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Post by Jaga on Jun 18, 2008 8:32:13 GMT -7
Guys, what is your take on it? You can choose three answers you like the most. Maybe we should write a letter to the politicians with our opinions?    |
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nathanael
Cosmopolitan
: “Die Wahrheit macht frei und ist das Fundament der Einheit (John Paul II)
Posts: 636
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Post by nathanael on Jun 18, 2008 10:42:35 GMT -7
I am all for drilling if drilling will help the current oil and dollar crisis. The help may be psychological, and that's OK. All impediments should be lifted for drilling off Florida. We do not need Chinese doing this for us. They are already busy mapping the ocean floor near the Cuban coast. They don't believe that Americans will ever wise up on off-coast drilling! If drilling is massively undertaken, including in ANWR, it will send the right message to the King of Saudi Arabia that His Highness's Oil Kingdom has "competition." The drilling should also spark the auto-gas production and auto-gas stations' expansion throughout the U.S. territory. As some of you may have heard, Poland is quietly converting to auto-gas installing in all marks a 3,000 z³oty engine adaptors. This action has been sorely neglected by the Senate and by the U.S. automotive industry. Alaska ANWR has enough gas to power all U.S. cars! But many of the Neanderthal powerbrokers in our country didn't get it ... until the roof started falling! Some of them, addicted to Beves and Butthead, even now keep opposing energy auto-sufficiency and atomic plants!
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Post by Atlantis5 on Jun 18, 2008 13:55:18 GMT -7
Within the scope of primarily this is to be North America. I was to chose within the boundaries of 3 choices. Being as I do not believe in the prospect of invasion of a sovereign nation for the natural resources it has by accident. Even though my personal opinion of any most camel rider Bedouin family owned nation, is rather very low to the extreme, still they are people and as such, deserve the respect of life.
My choices were:
1}Build Nuclear plants! It is clean, environmentally logical
2}Drill off shore. For that matter: Drill drill and drill, for each hole is not a guarantee it will be a wet hole.
3}Build more refineries: Remove the voice of each and every environmentalist {this is a simple operation, even with field hospitals}.
In conjunction with those actions. Your congress has the power for emergency powers activation with initial action by your president. In this manner, a creation of energy emergency mandate of action, in the manner of national emergency.
This would in action, make it a federal crime to interfere with and of, any obstruction of energy obtainment by any manner of drilling/mining/refining and all and any means of energy production: rather it be by any federal department/private contractor or any federal approved manner as appointed by any duly authorized representative individual of the Department of Energy.
With this power, any individual/group or named persons, would face immediate arrest and detention as specified in the above Federal action.
In as much to public transportation: You folks have this in place in the most efficient manner as devised. It is flexible/cost efficient and highly responsive to individual requirement.
It is the private own {automobile}. The entire cost of purchase/maintenance and fuel cost, is entirely burdened by the individual as owner/driver. It supports in self, by various taxation of:
1}Initial purchase as a value-added-tax
2}For each calender year of operation, it is taxed for road use by which ever tax base that is deemed by the individual state and given a number plate.
3}The fuel used in each vehicle under private ownership. Is taxed by each and every public accessed out let.
4}All maintenance is taxed for labour and parts. With this, there is a tax on all materials used.
5}With this vehicle of private ownership, will go as Germain, depreciation in declining intrinsic value.
In short. There is no finer public transportation system devised that will offer the service/tax base to local/state and federal system of collecting taxes.
The public ride system is in place and very readily available for those for what ever reason do not have option of private vehicle ownership.
Charles
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nathanael
Cosmopolitan
: “Die Wahrheit macht frei und ist das Fundament der Einheit (John Paul II)
Posts: 636
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Post by nathanael on Jun 19, 2008 1:53:10 GMT -7
The media report that a huge battle is brewing between Wall Street and the Congress on oil speculation. This in itself is positive. But, as I watched the debate unfold, I observed that the key point has not yet been made. On the CEO side, the point was driven that "it's all about the imbalance between supply and demand." Taking all other factors into account, I grant that this single factor is by far the most important. The sudden spike in demand from China and India (and U.S.) has upset the balance. On the Congress side, the point was made that "the national economy can't take it any more." Here I also see the point, meaning that both debatants are right! Was then the debate won by both parties? Not so! The Congress had the winning card ... but did not use it! What the Congress did not notice, and what it did not point out, is that the CEO's had their economy in mind, not the national economy, when they spoke! And this was the mistake that the Congress did not pick up on - the crux of the question! This omission would not have resolved the issue of the oil crisis per se, but it would have framed the debate in far more dramatic and interesting terms! Why? Because, from the CEO perspective, the "economy" is doing awesomely well, whereas from Congress' perspective it is failing dismally! By the way, the poll on top does not include the crucial necessity of expanding the tramway system, which forced me to vote for atomic energy as third option.
