Drive Less Pay More

or

The Government Taketh as the Middle Class and Poor Get Poorer

For years upon years the government has been trying to find ways to make the US public drive less. The high gas prices last year did just that. Of course the problem is that Government programs suckle off the buxom tax teat that is created from drivers cruising the roads of the United States of America. Now that people are driving less, government legislators are crying that they need more $$$ to fill up the lost revenue as the buxom tax teat needed to pay for road repairs and all those special pork projects is drying up and shrinking. In true government fashion they have formed special committees to study the problem. The answer was clear – increase taxes! That way the fat cats in the government gets their greedy hands on the $$$ by taking more cash out of the pockets of Joe and Jane Average Citizen and making it more difficult for Poor Boy Billy to even start his car. Drive less –  pay more.

Russia Benefits from Enabling Iranian-Israeli Conflict

In a speech addressing the UN, Iranian leader/Mullah Puppet, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, vowed to continue with Iran’s current nuclear objectives. What exactly those objectives consist of are controversial and creating an atmosphere where the possibility of violent intervention becomes more and more a real possibility. I know most of the World was and still is hoping that diplomacy will win out and cooler heads will prevail. Russia in its recent posture to display itself as a renewed dominate superpower in the European continent has not helped by lobbying against strict economic and technology sanctions against Iran, which UN peacemakers would use in an attempt to corral in the Ahmadinejad push to become a nuclear weapon power. Considering Iranian leaderships’ overtly hostile posture regarding Israel and its right to exist, I cannot imagine Israel allowing events to progress to the point – Iran actually develops nuclear weapons capability. Factor in the recent Russian attempt at hobbling an unusual allied UN effort to keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of the ruling radical Iranian mullahs and their puppet Mahmoud Ahmadinejad; it makes a violent Israeli process of curtailing Iranian nuclear capabilities closer to a reality than an apprehension. And I could not fault Israel if they felt pressured by current Iranian Leaderships anti Israeli rhetoric in to making an attack on Iranian nuclear plans.

No matter the directions taken, this series of events should play well with Russian intentions to increase their power structure. The events will no doubt continue to bring around closer relations between Russia and Iran both countries seem to be working towards. An Israeli attack, or even the threat of an attack, on Iran could also help Russia by creating an expanded market for Russian weaponry. However the best probable influence for Russia is that the more aggressive the conflict, the more it would also drive up the price of oil in the market place making Russian treasuries, from petroleum products, even heavier with golden treasure. If Iran came out of the events unscathed — Russia benefits by lending a helping hand and extending their alliance. If Iran is attacked and was seriously damaged by the process, Russia still wins as they rush in to pick up the pieces and make the country into an oil-rich Russian satellite nation. Russia can just sit in the background shadows benefiting from any and all of the chaos, while raking in the money whatever Israeli/Iranian avenues are taken. As long as Russia manages to sit on the sidelines, helping Iran stay at conflict with Israel by hindering outside attempts at a peaceful intervention, it is a win-win situation for the Russian Bear. The problem with enabling vipers like the current leadership of Iran, is once you pick them up, like the former US-Bin Laden connection, there is always the chance they will turn and bite you in a fit of instinctive anger.

Is Oil to Reach $450 a Barrel by the Next Decade

I have read a couple of articles that suggest the possibility of a barrel of oil reaching some unthinkable prices (possibly as high as $450 a barrel) within the decade. Once again it is all speculation but it seems logical that it could happen. I have thought for some time that the oil producers have no compelling reason to reduce their price. And their response for increased production pleas from world leadership has been met by that attitude. Really why would they needlessly cut into their profits if it is not necessary? The World is shifting gears and leaving behind energy sources from oil products, although it is currently moving at a snails pace. When you have X amount of product and X/Y as the time to make your money on the product, you search for ways to keep the value of your product at the highest levels for the longest amount of time before your product becomes obsolete. That is what the oil producers are doing. If you have absolute control of the supply, then you can manipulate supply and demand – to maximize your profit for reinvestment. The traders will also be an influence as they are gambling on the market and riding the wave out until the peaks crash. Right now with the frenzy created by newly industrialized countries bidding for the same limited amounts of Oil produced that every other country is wanting, will make for a gamblers wet dream. There has been a lot of yammering about the traders influence on the market, but realistically most are just doing what traders have always done gambling their money by investments. I am not into trading but if I were I would venture a guess that they are licking their chops at the futures prospects over the next decade, which is the amount of time that seems to be agreed upon for a realistic weaning for a large amount of the world from big oil’s drying teats. OPEC meanwhile has been manipulating the supply and demand since the 70′s gas crisis. They have become larger than a 800 lb Gorilla that sits on our backs just because he wants to. Through inaction at developing alternatives energy sources, The World’s leadership has basically let OPEC become King Kong size squashing the life out of the whole Worlds economy because they want to. OPEC’s manipulation combined with all the other factors including a devalued dollar is making it tough on the home budgets here in the US. It has become a dangerous game of poker we are playing.

