Prolonging The Inevitable
President Bush has once again made a short-term decision in his leadership of the American people, this decision is no doubt meant to boost the standing of the Republican party in the upcoming general election while short-changing future generations of Americans for years to come. This decision could probably be broken down into three parts: one part big oil, one part polling, and the last and least most important part, the future of the United States of America.
The United States needs oil; the price of oil is currently where it is due to a combination of speculation, increasing demand and regional conflicts in oil supplying areas. Recent polls suggest that the majority of American’s support offshore oil drilling but I believe we can attribute that support to the Republican Party inciting support amongst their base for the wrong solution. The biggest factor as asserted by Boone Pickens of BP Capital Management is that there is not enough supply in the world. I agree with that statement given the increasing demand on the world’s oil supply by the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) nations. As much as the EU and the United States try to slow down oil consumption, that reduction is immediately offset by the exponential increase in the Far East. I wrote about Mr. Pickens in an earlier post some weeks ago where he outlined his plan on CNBC, however I am pleased to discover he has set up his own website to promote his “dependence on foreign oil reduction plan.”
I will admit that I am skeptical about wind power but in all the time I spent in America, I have to say I have never ventured to middle America where it is apparently quite windy. If it is indeed that windy and an investment in wind turbines would provide a 38% drop in oil consumption, I don’t see a reason why the government and private organizations should not start investing today.
Offshore oil drilling will only have a long-term impact as admitted by the GOP and Senator McCain however the politicians in Washington need to make the right choice, a choice to ensure America’s long term survival in an increasingly energy demanding world. Sustainable energy could also said to have a long term impact but the difference is that it would be long term infinite source of energy as opposed to drilling which is a short-term strategy using a finite resource. The survival of America is dependent on sustainable energy, unfortunately oil does not fall into that category.
July 14 2008 08:45 pm | American Politics
July 14th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
out here in california there is already windmill farms, Crian. in some areas you can drive for miles and see nothing but windmill on the landscape.
July 15th, 2008 at 10:52 am
I have to say I would have loved to visit California but never got down to it, I have seen the windmills in movies though, I wonder how much energy they contribute to california’s overall network? I think that will be my next google
July 15th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Not unexectedly, it is Denmark
which produces the most energy from wind: 20%, as compared to 1% the US. The Danes are always
thinking ‘outside the box’..
burning any nation’s flag is illegal there, but they can burn their own flag with impunity.
We should learn from the little country which saved its Jewish population from Hitler and
“was also different and special in another way. Almost everywhere else in Europe, returning Jews found their homes had been broken into, and everything of value stolen. When the Danish Jews returned , they discovered that their homes, pets, gardens and personal belongings were cared for by their neighbors.”
July 15th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
We need to do it all, Crian, not just drilling, but everything else too. My husband and I are going to be installing a wind turbine shortly and later on - when we can afford it - solar panels. It’s quite windy most of the time in Central Texas, but sometimes during the hot summer months not windy enough to depend solely on wind.
July 15th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
The Wind Turbine sounds like a great idea Gayle, my neighbor here in Ireland actually installed a solar panel and mentioned that it provides some energy despite the lack of sun here. It is very windy in Ireland and there is talk about building an off-shore wind farm for some massive amounts of money but it is all necessary given the current global energy situation. Let me know how the wind turbine comes out when you get it up?
I am not surprised that one of the European countries is top notch in terms of wind given the generally windy nature everywhere around this part of the world.The Danes do have a lot to teach us as I read about their healthcare system which is quite impressive, thanks for posting the information BB.