Black Friday, 2008 has come and gone. Sales were up 3% over 2007. But retailers still suffered, offering sales that cut into their bottom line. The government officially announced that the U.S. is in a recession. The Big 3 automakers showed up in Washington to plead for money sans the corporate jets. And now, crude oil is at the lowest price in 4 years.
What does this all mean for us commoners? As long as you are still employed and are paying your bills, not a hell of a lot, except to cause depression from listening day after day to the blither that comes out of mainstream media about how bleak the economic horizon is.
On the other hand, times like this are what can motivate us serfs into action. It times like this that create the new wealth in America. We have a unique opportunity to grow our potential now, and it doesn’t matter who is in the White House.
With fuel costs being so low, the cost of transportation will come down and already has for motorists. Contracts to purchase fuel by mass transit and the airlines will delay any immediate decline in pricing, but a decrease is coming. Cost of goods will come down due to decreased fuels costs to produce and get these goods to market. I recently blogged about the cost of crude oil and the correlation between fuel costs and the recent bailout. So it is absolutely pertinent that fuel costs stay low.
Now is the time to take advantage of this economy. Don’t go out and buy a ton of undervalued stock, not unless you have the money to lose. Invest in yourself. Deals abound every where and terms in a lot of instances have never been better. The smallest percentage of motivation in the American public to better themselves will do wonders for this economy. We don’t play with the wealth on paper that Wall Street plays with, ours is the real thing, we see it on payday and in our bank account and paying it out to put food on the table. Now is the time to think smart and plan for your financial future and make it happen.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Natural Selection! People are Idiots! TV Shows!
Natural Selection! People are Idiots! TV Shows!
Okay, the election is over and we can move on to more mundane topics. Like the economy. You may or may not have read my last blog on the cost of energy, but have you noticed that gas is at a price not seen for about 3 years. This is a good thing!
Yesterday in a town not far from where I live, a 17 year old girl was entering her high school to have a 14 year old boy, walked up behind her and slit her throat. The latest is that the young lady is in serious condition and the boy is in protective custody. Now this young man has had troubles in the past, it was suggested that he be given counseling and be treated for various psychological ailments, but in the infinite wisdom of the state; he was not treated because it would have been too traumatic. So now we have a young woman, who has been forever scarred both physically and mentally. Chances are, if this young man had been born 100 years ago, he would not have survived child birth. Why???
How many times have we heard that this person or that person, had they been intercepted by law enforcement, or had the judiciary not provided leniency, this next heinous crime would have not been committed? Natural Selection???? We demand it in nature. The World Wildlife Fund demands it of all countries. If a fawn is abandoned by its mother, it can receive no help, it must die. You cannot have a double standard and say that you are one political persuasion or another. If the same applies to the fawn, the same should apply to the throat slitter.
Cost of energy. It is paramount that we maintain our self restrictive purchases of fuel. Demand has to remain low. We cannot continue to line the wallets of OPEC and Big Oil. Our economy will grow on lower energy costs. Please refer to my earlier blog. Can’t figure it out, get a calculator. Geesh!
We are victims of our own device. We need instant gratification. It has to happen now. We need the new plasma TV, our neighbor has the better car, house, spouse, why don’t we???. We have become less self sufficient and more interdependent. We have allowed ourselves to be lulled into the dream of being able to have anything we can, through the most convenient mathematical equation we can afford. Are we idiots???
Television!?! I’ve been a producer primarily in the late ‘80’s and recently. On cable TV content makes me want to puke. I am so tired of watching the same program over and over again. I turn on any cable network channel and can watch the same show at 8 and 10, and then again on the next day and probably the next and an encore showing on Saturday and Sunday. Certain producers get so far up the ass of network big wigs that they are the only ones who get their programs viewed. The very thing that these network big wigs bitch about in politics, they are committing within their organizations. They come up with a couple of good anchor shows and hope the rest of the crap will carry the audience. CNN is by far the worst network newscast available, but they have the highest ratings, according to their stats. Larry King and Lou Dobbs are the ruling shows on CNN, everything else is crap. And CNN gets the carryover audience. It’s not only network news, but virtually every other cable network out there. TV has become stagnant. Much like our economy, TV execs have become accustomed to the norm, their norm. TV has to be cutting edge, it has to be entertaining, it has to be more than re-runs. Take a chance on new producers. It doesn’t cost as much as they network execs says that it does. If the show bombs, okay, but don’t stop. We are tired of watching the same crap over and over again. I have a piece with a network that was supposed to air in April, but it is still on hold. I have three pilots in the can, but who is interested? If you could keep on showing the same piece on Will Rogers and maintained a .05 rating and selling advertising on that viewership, does it make good economic sense? Or does showing a new pilot that may pull in a .10, and result in possibly bring in more revenue make sense? Again, Natural Selection. It’s not who you know, it’s who you blow!
