless, hungry, and ignorant population. Perhaps the world at large will realize just how generous the US when we turn off the charity.

The best way for the US to handle the long-term crisis (in the absence of a breeder reactor or alien technology) is Gen-IV nuclear power plants. I’m ready to install a pebble-bed reactor in my backyard, and sell the residual power to all my neighbors.

By: LibertyVini

LibertyVini — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 18:14:58 +0000

@Paul;

“Americans have a religious faith in sappy notions such as “the hidden hand of the market,” “market efficiencies,” “private companies operating freely are best,” and many others… they are certainly not akin to laws of chemistry ot physics.”

See my first post, your comment doesn’t apply because the reasons for all the bad things you mention are government ones;

“The greatest incentive for higher prices is the equity interest US and other western oil companies have in middle eastern (and other) oilfields.”

…advanced and sustained through US military might on behalf of the oil companies;

“the collapse of over-inflated mortgage-backed securities and their derivatives, trillions of dollars in worldwide investment capital are chasing the next bubble…”

…completely due to the central banks, fiat currency, and multiple levels of fractional collateral pyramided atop fractional reserves…

It simply makes no sense to criticize the free market for the looming energy, financial, and fiscal disasters we are facing, when from top to bottom these crises are originated and extended by government, in collusion with special interests.

, and guess what it is? Petroleum!”

…co

, you are

By: John G

John G — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 17:53:45 +0000

Most of your list wrongly implies that oil is significantly impacted by alternatives to generating power for homes and businesses (nuclear is not a replacement for oil, in that the former powers our “immovable” assets while the latter our transportation). Another good chunk fails to address why the run-up in oil occurred in the last two years. Urban sprawl isn’t new, nor is our lower gas tax. I think you missed the real reasons (dollar decline, commodities pricing, unstable oil producing regions, funds looking for investment opportunities).

By: PaulHunt

PaulHunt — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:41:05 +0000

I was reading this article about how the Government’s energy policy pretty much effects everything in our country. It is called U.S. Energy Policy – And Getting it Right and it was very interesting. It stresses the importance of why we need an awesome energy policy. Its just very interesting and after I read this article here it instantly reminded me of this one I’m telling everybody about.

Thanks

By: Rick

Rick — Sat, 31 May 2008 18:29:50 +0000

The greatest incentive for higher prices is the equity interest US and other western oil companies have in middle eastern (and other) oilfields. For every dollar increase in the price of a barrel of oil, these companies make an extra $0.40-0.50. In exchange for absolutely nothing.

The claim of “supply and demand due to China and India blah blah blah” is false. The timelines are completely unrelated, and there is no significant scarcity, certainly not one that justifies current prices.

Americans have a religious faith in sappy notions such as “the hidden hand of the market,” “market efficiencies,” “private companies operating freely are best,” and many others. They are concepts which often apply, but not always by any means, and they are certainly not akin to laws of chemistry ot physics. Oil companies have an enormous financial incentive to ensure that there is perceived instability in oil producing regions in order to help drive speculation, as do their business partners in the Persian Gulf and elsewhere.

Now, with the collapse of over-inflated mortgage-backed securities and their derivatives, trillions of dollars in worldwide investment capital are chasing the next bubble, and guess what it is? Petroleum! Yay! We will pay at the pump and at the supermarket so that those “investors” (what a pretty name! what positive connotations!) can gather up our money and put it in their bank accounts.

It is chilling how mainstream US capitalist ideology has come to resemble soviet communism. Sacred, unchallengeable beliefs about politics and economics; large scale invasions of privacy; restriction or suspension of legal rights; constant political propaganda and indoctrination in the public media; a profoundly corrupt military-industrial regime quickly morphing into a police state; suppression, censorship, and ridicule of any speech contrary to the regime’s interests; a willingness to kill and maim on any scale necessary to maintain the official myths and legends used by the regime to justify itself (ask anyone in Iraq, American or Iraqi); these are just a few of the traits that characterize the current regime.

Supply and demand my ass.

By: Troutski

Troutski — Sat, 31 May 2008 15:36:48 +0000

I’m sure somebody also mentioned the extreme amounts of fuel 2 wars use. Correct me if I’m wrong, but just one of those new fancy fighter jets that fill the skies over Baghdad or Kabul burn over 1,000 gal/hour.