Guess Who's To Blame For Gas Prices???

[nbcrusader]

Cheney Blames Democrats for Gas Prices

Despite the inflammatory partisian nature of his comments, one issue should be discussed:

What do you do between the time you cease drilling for oil in your own country and the time you develop alternative sources of energy?

 

[ILuvLarryMullen]

What do you do between the time you cease drilling for oil in your own country and the time you develop alternative sources of energy?

blame all resulting problems on clinton

 

[BVS]

Cheney Blames Democrats for Gas Prices

Despite the inflammatory partisian nature of his comments, one issue should be discussed:

What do you do between the time you cease drilling for oil in your own country and the time you develop alternative sources of energy?

I think Cheney's logic is laughable. I think it's ironic that conservatives see Kerry's comment about not being so dependent on foreign oil as a mistake but Cheney's saying the same thing and he's right. They just have different plans to do so. We are where we are due to decades of not really doing anything about it. There are alternative sources out there, there are means to research and start implementing very soon(relatively speaking) but their are oil corporations and people who have no vision that are blocking our progress. The latest predictions I've read is we have 50 to 70 years left at the rate we're going. So your dreams of seeing you grandchildren in hover cars will be squashed and they'll more than likely be on foot if we don't do anything right now, and I don't think more drilling is the answer.

 

[ThatGuy]

Is more drilling the answer, or would less consumption have the same effect? When's the last time the CAFE standards for fuel efficiency were raised?

 

[nbcrusader]

How do you incentivise less consumption?

CAFE standards are filled with loopholes and place a severe short-term burden on domestic auto production. Remember, you want to keep automotive workers employed.

 

[BVS]

How do you incentivise less consumption?

CAFE standards are filled with loopholes and place a severe short-term burden on domestic auto production. Remember, you want to keep automotive workers employed.

You can push and push and push all you want carpooling, mass trasit, but when it comes down to it people like their cars. I think they need to more hybrids(apparently the first hybrid SUV will be coming out in the next year or so) while moving towards an alternate.

 

[ThatGuy]

Originally posted by nbcrusader
CAFE standards are filled with loopholes and place a severe short-term burden on domestic auto production. Remember, you want to keep automotive workers employed.

That's the line that's trotted out every time someone suggests that, but I don't see the correlation. Did the auto industry suffer major setbacks when the CAFE stadards were riased after the energy crisis? And if so was it because of the CAFE standards, or because American automakers found it was cheaper to build overseas?

The best way to deal with unhealthy consumption is to find ways to reduce it. When you consume an unhealthy amount of food is it better to try and cut down or just buy bigger pants?

 

[nbcrusader]

The best way to deal with unhealthy consumption is to find ways to reduce it. When you consume an unhealthy amount of food is it better to try and cut down or just buy bigger pants?

In out ever fattening society, it looks like the pants option is winning.


I agree with your assessment - you can create a penalty for unhealthy consumption or an incentive for healthy consumption.

I have always favored taxing consumption above the necessity level.

 

[ThatGuy]

nbc, how very ... European of you.

 

[ThatGuy]

I thought about this further, and wondered whether heavy taxation wouldn't just have the same effect as raising the CAFE standards. Automakers would still be forced to increase gas efficiency just from market pressures. The problem with that idea, though, is that heavy taxation would seriously hurt the lower class, another instance where the invisible hand is giving them the finger.

 

[RockNRollDawgie]

Cheney. I don't who I detest more Bush or Cheney. Whoever started this mess, I don't see the Bush admin doing anything ( as usual) to fix this.
Oh. correctiion. Bush wants to drill in
Alsaka. Maybe this is why this "crisis"
started.

 

[nbcrusader]

Cheney. I don't who I detest more Bush or Cheney. Whoever started this mess, I don't see the Bush admin doing anything ( as usual) to fix this.
Oh. correctiion. Bush wants to drill in
Alsaka. Maybe this is why this "crisis"
started.

What would be your solution to "the mess"? This year, in five years, in twenty years?

 

[Popmartijn]

How do you incentivise less consumption?

