they breed like roaches we will have plenty.

I can't tell if Billy is kidding, or if he's actually become Satan.

Satan took a much needed holiday.. Billy's just standing in for him.

Unless we're actually allowed to tap into the national reserve, what's the point of offshore drilling? If we really want to lower gas prices and stop dependence on foreign oil, how about simply nationalizing oil production? No price gouging, one low national rate, we use national oil refined in American refineries, low gas prices means more travel, lighter shipping rates, and a general boost in the economy. Everybody but the oil companies win.

*cue Billy to begin foaming at the mouth*

Yes, no foaming needed to know that communism is bad and doesn't work.

Yeah, lets nationalize everything, because the government would never want to hurt us.

Die.

We need more than a general boost in our economy, think, third-world countries around the world depend on us for trade and support. If we can't afford to buy things from korea and india etc. who will? Americans paying 4 dollars at the pump puts alot of pain on us, but it doesn't end with us, eventually everyone suffers, even countries that don't rely on automobiles for transport.

all the more reason for us to start the ball rolling and drill for our own.

Generally, people work for two reasons;


1) Profit.

2) Coercion- i.e., they're slaves.


Nationalization would remove #1, while the second is, for the nonce, illegal. So there simply wouldn't be production. Who's going to go do the work of drilling oil if they're not making money off of it? Are you?

Why wouldn't there be profit? Last I checked, there were many employees of the federal government and they all get paid.

Okay. Opening the federal reserve isn't exactly a fix to be considered. It contains approximately a 58 day supply of oil for use in case of emergency. For example: Iran goes to war with Isreal or Venesuala decides to stop selling oil to the US. It is only a buffer that was ment to allow us a chance to get another source up and available.


But notice how, Bush lifts the executive branch ban on offshore drilling and the price per barrel dropped? Then they open up 3.1 million or so acres in Alaska for drilling and the price per barrel dropped again? It's the law of supply and demand. And with the restrictions against supplying more being removed, the price comes down.

Paid with what? Our tax dollars thats what. So its a shell game, instead of having 4 or 5 dollar gas we get to have 40% tax rates. nice.

This is so ignorant it hurts my brain. And the sad part is that he's one of a very large group who thinks this way.

1) What profit? They get paid the same if they slack as if they work hard. They get paid the same if they sit on their ass as if they had gone out and found new sites or a new technology for drilling. Government jobs are low-risk, low-reward, so tend to attract the inherently lazy and inept and encourage them in that aspect. This is why your experiences at the DMV are as they are.

2) You're talking about the cogs. I'm talking about the people that actually drive the machinery of industry. With no innovators and no entrepreneurs, all you have is a blindly functioning machine, driven by the same favor-swapping, power-grubbing motives that run other government agencies.

i wouldnt call those third world countries. For the most part third world countries are actually hurt by us. Farm Subsedies

Thats true for now of course with the rising price of gas it becomes more econmically attractive dont forget the net result of gas production is negative as well. One interesting point there was a time that people thought electricity wouldnt catch on we all know how that turned out

Maybe although I tend to agree with this there still is a concerted effort for consildtion and improvement amongst Americain farmers and they are essentailly paid by the goverment. It may work for commoditiy markets where you essentially do some geomatric work and dig a hole. For complex producers of end good products in a dynmic competive enviroment I dont think it would work.

It's hard to tell from your post, but promise me you didn't just defend farm subsidies. Y'know, the ones that make it impossible for small-time farmers to compete with the big billionaires?

Which small farmer are you talkng about the one in Mexico or the one in Small Town USA?

I am not defending them at all they are the reason why several countries (those to our southern border) paticularly dislike us (although not the only reason of course). However in the context of the conversation it is an example that supports the idea of a relationship between oil producers and the goverment that may work at this point the goverment is being hindrance to the process. As a side bar to some degree Oil exploration is already supported by the federal goverment as it is the only RD/Discovery buisness that recieves special tax reporting for the associated RD/Discovery Costs.

The small town farmer in the USA is actually helped by the farm subsidies although they actually recieve little or none of the direct payments (Take Away farm subsidies and see how long it takes for the big billionares to wipe out the little guy remember what farm subsidies due)