People need to get real. What affects you on a day to day basis? What are you responsible for? What are you willing to tolerate? Does it make sense to put up with crap? Are you going to be apathetic, or are you going to be proactive? What has your community done for you!?! Or should it be, what have you done for your community?
Okay, the election is over and we can move on to more mundane topics. Like the economy. You may or may not have read my last blog on the cost of energy, but have you noticed that gas is at a price not seen for about 3 years. This is a good thing!
Yesterday in a town not far from where I live, a 17 year old girl was entering her high school to have a 14 year old boy, walked up behind her and slit her throat. The latest is that the young lady is in serious condition and the boy is in protective custody. Now this young man has had troubles in the past, it was suggested that he be given counseling and be treated for various psychological ailments, but in the infinite wisdom of the state; he was not treated because it would have been too traumatic. So now we have a young woman, who has been forever scarred both physically and mentally. Chances are, if this young man had been born 100 years ago, he would not have survived child birth. Why???
How many times have we heard that this person or that person, had they been intercepted by law enforcement, or had the judiciary not provided leniency, this next heinous crime would have not been committed? Natural Selection???? We demand it in nature. The World Wildlife Fund demands it of all countries. If a fawn is abandoned by its mother, it can receive no help, it must die. You cannot have a double standard and say that you are one political persuasion or another. If the same applies to the fawn, the same should apply to the throat slitter.
Cost of energy. It is paramount that we maintain our self restrictive purchases of fuel. Demand has to remain low. We cannot continue to line the wallets of OPEC and Big Oil. Our economy will grow on lower energy costs. Please refer to my earlier blog. Can’t figure it out, get a calculator. Geesh!
We are victims of our own device. We need instant gratification. It has to happen now. We need the new plasma TV, our neighbor has the better car, house, spouse, why don’t we???. We have become less self sufficient and more interdependent. We have allowed ourselves to be lulled into the dream of being able to have anything we can, through the most convenient mathematical equation we can afford. Are we idiots???
Television!?! I’ve been a producer primarily in the late ‘80’s and recently. On cable TV content makes me want to puke. I am so tired of watching the same program over and over again. I turn on any cable network channel and can watch the same show at 8 and 10, and then again on the next day and probably the next and an encore showing on Saturday and Sunday. Certain producers get so far up the ass of network big wigs that they are the only ones who get their programs viewed. The very thing that these network big wigs bitch about in politics, they are committing within their organizations. They come up with a couple of good anchor shows and hope the rest of the crap will carry the audience. CNN is by far the worst network newscast available, but they have the highest ratings, according to their stats. Larry King and Lou Dobbs are the ruling shows on CNN, everything else is crap. And CNN gets the carryover audience. It’s not only network news, but virtually every other cable network out there. TV has become stagnant. Much like our economy, TV execs have become accustomed to the norm, their norm. TV has to be cutting edge, it has to be entertaining, it has to be more than re-runs. Take a chance on new producers. It doesn’t cost as much as they network execs says that it does. If the show bombs, okay, but don’t stop. We are tired of watching the same crap over and over again. I have a piece with a network that was supposed to air in April, but it is still on hold. I have three pilots in the can, but who is interested? If you could keep on showing the same piece on Will Rogers and maintained a .05 rating and selling advertising on that viewership, does it make good economic sense? Or does showing a new pilot that may pull in a .10, and result in possibly bring in more revenue make sense? Again, Natural Selection. It’s not who you know, it’s who you blow!