The USAmerican government’s (along with the rest of the Worlds leadership) dragging their feet since the 70′s in looking for alternative energy looks more insane everyday. The US could kick the market in the shins if they would just crack into the dormant oil fields we have been sitting on and start refining the product. But if they continue to sit on their haunches and not drill, not refine and continue to vacillate on finding alternative energy sources –> then who knows how high gas will get until finally a viable energy alternative is found and replaces oil products. If the government continues to drag their heels, $450 a barrel might look cheap in ten years. It will get even tougher on the middle class and the poor around the world.

I am including an interesting look at the devaluing of the US dollar and skyrocketing Oil prices at this link.

Oil – Gas Prices and Gas Pricing Around the World – Ouch!

I thought I would do a short follow up to my previous rant on gas/fuel. Here are a couple of interesting links for the angry, the confused and the curious.

Think four buck a gallon here in the QC sucks? How about paying $8.06 in France, $8.44 in Belgium, $8.90 in Finland or even $9.31 in Denmark. —> try checking out this link to Wikipedia talking about gasoline and diesel usage that also has fairly recently updated Prices of Gasoline around the World! Spooky!

Curious about pricing? Try this link from How Stuff Works that talks about How Gas Price Work.

Curious to know what actually is born out of a barrel of oil. Evidently just over 51% of a barrel of oil is made in to gasoline. The rest is used to make several other commodities. Try this link from the California Energy Commission to find out “What’s In a Barrel of Oil?” Interesting reading!

If I run across anymore links on pricing I will post them here. Anyone else know of any links that provide pricing information? If so post them, after all misery loves company!

High Gas and Fuel Prices Crippling the World Not Just the US

Listening to many here in the US you would think that the only people suffering from high fuel prices is the USA. The US is not the only place complaining about high prices at the pump! We are around $4 dollars a gallon here in the Quad Cities. Some places over in Europe are paying around $8 dollars a gallon for the same product due to their higher fuel taxes. People are protesting and others are threatening to go out on strike. They, like us, also have many businesses that are facing hard times due to the fuel price escalation. They are also like US citizens in their clamoring for their governments to do something about the prices. But just like in the US the only opening for governments to have much effect on the prices is through reducing taxes. They could do this, just like we could, which would offer a small and temporary relief. Of course when the things like roads and other infrastructures that are government supported by those taxes start to deteriorate, you can expect the same screaming of what are you going to do about it aimed at the government. The people and governments around the World have truly reaped what they have sown. Everyone turned their eyes and ears away from the lesson taught us in the 70′s that we need to pursue alternative energy sources. The late 1970′s were just a small harbinger of things to come if Governments and People do not get off their lazy asses and fix the problem. Of course the solution/s are still in the infancy stages due to all the foot shuffling for the last thirty plus years. In all probability there will be many wrong turns faced before a real viable solution is set in place. Nor are you going to fix this problem by forcing the auto companies to squeeze another mile or two per gallon on the vehicles gas usage. If you got billions of people sucking milk from the same teat, it just means some will go hungry. Here in the US we could be kicking the oil market speculators – driving the price up – in the groin if politicians from the left and right would start pumping some of the oil out of the ground that we have available and then start refining it. Then the speculators could go make some money elsewhere for a change. But as long as we continue to do nothing the intelligent speculators are going to make money off the misery we feel at the pump. Plus if we started pumping and refining oil, that should also drive the oil price down in the world markets while creating a temporary umbrella allowing us time to solve the current conundrum of what energy source/s will replace oil. But the politicians prefer to play politics and do nothing and the people just keep voting in the same losers from the left and the right that sit on their haunches and “play hear no evil – see no evil – know no evil”. Perhaps after we are facing lines similar to the 70′s where you waited in line for hours to overpay for a few gallons of gas only to find out that the car ten spaces ahead of you got the last few drops available that day; someone – somewhere might actually move faster than sloth mode. The choices are simple. Find energy independence through whatever means necessary or become enslaved to terror states sitting on the oil deposits around the world.

Making Prairie Grass into an Energy Source?

Are we closer to telling Middle East terrorists and Hugo Chavez to take their $100 a barrel oil products and shove them up where the proverbial sun does not shine? The world along with this country have been looking for cleaner alternatives than terrorist supporting oil products for some time now. Ethanol has been a name that continues to get tossed around as the answer. But one of the drawbacks that continues to haunt it is the cost towards actually turning corn and similar products into a viable fuel source. According to an article by David Biello published in Scientific American, tests on switchgrass have shown that the prairie grass can produce 540 times the amount of energy needed to produce it which is 25% more energy than produced by corn and similar products. It is a replenishable energy source, it grows perennial and in marginal soil. It is still in the early stages but could this be what we need to become energy independent and boost our economy at the same time? It could lessen the national debt by reducing the need for importing oil, keep large amounts of money out of the pockets of people who hate this country while also creating a product that could be exploited for profit. Sadly we could be a lot further along on this product than we already are. But thirty years of bipartisan Democrat and Republican bickering, foot shuffling and inefficient legislation direction have kept us tied to sending our money to terrorist countries for oil while also putting our very safety at risk from the same people that were benefiting from our business. It is time for our government to get out of granny gear and really solve this problem instead of playing their do-nothing legislating games. Perhaps this is the answer we need.