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Post by Jaga on Jun 19, 2008 9:30:56 GMT -7
Charles, Nathanael,
thanks for your opinions! There is one more aspect of the gas prices we did not talk about. It is speculations and the so called "Enron loophole". The artificial pumping of the gas prices by the speculations. Somebody posted an interesting article (I think it was Kaima) about this before.
I think - speculators and lobbying should b just banned!
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nathanael
Cosmopolitan
: “Die Wahrheit macht frei und ist das Fundament der Einheit (John Paul II)
Posts: 636
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Post by nathanael on Jun 19, 2008 9:55:43 GMT -7
A multifaceted approach is needed urgently to confront the dollar-busting oil crisis. One thing of course is to crack down on speculation of all sorts. But there is another problem that must be confronted, and that is the power of OPEC. There is just too much power in a few hands! Each time the Saudi Arabia's Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Ali bin- Ibrahim Al-Naimi sneezes, the Wall Street rises the price of oil a notch, leaving 250 million Americans in the cold, and plunging the world's poorest nations into an ever-deeper crisis! One man should not have such power over the destinies of the world! The U.S. Congress, the UN, and the EU should counterbalance the power of this man! And if this isn't enough, the OAS and the ASEAN could also pitch in their strength!
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Post by Atlantis5 on Jun 19, 2008 12:06:43 GMT -7
Charles, Nathanael, thanks for your opinions! There is one more aspect of the gas prices we did not talk about. It is speculations and the so called "Enron loophole". The artificial pumping of the gas prices by the speculations. Somebody posted an interesting article (I think it was Kaima) about this before. I think - speculators and lobbying should b just banned! Is this what you are speaking of? elainemeinelsupkis.typepad.com/ezmoneymatters/2008/05/oil-speculators.htmlCharles |
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Post by pieter on Jun 19, 2008 18:31:40 GMT -7
I voted in favor of expanding alternative energy sources! Like the Green Party of Ralph Nader in the 2000 elections. I believe in the development of the Hydrogen economy! Fortunate even the impopular president Bush was speaking about that afew years back. And I know that American car industries developped Electric cars, but pulled them back under the pressure of the oil industry. The combined Oil companies and the Opec countries dominate the American economy and the rest of the Western world (Europe too). The development of the Hydrogen economy will take a lot of time, maybe years, because it is a complicated and sophisticated technology. Todays hydrogen technology is stil dependent of natural resources like oil, coal or gas, so the production and use of Hydrogen also causes greenhouse gasses! Today hydrogen does not deminish pollution! Today people like senator and presidential candidate John McCain see Nuclear fusion as an environmental safe replacement of oil! Both progressive and conservative people support that idea in America and Europe. Other people point at the danger and the burden of the Nuclear wast that is produced and has to be stored somewhere. Links:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_carWho Killed the Electric CarHydrogen economyen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_economyIceland's Hydrogen EconomyNuclear fusionen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_fusion |
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Post by Jaga on Jun 19, 2008 23:19:34 GMT -7
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nathanael
Cosmopolitan
: “Die Wahrheit macht frei und ist das Fundament der Einheit (John Paul II)
Posts: 636
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Post by nathanael on Jul 11, 2008 7:04:02 GMT -7
There is reportedly some movement in the Congress to understand the reasons for the raising oil prices. Kevin G. Hall (McClatchy), is saying that "investment banks are now being blamed for the ongoing spike." It's a maze close to impossible to untangle. It is in the interest of airlines to invest in private swaps, to have a stable price of oil guaranteed over time. That's what private swaps are for: to stabilize the price of purchased gasoline over a period of time. Why then do airlines "complain against the swappers"? And, more tellingly, why the European airlines do not complain? The U.S. airlines are the ones who swap or hire investors who swap! For me, the unstable dollar is the most unsettling factor and primary culprit for all the U.S, problems! Europe pays in euro, so it gets a better deal. In consequence, I am told, the London side of the oil market "thrives without disruptions." Only Americans, who have to pay in dollars, are being constantly asked to pay more "just in case," for the dollar is unpredictable. This has been the story for several years now. This itself is a valid cause for speculation! One wonders with what currency is China paying for oil. It seems that they are able to avoid speculation, somehow. Probably, I do not know, they may be trading in London. They may also be some other secret deals between OPEC, Venezuela, the Saudis, the Chinese, etc. The bottom line is: these fluctuations in oil price weren't happening when dollar was strong! Interestingly, we hear more and more that the E.U. and China-India economic blocks are in great expansion, and that only America declines. Doesn't this say that something is wrong with the dollar-based economy?
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