People need to get real. What affects you on a day to day basis? What are you responsible for? What are you willing to tolerate? Does it make sense to put up with crap? Are you going to be apathetic, or are you going to be proactive? What has your community done for you!?! Or should it be, what have you done for your community?
Friday, October 24, 2008
What Cheaper Crude Means For Us!
OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) has announced that it is slashing production of crude by 1.5 million barrels per day, beginning in November, in an effort to prop up a declining market. Crude is down over 50% from an all time high of over $147.00 per barrel in July of this year. A crude oil barrel is 42 U.S. Gallons. The greed of OPEC and Big Oil is evident in this latest move.
But what does lower crude prices mean for you? It means that in this declining economy your dollar at the pump goes further. It means maybe buying a chuck roast instead of hamburger. It means more money flowing into the economy. I've been saying for over 2 years now that the high oil prices would have a devastating effect on the economy worldwide and look what has happened! I blame the greed of OPEC, Big Oil and the failure of government worldwide to stem the tide of this greed as the key to our economic calamity.
Let's do the math. If you, average American, commute to work and you spent $40.00 (assuming a gas price of $4.00/gallon), 3 days per week for fuel, your weekly expenditure is $120.00. Multiply this by 52, which is $6240.00 per year. Now at the current market price of crude gas should be around $2.00 per gallon, so in the same period of time, at the lower price you spend half, $3,120. Now, let's assume that 50 million drivers in the U.S. see this savings. That's $156 Billion per year. Wow! What kind of economic stimulus is that! Now let's take it a step further, assuming that remaining 150 million Americans (not counting 100 million of the population to be conservative) who travel, drive and commute, experience a savings of 1/3 this amount $1040.00, you again have $156 Billion, times 2 equals $312 Billion. Almost half of the recent Emergency Bailout. Now take into account, all forms of transportation, reduction of cost of goods sold and generation of electricity is another savings of nearly $700 Billion per year, for a total of $1.012 Trillion annually. Again, Wow! That's $300 Billion more than the Bailout. Oh, and by the way, the average amount owed when a home mortgage goes into default is about $3,100.00.
DO THE MATH!
What we can do, is continue to conserve, make one trip count for many, put on an extra sweater and turn down your thermostat, get with friends and neighbors and carpool or rideshare for everything from going to work to going to the grocery. We can and must keep energy prices down. This is the one key thing we, as consumers, can do on our own to help bring back our economy.
One quick example, there is a fellow I know, who owns a local company that supports oil and gas activity. He employs 43 people not including himself. He has 30 vehicles from big trucks down to pickups, and other equipment that either runs on gas or diesel. In July his average daily fuel bill was nearly $4,000. DAILY! Now it's nearly half that. Which is a savings of nearly 3/4 of a million dollars per year. One small company, think of the new jobs, new investment in equipment and it goes on and on. How has high fuel prices affected you?
But what does lower crude prices mean for you? It means that in this declining economy your dollar at the pump goes further. It means maybe buying a chuck roast instead of hamburger. It means more money flowing into the economy. I've been saying for over 2 years now that the high oil prices would have a devastating effect on the economy worldwide and look what has happened! I blame the greed of OPEC, Big Oil and the failure of government worldwide to stem the tide of this greed as the key to our economic calamity.
Let's do the math. If you, average American, commute to work and you spent $40.00 (assuming a gas price of $4.00/gallon), 3 days per week for fuel, your weekly expenditure is $120.00. Multiply this by 52, which is $6240.00 per year. Now at the current market price of crude gas should be around $2.00 per gallon, so in the same period of time, at the lower price you spend half, $3,120. Now, let's assume that 50 million drivers in the U.S. see this savings. That's $156 Billion per year. Wow! What kind of economic stimulus is that! Now let's take it a step further, assuming that remaining 150 million Americans (not counting 100 million of the population to be conservative) who travel, drive and commute, experience a savings of 1/3 this amount $1040.00, you again have $156 Billion, times 2 equals $312 Billion. Almost half of the recent Emergency Bailout. Now take into account, all forms of transportation, reduction of cost of goods sold and generation of electricity is another savings of nearly $700 Billion per year, for a total of $1.012 Trillion annually. Again, Wow! That's $300 Billion more than the Bailout. Oh, and by the way, the average amount owed when a home mortgage goes into default is about $3,100.00.
