Posted by jayhawker (anonymous) on June 30, 2008 at 5:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)

We must get past foolish laws that have handcuffed our ability to drill for oil. Let's face the facts that even if we found a perfect alternative to petroleum based energy, it would take decades to make the conversion. The environmentalists would apparently have us believe that we would just take all of the vehicles that we now use and put them in a giant salvage yard and that our whole economy can retool overnight. We are stuck with oil for years to come, and we best get to finding more of it, post haste.

Posted by MerkyWater (anonymous) on June 30, 2008 at 9:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Vote for Obama! He will get us out of this high cost gas mess. He will stand up for us little folk and see that the Big Oil Companies treat us right or else. Obama can fix it. Peace brothers!

Posted by goodoleboy (anonymous) on July 1, 2008 at 9:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)

The shale oil reserves we have are by far and away the largest on this planet, letting them sit there untapped while we get gouged is a crime of epic proportions. Last I read it was profitable at $90 a barrel, well we are past that now. Drilling is a waste of time for us, shale is where it is.

Posted by MerkyWater (anonymous) on July 1, 2008 at 11:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)

If we get Obama in office that shale oil will get harvested. Guaranteed! Cast your vote for him Mr. goodoleboy and you will see. We just have to have the bawls to get him elected. Everyone vote for Obama!!!

Posted by Bjnemp (anonymous) on July 1, 2008 at 7:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Merkywater: You MUST be kidding!! If your buddy Obama got gas down to fifty cents a gallon you wouldn't be able to afford it after he levied all his new taxes on you! Obama is the most radical left-wing liberal socialist in the history of American politics. If he gets elected, all hard working productive Americans go down the tubes "sharing" their "wealth" with the lazy and unproductive.

You better do some research on your golden boy, Merkywater. He is a socialist and a disaster looking for a place to happen.

Posted by neighbor (anonymous) on July 1, 2008 at 9:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Research? That shouldn't take long, he hasn't done anything worthy of being recorded.(unless you count pinning Mrs. C. to the mat)

Posted by hogan77 (anonymous) on July 2, 2008 at 1:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Obama isn't worthy of being president. Then again, neither is McCain. In my opinion, if Kathleen Sebelius ran, then I would find it worth my time to register to vote, to get her in office. That woman could turn this place around!

We need a president that is more focused on bringing in alternate fuels, alternate ways to get around. Since people are too stubborn to get out and walk, or ride a bike, something must be done. The cost of gas will not be going down any time soon. We all need to live with that. So why don't we stick it to the big oil companies, to the government, and start finding alternate ways to get around. The less fuel we use, the more it will hurt them. Maybe then they will realize they need to do something about the problem. It is all a matter of supply and demand.

Posted by MerkyWater (anonymous) on July 2, 2008 at 7:16 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Obama can and will get the cost of oil down. He will stick it to big oil companies, He will raise taxes on the rich. He will lower taxes on the poor and middle class. He will have the backing of Congress. You will be blinded at the speed at which things turn around and get better tor all of us. Peace.

Posted by open_eyes (anonymous) on July 2, 2008 at 10:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I must admit that at times I'm somewhat grudgingly in the middle on this issue. It seems that as long as oil/gas prices are low, there doesn't seem to be the impetus to research and find alternative sources. Now that prices are high, everyone is pushing for alternatives. Unfortunately, in our society, everything is always market driven, not necessarily by what is best or the right thing to do. In my wishful thinking view, we would drill now, get prices down, but also push HARD to develop/discover new alternative sources. Not saying we don't do that somewhat now, it just seems we don't look as hard as long as oil is cheap. But even IF oil is cheap, we need to do everything we can to wean ourselves off the Middle East psychos OPEC (Oil Psychos Extra Crazy).

MerkyWater, apparently you've missed Obama's speech where he said that Americans need to get used to higher oil prices, he just thinks it should have been a more gradual climb so that Americans would have more time to adjust to it. That doesn't sound to me like he's on fire to get prices down. He has said repeatedly he is against more drilling. His approach is to invest massive funds in finding alternative sources. I'm ok with that, but I think we also need some shorter-term relief. Since, to my understanding, alot of the current oil price has to do with speculators, I wouldn't be surprised if simply announcing the opening up of drilling wouldn't have an immediate effect on speculation on prices.

But remember, short term or long term, things are only going to get worse. India and China are going to VASTLY increase their oil consumption in the next 20 years. I say drill our own and let them be OPEC's pawns, while we develop some alternatives....... well, that's my wishful thinking, anyway....

See what I meant in my posts on the other thread about how people think he's the Messiah? Although I don't drink the Kookade, I can certainly hope that IF elected, he DOES turn out to be...... .fingers crossed..... LOL

Posted by shoehorn (anonymous) on July 8, 2008 at 6:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)

70 % of the price of gasoline is dictated by the price of crude oil. Crude oil is bought and sold in a world market. We are bidding against other nations for that oil. The "big, bad Oil Companies are owned by the shareholders, most of which are IRA's, mutual funds and other investment vehicles that are the retirement plans of Joe Average American. Punishing "Big Oil" is kinda like shooting yourself in the foot. You might want to take a hard look at Congress. They are the ones restricting our access to our national resources. They also are the ones that seems to refuse to deal with the looming train wreck of Social Security. You had better hope that your retirement investments do well. Some of which might be shares of "Big Oil". Do you suppose that opening up access to our own resources just might add jobs, reduce our dependency on foreign oil, reduce our trade deficit (50% caused by our dependancy on imported oil), Improve stability in National Security, and shore up our own economy?