A Bubbling Crude Black Gold Texas Tea

Up through the ground comes a bubblin crude, Black Gold, Texas Tea!

Occasionally I spend some time howling on here and on the rest of the blogosphere about the need for viable fuel alternatives. And instead of asking politicians whether they are wearing boxers or briefs the political debate time would have been better spent kicking around solutions to our addiction. There have been millions of USAmericans born and died –> in the thirty years of Democrat and Republican political windbagging dog and pony shows (choose your preferred definition, I prefer selection #1 but it is a free country so pick your own preference, they all fit) since the exasperating oil crisis created in the 70′s by power-playing OPEC potentates lashing out at Israeli sympathizing countries. There are an abundance of important reasons to move beyond our blacktar addiction to the OPEC drug cartel’s poison. The most important is national sovereignty. We are currently the biggest junkies and it’s time to pull out the needles and throw away the silver spoons. OPEC continues to play games of supply and demand price gouging, driving the price of oil ever upwards: while the World’s addicts scheme and fight over scoring the carefully measured drops of toxin released by the slave-masters. Sure, the World’s governments talk rhetoric about the needs to fix the problem while all they really are accomplishing is sitting around playing liars poker. Drilling in ANWAR, electric cars, carpooling, federally imposed higher mpg ratings of manufacturers, cleaner burning coal, etc. are no more than a rub and will not solve the problem. They might feel good at the moment but each is no better than handing out methadone to a junky. They will not cure the problem and are nothing more than a quick-fix. Nor will Prohibition work as a cure. The World as well as this country is an addict that needs energy, to the excess! The answers will only be found by transferring our addiction to a source of energy we control. That is probably flex fuels. A very cheap possibility of replacement was kicked around and discarded through negligence of duty by our countries leadership and our laissez-faire how-to-acquire attitude, commonly displayed by junkies. Though methanol, a relatively inexpensive and easily created product, has been used by the racing industry for decades the Dem. &Rep. controlled government has kept us doped up on big oil’s heroin and never really gave serious exploration, outside of California, to the product. Now we are kicking around ethanol a much more expensive process. Fine, one thing about our market, if it can be produced it can be mass-produced. That drives the market price down. I personally do not care whether it is ethanol, methanol, corn-squeezins, etc. as long as we move our addiction into a market we control by our standards using an adaptable flex-fuel vehicle. Rather than harp on all the methadone movements, let us influence the transportation industry and its satellites into a flex-fuel world where we own the bats and balls and can control our own destiny! Heck I might even start searching for grandpappy’s old hooch recipe. No matter the final choice I agree with the Robert Zurbin perception that our independence follows our ability to wean ourselves away from the toxic teats of OPEC and the Hugo Chavez’s of the world. That time is now.

Energy – Damned if you do, Damned if you don’t (UPDATED)

According to a BBC article United Nations expert Jean Ziegler has went on record condemning the use of corn and sugar crops to make biofuels. He wants a five-year ban on the practice for technology to look at other options. His argument is that it could create more hunger. That is very possible in my estimation. Still it has just been weeks when we were told that the US needed to quit shipping in donations of food products into third world countries as it was hurting their farm economies. Another problem is even if it doesn’t create a shortage of the world’s food crop, it will probably drive up the expense of food around the world. Another possibility is that it will do both. The alternative certainty is a shortage of increasingly expensive fuel and energy. Oil is supposedly at the point of decline in availability. We seem to have multiple possibilities for home and industry usage, some sources such as nuclear energy have their own drawbacks (Three Mile Island - Chernobyl). But most, other than nuclear, are in their infant stages and will not answer the call for our complete energy needs in the near future. The usage of oil in its energy byproduct forms is also considered a major pollutant. And though there seems to be some drawbacks to biofuels, they seem to be the powerbrokers choice as quickest available and most promising at replacing oil as the main clean energy component for a large section of our economy needs. They can be worked in tandem with oil products or used as an eventual replacement. They reduce the amount of oil we have to use. They burn cleaner. They reduce our ties to the centuries old war torn Middle East. And they give our economy a boost by using renewable products that we can produce ourselves. If biofuels will make us energy independent, then it is a win-win situation for our country. Then I choose biofuels. If it does create a food shortage, it is just another problem that the World and Mr. Ziegler will have to deal with.

I have added a couple of links on the topic of biofuels:

biofuel link 1

biofuel link 2

And for all you conspiracy lovers out there, you do not want to miss tonight’s (Saturday 10/27) Coast to Coast AM radio show with Alex Jones! He is planning on discussing how the elitists are going to reduce the Worlds population by 80%. Whew, oughta be room to breathe then!

Coast to Coast AM Radio Link

Alex Jones Info Wars Link

Whew, I checked and all my neighbors still seem to be here this morning. But more on this later!!