DO THE MATH!
What we can do, is continue to conserve, make one trip count for many, put on an extra sweater and turn down your thermostat, get with friends and neighbors and carpool or rideshare for everything from going to work to going to the grocery. We can and must keep energy prices down. This is the one key thing we, as consumers, can do on our own to help bring back our economy.
One quick example, there is a fellow I know, who owns a local company that supports oil and gas activity. He employs 43 people not including himself. He has 30 vehicles from big trucks down to pickups, and other equipment that either runs on gas or diesel. In July his average daily fuel bill was nearly $4,000. DAILY! Now it's nearly half that. Which is a savings of nearly 3/4 of a million dollars per year. One small company, think of the new jobs, new investment in equipment and it goes on and on. How has high fuel prices affected you?
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Oh My God!
OMG! What a crock of sh$t. Check out this lame excuse of Hollywood trying to endorse Obama.
How pathetic is this?!?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/20081023/pl_ynews/ynews_pl108
How pathetic is this?!?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/20081023/pl_ynews/ynews_pl108
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Biden thinks Obama not ready to lead.
Vice Presidential Democratic nominee Joe Biden, in a recent statement stated that Obama, because of his inexperience, will be tested through a major international crisis. What is Senator Biden suggesting? Something that we've known all along, that Barrack Obama is just a silver tongued politician who has wooed a lot of fellow Americans in to believeing that he is just the change that is needed.
And where is the media outcry against Biden? If this were Sarah Palin, it would be everywhere!
Joe Biden is not comfortable with the situation he is in. He does not want to have his political career to be forever branded as the almost won, second is as good as first, much like Kennedy - Johnson. Nor does he want to be involved in an international situation gone bad that will brand him like a spring calf for all history. Which brings to mind this question, "what does Joe know, that we don't"?
Why is Obama, suddenly meeting with his foreign advisers, is something in the works. Wow, could be great for conspiracy theorists! Joe Biden has made the prediction, if something does happen at a crisis level, should Biden be charged as an accomplice, did he have prior knowledge, were there other conspirators? Or will the Democratic Congress and White House (should Obama win) blame the Republicans for something that is totally out of their control. For now only the future can tell.
Biden Statement on NPR: http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=95924776&m=95924755
And where is the media outcry against Biden? If this were Sarah Palin, it would be everywhere!
Joe Biden is not comfortable with the situation he is in. He does not want to have his political career to be forever branded as the almost won, second is as good as first, much like Kennedy - Johnson. Nor does he want to be involved in an international situation gone bad that will brand him like a spring calf for all history. Which brings to mind this question, "what does Joe know, that we don't"?
Why is Obama, suddenly meeting with his foreign advisers, is something in the works. Wow, could be great for conspiracy theorists! Joe Biden has made the prediction, if something does happen at a crisis level, should Biden be charged as an accomplice, did he have prior knowledge, were there other conspirators? Or will the Democratic Congress and White House (should Obama win) blame the Republicans for something that is totally out of their control. For now only the future can tell.
Biden Statement on NPR: http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=95924776&m=95924755
Biden Photo Courtesy of:
Ed Andrieski
Caption -->Democratic vice presidential candidate, Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., addresses a rally at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colo., on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2008. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)
Date -->2008-10-21 00:00:00
Ed Andrieski
Caption -->Democratic vice presidential candidate, Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., addresses a rally at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colo., on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2008. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)
Date -->2008-10-21 00:00:00
See our companion Blog: http://www.reelnews.spaces.live.com/
Sarah Palin Uncensored
October 21
Sarah Palin Uncensored
Grand Junction, Colorado - October 20, 2008
Last night, Alaska Governor and Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin spoke to a massive crowd in Grand Junction, Colorado. I was really suprised, not only was she articulate, but spoke with knowledge on issues, especially regarding the economy, education, energy and family, what affects everyday Americans. The crowd of literally thousands was totally electrified. There was no mud slinging, no chants of get Obama. After watching and listening to Palin and watching the crowd react, she has been way underestimated. There were not many suits in the crowd, and in fact it looked like a perfect cross section of America, almost a Democratic rally of years past.
