Sorry but I'm so stoked over the Gun one I thought I 'd "Spark up" another (subject that is) Am I the only one who can't understand why were sitting on so much m'f*ng oil and oil resources and were being bled to run our boats, trucks,bikes , etc ,cause' of the whinning bleeding heart tree hugging left (sorry) Tom   
 check this out   (i'll try to find the link to the CNN story)

Damn and I though we were going to talk about impellers again !

Am I the only one who can't understand why were sitting on so much m'f*ng oil and oil resources and were being bled to run our boats, trucks,bikes , etc ,cause' of the whinning bleeding heart tree hugging left (sorry)

First thing to do is VOTE (every election);
Second thing to do is vote Republican (even if you hold your nose while voting for them, like I do; meaning, they're no good either but at least put people above bugs).

Libertarian is better but they're a joke and have no chance of winning any election short of city council and school board (which is non-partisan).

     It isn't nearly that simple. Oil is a commodity which means worldwide demand determines price NOT THE OIL COMPANIES.  Do you see American steel, silver, or wheat cheaper to us than them?  Whoever has the commodity is going to sell it to whoever will give the most profit.  Most of our American made steel goes overseas because they will pay more for it. Much of our domestic supply of oil isn't tapped because our refineries are already near capacity and environmental protections won't allow us to change that.  The next administration probably will begin to tap ANWR and oil shale supplies only so we won't be held hostage by people in the middle east that hate us but love our money.
    Our best weapon against terrorism is energy independence and we are well on our way to developing hydrogen technology that will make petroleum based internal combustion obsolete anyway.  Ethanol is a giveaway to corn farmers that is starving much of central America and electric cars are only a short term fix with their own set of problems. As it is now, we don't pay that much more for gas when adjusted for inflation than we did 30 years ago.  Things change very slowly when the people in charge are comfortable with the status quo. The best thing regular folks can do sooner rather than later to lessen what you pay to power your everyday transportation is go Biodiesel or get a high milage econo car.  The price of oil, gas, gold, cement, lumber, etc.  is not ever going to come down much because the worldwide demand is always growing. USA ain't the only game in town anymore.
    I'm worried what will happen in the next year or two when our limp wristed politicians have allowed Iran to go nuclear, Ahmadinijad (sp) makes good on his promise to destroy Isreal, and a strong wind causes much of the middle east to be radioactive.  Then how much do you think oil is gonna cost?  We are sooo f*@ked.

   WWIII - nah don't think so.  Not in the sense of army against army.  I do think that we will be forced to get used to giving up much of the freedoms that we take for granted, to guard against domestic terrorists.  I don't know how we are going to secure 6,000+ miles of border, not to mention our water and food supplies against sleeper agents that are already here.  Imagine a car driving up central Calif. and stopping along the roadway just long enough to toss a biological "nasty" into the very open Calif aqueduct while another guy does the same to Lake Shasta or Lake Mead. Instanly several million people are without water LONGTERM and tens of thousands die before we even know what the problem is.
    Remember when that religious cult was poisoning salad bars in Oregon with botulism?  Anyone anywhere can do it. The crazy Muslims don't even have to put together a suitcase bomb, food and water poisoning is easy and effective.  Remember the Serin on the Japanese subway?  It is a whole new world.  I sure hope we vote a ruthless, ass kicker into office this time around.  I hope you all get out and vote (and no this isn't a testimonial for McCain).

If I told you I'd have to kill you 

Actually McCain has a terrible temper and a mean streak a mile wide, but he is terrible on domestic issues.  The best man for the job was Duncan Hunter but no one has ever heard of him outside of SoCal.  Just for intellectual entertainment this is going to be the most interesting election in years.  Too bad so much is at stake and that so many don't take voting seriously enough to get informed.  Sorry to be such a downer, but when you know what is really going on in the world it is hard not to be scared for your family and friends, as the elected leaders and corporate America don't give a shit.

Just think of it this way...   if gas was cheap enough all the third world countries would be industrialized and consume that oil at an exponential rate of growth, leaving us/you with an even faster rise in prices. Maybe keeping that oil as a reserve is a good thing, when everyone else runs out...      there will still be fossil fuel vehicles able to run and satisfy our love for them      
Give a little now...   save some for later 

-Rebel

... Just for intellectual entertainment this is going to be the most interesting election in years...

Agreed.

ANWR is not the complete answer by any means.  It is only accessible six months a year and would take several years to get up and running.  And most estimates say that it would only contribute a small portion of what we need each year.  The answer for petroleum is oil shale but current technology makes it a slow and "dirty" proposition to get it. And we still don't have any extra refining capacity and it doesn't look like any state is volunteering to allow one to be built.  That is the real bottleneck in the pipeline, it isn't oil, it is lack of refinery capacity.  However we do have a sh!t load of oil looked up in shale.  Recent advances in metallurgy are making hydrogen a very real propostion in the future.  It will solve much of the problem of dispensing and transporting in public vehicles on crowded highways. You really do not want to be involved in a collision with a hydrogen powered car. KA-BOOM

That could be reduced to almost nothing if the govt. didn't mandate 6-8 different formulations to various parts of the country.  AND one of the dumbest moves ever has been to mandate the use of ethanol.  It produces less energy per oz., it is destructive to motors that sit for even short periods of time, and the amount of corn that is now not available to poor countries is starving some, and causing riots of prices in others.  Again making the world hate us,  but a few big corporate corn growers love it.

Kinda sorta on that note . . .
When you guys (if) get you tax stimulus rebates PLEASE either spend it locally OR invest it.  These rebates will be paid for by the govt. financing more debt.  The govt pays for this debt by allowing foreign governments, especially CHINA, to essentially float us a loan.  Then if you turn around and buy something made in China you are doubling the money that one of the world's most oppressive regimes will have to spend.  Just a thought.

damn right Bonneville.

Must make up for the free medical care......... eh?