Make gas 3.5 dollars per gallon. It's then still lower than in Europe.

 

[nbcrusader]

Fair idea - but consider the counter: it will have a disproportionate impact on the poor (i.e., the rich can still drive their SUV's all day long).

 

[Popmartijn]

What do the poor drive now?

 

[nbcrusader]

Inexpensive, not necessarily fuel efficient cars

 

[ILuvLarryMullen]

I agree that taxation isn't the answer. Gas may be cheaper here than in europe, but that doesn't change the fact that a sudden jump in prices will be very difficult for poorer people to handle and those out there driving hummers will be annoyed by it, but able to afford it so they aren't likely to change their habits or cars. In many areas of this country you HAVE to drive a long way to get where you need to go. If you don't live in a big city, there probably isn't any public transportation worth shit. I have to drive 35 miles to school (one way) and there isn't a bus that goes there and not everyone can afford to live near their school (or work).

Anyway, how long would it take to built the pipeline in say Alaska? Isn't going to take something like 5-10 years (I could be wrong, but I though I heard that oncc)? I don't think that increasing domestic oil production is really a feasable solution for the "meanwhile" than improving cars is. Think of how much technology can change in 5-10 years, just look at computers, surely we can do the same with cars. We have the technology, it just needs to get out there. Gee I wonder whose interests that goes against....

 

[najeena]

When will we Americans get the idea of 'bigger is better' out of out heads? The world laughs at our outsized cars, houses, bathtubs, even.

 

[nbcrusader]

Anyway, how long would it take to built the pipeline in say Alaska? Isn't going to take something like 5-10 years (I could be wrong, but I though I heard that oncc)? I don't think that increasing domestic oil production is really a feasable solution for the "meanwhile" than improving cars is. Think of how much technology can change in 5-10 years, just look at computers, surely we can do the same with cars. We have the technology, it just needs to get out there. Gee I wonder whose interests that goes against....

Re-engineering automobiles and production lines take just as long. Of course, there is no big incentive for auto companies to go any faster. Hybrids, while popular, have not taken over the market.

Opening up additional sources for production alone will have a positive impact on oil prices. Much of the increase in oil prices is a combination of OPEC domination of the market and perceived instability in the region.

 

[ThatGuy]

What I'd really like to see is a Manhattan Project-type of program that treated this issue like the crisis it is. Pump a lot of government money into it, hire all the leading scientists in the field, and come up with workable alternatives to fossil fuel. Hydrogen fuel cells, solar power, wind, vegetable oil, whatever. If we knocked out something as complex as the atomic bomb in a short amount of time, why can't we do it for energy?

[/pie-in-the-sky fantasy]

 

[Ft. Worth Frog]

Even big cities do not have the best mass transit around. I mean, places like NYC, and DC have a pretty good system, but those places are also walker friendly. Public transportation around where I live is ok, but urban sprawl means that one will probably still have to walk awhile to get to their destination. BUilding an extensive system here would be too expensive considering the amount of destinations there are.

 

[ILuvLarryMullen]

Re-engineering automobiles and production lines take just as long. Of course, there is no big incentive for auto companies to go any faster. Hybrids, while popular, have not taken over the market.

I know that changing autos takes just as long, my point was if they both take the same amount of time why not do the one that is better for the environment. I don't think that they will see the incentive til the supply of oil is nearly out/cut off/whatever or there is more government regulation/incentives....which is not likely to happen with the amount of campaign contributions coming from the auto and oil industries. Grrr.... it's so annoying

 

[Popmartijn]

Inexpensive, not necessarily fuel efficient cars

I wonder if they have the same kind of engines as cars in Europe. I mean, Ford, etc. is also a big producer here in Europe and their cars here are fairly fuel efficient, so it's not as if they don't have the technology. Why should the engine be different for US cars?

 

[nbcrusader]

It is not necessarily the availability of technology. Older, cheaper cars tend to be less fuel efficient. Also, when buying a car, people tend to place more emphasis on the purchase price of a car versus the long-term operational cost.