Concerning the Press, there were a couple of us who arrived late, that were not permitted in the press area to cover this event up close and personal. I later found out there were three reasons for this: First, I'm not very welcome in Republican circles because a few years ago, I led a recall in a town that removed a few corrupt Republicans from office even though at the time I was a registered Republican (should've fit right in with Palin, right?), Second, because we were very late and the Third, some Obama supporters had snuck in, causing some security issues, with banners and signs and positioned themselves directly behind Palin, when they raised their banners, they were immediately surrounded by Palin supporters blocking the Obama signs with McCain-Palin signs. I Interviewed a couple of McCain supporters involved in this situation. Using the current theme, 'Tom the Home Inspector', said that, "the Obama supporters were very persistent and they (McCain supporters) did not want to allow them to get there message across. He went on to say, the Secret Service gave the Obama supporters the opportunity to leave with their signs intact or to have their signs taken and forcibly removed". The Obama supporters wisely chose the former. Another fellow, '(Robert) Bob the Builder', stated in Alec Baldwin SNL fashion, "How could they let these despicable people into a Republican rally." And 'Margie the Hairdresser', who said that she was a registered Democrat and had been a Hillary supporter and undecided, she said, "Wow, do people have this lady all wrong, I don't like McCain, but this one (Palin), I'm votin' for her". Then there was this guy, I didn't bother to get his name, who reeked of liquor, slurring his words said, " I jush wanna to see if sheez hot in real life" This guy was so drunk he probably would have thought his grandmother was hot. I'll also throw a couple of wide shots in as I didn't see any with crowd reaction.
In the Free Speech department. Outside, there were maybe 3 or 4 dozen Obama supporters, and absolutely no media coverage. And I have to say, I can understand why. They were shouting obsenities, a lot of them were Emo or wannabe Goth, many appearing to be underage and a few in dire need of a bath. I'm sure not what the Obama Camp wants to portray. (I'll have some video clips and photos up later).
To verify what I saw at this rally, read this article by Fred Barnes in the Weekly Standard, http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/015/718iurcu.asp?pg=2 .
I still haven't heard any real substance from Obama or McCain, just sounds like the same old political rhetoric. So I'm still not decided and I'm a big Colin Powell fan, which makes my decision harder, but what Palin lacks in charisma, she apparently makes up for by appealing to the common person.
Sarah Palin Uncensored
Grand Junction, Colorado - October 20, 2008
Last night, Alaska Governor and Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin spoke to a massive crowd in Grand Junction, Colorado. I was really suprised, not only was she articulate, but spoke with knowledge on issues, especially regarding the economy, education, energy and family, what affects everyday Americans. The crowd of literally thousands was totally electrified. There was no mud slinging, no chants of get Obama. After watching and listening to Palin and watching the crowd react, she has been way underestimated. There were not many suits in the crowd, and in fact it looked like a perfect cross section of America, almost a Democratic rally of years past.
Concerning the Press, there were a couple of us who arrived late, that were not permitted in the press area to cover this event up close and personal. I later found out there were three reasons for this: First, I'm not very welcome in Republican circles because a few years ago, I led a recall in a town that removed a few corrupt Republicans from office even though at the time I was a registered Republican (should've fit right in with Palin, right?), Second, because we were very late and the Third, some Obama supporters had snuck in, causing some security issues, with banners and signs and positioned themselves directly behind Palin, when they raised their banners, they were immediately surrounded by Palin supporters blocking the Obama signs with McCain-Palin signs. I Interviewed a couple of McCain supporters involved in this situation. Using the current theme, 'Tom the Home Inspector', said that, "the Obama supporters were very persistent and they (McCain supporters) did not want to allow them to get there message across. He went on to say, the Secret Service gave the Obama supporters the opportunity to leave with their signs intact or to have their signs taken and forcibly removed". The Obama supporters wisely chose the former. Another fellow, '(Robert) Bob the Builder', stated in Alec Baldwin SNL fashion, "How could they let these despicable people into a Republican rally." And 'Margie the Hairdresser', who said that she was a registered Democrat and had been a Hillary supporter and undecided, she said, "Wow, do people have this lady all wrong, I don't like McCain, but this one (Palin), I'm votin' for her". Then there was this guy, I didn't bother to get his name, who reeked of liquor, slurring his words said, " I jush wanna to see if sheez hot in real life" This guy was so drunk he probably would have thought his grandmother was hot. I'll also throw a couple of wide shots in as I didn't see any with crowd reaction.
In the Free Speech department. Outside, there were maybe 3 or 4 dozen Obama supporters, and absolutely no media coverage. And I have to say, I can understand why. They were shouting obsenities, a lot of them were Emo or wannabe Goth, many appearing to be underage and a few in dire need of a bath. I'm sure not what the Obama Camp wants to portray. (I'll have some video clips and photos up later).
To verify what I saw at this rally, read this article by Fred Barnes in the Weekly Standard, http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/015/718iurcu.asp?pg=2 .
I still haven't heard any real substance from Obama or McCain, just sounds like the same old political rhetoric. So I'm still not decided and I'm a big Colin Powell fan, which makes my decision harder, but what Palin lacks in charisma, she apparently makes up for by appealing to the common person.
Drill Baby Drill, Means Jobs Baby Jobs
October 19
Drill Baby Drill, Means Jobs Baby Jobs
Last week, we heard Senator Hillary Clinton, use the Sarah Palin battle cry "Drill Baby Drill" to mock Republicans and turn the phrase against them saying "Jobs Baby Jobs". Well one thing I know, having worked in Oil and Gas for a number of years, is drilling creates a lot of jobs. In many parts of the country where oil and gas exploration is occuring, the job market and real estate markets are still strong and don't show signs of weakening. One thing that most people don't realize is, it's not the Exxon Mobil's of the world drilling the wells. Generally it is small to medium sized companies taking the risk on exploration and production and the oil ends up being purchased downstream or the purchase of proven reserves by Big Oil. Recently Congress allowed the moratorium on off shore drilling and exploitation of the massive amounts of oil in shale formations in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming to expire. The Shale Oil deposits in the western 3 state region holds nearly 1 Trillion barrels of oil.
Energy independence for America is vitally important. Can it be accomplished by exploitation of our hydrocarbon natural resources exclusively? NO! But it is a start. Growing up in the Mid-West, which still contains vast amounts of crude oil and natural gas; I watched, know of and heard of thousands of producing wells being plugged due to the availability of cheap foreign oil, at that time in particular Venezualean Sour Crude. Refinerys were shut down. Major oil companies pulled out of the area and relocated to Houston. While new exploration is going to be required, there are existing wells that are not producing, that should be. These existing wells can be brought back on line with less than 5% of the capital required to drill a new well. The environmental impact would be minimal. The gathering (pipeline) system is already in place and refinerys that have idled can be revamped for a fraction of the cost of new construction. New jobs would be created from an existing infrastructure that we aren't using. So what has happend and what will happen?
In all of this, the one thing that has happened that really blows me away is the apathetic approach our government as a whole has taken and how they have turned a blind eye to the effects on the grass roots population of this whole energy/economy deal. The large mulit-national oil companies, in my opinion can be directly linked to our economic downfall. When crude prices began to escalate, the only ones to profit were Big Oil. As prices at the pump rose higher and higher, the families of the 'Joe Six Packs' and 'Joe the Plumbers' were forced to cut back. It meant the difference in a family buying steaks or hot dogs, or new school clothes or mom and dad having gas to get to work. Personally, my family has reduced our driving by more than 50%. The trickle down theory really comes into play. Manufactures energy costs go up, the price of their goods go up, retailers pay more for the goods, families hit by high energy costs, either can't afford the goods or the gas. Jobs are cut, employer incentives go out the door. Do you take your kid to the doctor or pay your mortgage. The bottom line is this. When the cost of energy started to sky rocket our economy started to go to hell. And neither republican or democrat has addressed this. Why?
Energy is vitally important to our country. Both responsible drilling and revitalization of current proven energy reserves have to occur. Job creation will go hand in hand. We also need to continue to pursue alternative energy; government needs to provide additional incentives for the development of these alternatives; private industry, especially Big Oil, needs to utilize some of their massive profits in this pursuit, not just pay lip service to the cause.
What will happen? If energy prices are not brought in line, the economy will continue to deteriorate, the majority of families will continue to be the ones taking the lumps. We need to continue to reduce our energy consumption. Make one trip count for many. Call your local, state and federal representatives, let them know you have had enough of high energy prices, let them know about abandoned reserves and infrastructure. Tell them to get off their asses and check into this and also make alternative energy happen now. If they spent the 10's of billions of our money, that has been spent in Iraq on answering our energy needs, where would we be now? Where would our economy be?
Drill Baby Drill, Means Jobs Baby Jobs
Last week, we heard Senator Hillary Clinton, use the Sarah Palin battle cry "Drill Baby Drill" to mock Republicans and turn the phrase against them saying "Jobs Baby Jobs". Well one thing I know, having worked in Oil and Gas for a number of years, is drilling creates a lot of jobs. In many parts of the country where oil and gas exploration is occuring, the job market and real estate markets are still strong and don't show signs of weakening. One thing that most people don't realize is, it's not the Exxon Mobil's of the world drilling the wells. Generally it is small to medium sized companies taking the risk on exploration and production and the oil ends up being purchased downstream or the purchase of proven reserves by Big Oil. Recently Congress allowed the moratorium on off shore drilling and exploitation of the massive amounts of oil in shale formations in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming to expire. The Shale Oil deposits in the western 3 state region holds nearly 1 Trillion barrels of oil.
Energy independence for America is vitally important. Can it be accomplished by exploitation of our hydrocarbon natural resources exclusively? NO! But it is a start. Growing up in the Mid-West, which still contains vast amounts of crude oil and natural gas; I watched, know of and heard of thousands of producing wells being plugged due to the availability of cheap foreign oil, at that time in particular Venezualean Sour Crude. Refinerys were shut down. Major oil companies pulled out of the area and relocated to Houston. While new exploration is going to be required, there are existing wells that are not producing, that should be. These existing wells can be brought back on line with less than 5% of the capital required to drill a new well. The environmental impact would be minimal. The gathering (pipeline) system is already in place and refinerys that have idled can be revamped for a fraction of the cost of new construction. New jobs would be created from an existing infrastructure that we aren't using. So what has happend and what will happen?
In all of this, the one thing that has happened that really blows me away is the apathetic approach our government as a whole has taken and how they have turned a blind eye to the effects on the grass roots population of this whole energy/economy deal. The large mulit-national oil companies, in my opinion can be directly linked to our economic downfall. When crude prices began to escalate, the only ones to profit were Big Oil. As prices at the pump rose higher and higher, the families of the 'Joe Six Packs' and 'Joe the Plumbers' were forced to cut back. It meant the difference in a family buying steaks or hot dogs, or new school clothes or mom and dad having gas to get to work. Personally, my family has reduced our driving by more than 50%. The trickle down theory really comes into play. Manufactures energy costs go up, the price of their goods go up, retailers pay more for the goods, families hit by high energy costs, either can't afford the goods or the gas. Jobs are cut, employer incentives go out the door. Do you take your kid to the doctor or pay your mortgage. The bottom line is this. When the cost of energy started to sky rocket our economy started to go to hell. And neither republican or democrat has addressed this. Why?
Energy is vitally important to our country. Both responsible drilling and revitalization of current proven energy reserves have to occur. Job creation will go hand in hand. We also need to continue to pursue alternative energy; government needs to provide additional incentives for the development of these alternatives; private industry, especially Big Oil, needs to utilize some of their massive profits in this pursuit, not just pay lip service to the cause.
What will happen? If energy prices are not brought in line, the economy will continue to deteriorate, the majority of families will continue to be the ones taking the lumps. We need to continue to reduce our energy consumption. Make one trip count for many. Call your local, state and federal representatives, let them know you have had enough of high energy prices, let them know about abandoned reserves and infrastructure. Tell them to get off their asses and check into this and also make alternative energy happen now. If they spent the 10's of billions of our money, that has been spent in Iraq on answering our energy needs, where would we be now? Where would our economy be?
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