like this one while oil prices are soaring?  Nowhere, that's where.

Unless you are one of the Houston oil barons whose assets just keep going up and up....

Can you guess what Gas was the day in 2000 that Bush  took power?

I have the reciept

nintey five cents a gallon  in Alexandria va

Imagine if beer had tripled in price since then. There'd be riots in the streets!

After 9/11, Bush could have called on the American people to embark upon a crash program to get us off of Middle Eastern oil.  He could have explained that the money from this oil helps to keep autocratic regimes that are hated by their populations in power.  He could have explained how some of that oil money goes to fundamentalist madrasas and other "charities."  And he could have explained that slashing our oil consumption would also slash revenues to Iran's nuclear program, obviating the need for us to even consider taking military action.  Instead, he told us to go shopping.  Now THAT is leadership (NOT)!

Because the economic powers-that-be that control the foreign policy of the United States, namely the defense industry and the fossil fuel industry, have nothing to gain in the short or middle term.  And they don't think long term, because there's nothing in it personally for the 50 and 60 year old executives who run those industries.

The Bush dynasty is all about the nexus of interests between defense and oil.  That is not only the source of their family wealth -- which in itself is a deeply held secret -- but their power base.

The only folks who have gained since 9/11 are the defense industry and the oil business.

It's not just our foreign policy, but the livelihood of the American people that are enthrall to defense/oil.

Do you know the number one user of fossil fuel in the U.S.?  It's the military.

But more than that, we now have a situation where the taxpaying citizens of the United States are assuming unimaginable debt as the government prints money to pay for our military, with the resulting financial chaos we're seeing daily, to protect the short-term interests of the American oil industry in the Middle East.  It's not just the Army and Marines occupying Iraq in a supposed attempt to stabilize the Middle East, but it's the taxpayer funded U.S. Navy and Air Force that protects the privately owned tankers bringing us oil at $ 4 a gallon.  So the taxpayers pay the security costs of the oil business and the oil business makes huge profits, further indebting the taxpayers.  Does this make sense to anyone?

The solution to everything is a crash Manhattan-type alternate energy project that would put America back on top and in front and would immediately reduce the importance of the Middle East to our economic well being.

Significantly, neither of the two leading Democratic candidates are talking seriously about this, apart from a throwaway platform bullet point.  They're not talking because no one can discuss the emperor-wears-no-clothes situation of the defense industry without treading on the holy ground of the U.S. military.  Even to imply that our unthinking militarism has anything to do with our problems and you cannot get elected dogcatcher, let alone president.

Despite his unwillingness to really get into what's wrong with this country, I enthusiastically support Senator Obama's candidacy because his presidency would turn this country to a new chapter in its history.  Perhaps then we can confront the immense structural problems that have created the mess we're in.

"Does this make sense to anyone?"  Good question.

that we've got the brainpower in this country to innovate our way out of our addiction to fossil fuel?  If one billion a month -- as opposed to the $ 12 to 16 billion a month we're spending in Iraq, mostly on the American military and not Iraqis -- were poured into a Manhattan-type crash project, we would be seeing history changing technological breakthroughs in short order.

That's the kind of leadership on CHANGE that Senator Obama has yet to provide.

If he were to get out in front with a crash program to re-energize this country, the election would be all over and he would become president with a landslide that would allow him to turn this great country around.

We supported that the VRS divest its funds related to the Sudan but why has no one called for the outright dumping or boycott of the oil stocks that have blown the roofs off any other sector in the last five years, this of course includes the refiners? Could it be that the capitalistic nature in us just wants to see these stocks go higher thus pushing up our value in our mutual funds that have exposure in them.

As Joe Biden always refers to "show me your budget and I'll tell yopu want you value" well the first question I ask people I talk to about the environment is what kinds of stocks they own and if its anything related to these guys I know the individual is not too serious about environmental change. There is going green, the real green, and there is catching the green of Wall Street.

I know which I will instill in my children is the better of that prospect---make some green by investing in the future of solar, even if it is in Spain where they have the best solar program running.
On a disclosure point I sold all stock in this area I had after the shameful Exxon Valdez disaster and have not owned any since---yes I may have not seen my portfolio rise the levels of many but at least I can look myself and my kids in the face with a whole happy heart.

and when I went past the Exxon earlier today I noticed it was $3.33 a gallon!  It's not even a question of if but how soon will gas hit $4/gallon.  I'm glad I rarely ever use my car.

As long as the dollar continues to slide, oil prices will continue to rise to make up for the depreciating dollar that it is priced in.  The Fed is set to drop rates again, and the European Central Bank has no intention to lower theirs.  So the dollar is poised to dip some more.  And gas prices are bound to go up in the Summer.  One, all the refineries have to switch to reformulated blends and there is patchwork across each state and even within states as to what formulation they have to deliver.  Two, more people drive in the Summer.  But maybe this Summer will be different with prices so high.

On top of the weak dollar, you have high volatility in the equity and debt markets.  Coupled with the sinking dollar, that is driving more investors to purchase commodities.  So, if you notice, it's not just the price of oil that is up.  You can look at commodity prices on CBOT or CME and ag futures have soared too.

worldwide.  According to EIA,  "World oil consumption is expected to grow by 1.3 million bbl/d in both 2008 and 2009."  In contrast, non-OPEC supply is expected to rise just 0.7 million bbl/d in 2008.  And what about OPEC?  Well, there's not much (if any) spare production capacity there now, why would it increase if world oil demand continues to grow and non-OPEC supply is relatively stagnant? In technical terms, we're screwed unless we start slashing our oil consumption.

Anyone want to bet against oil hitting $150/barrel sometime during calendar year 2008?

Anyone prefer to bet against regular unleaded gasoline hitting $4.50/gallon during calendar year 2008?

I am not finding any takers, and yet the sales of gas-guzzling visual obstructions (some call them SUVs, but there is nothing sporty nor utilitarian about most of them) will not decrease in the slightest.  I think that magic number is somewhere upwards of $7/gallon... which we will not hit because at around $175/barrel it becomes cheaper to extract oil from shale in the American West (which effectively caps gas prices at around $5.25/gallon, perhaps a bit less).

You cannot exactly take four young children for carline in the morning to school in a Prius. I am sure there will be more hybrid versions of the larger capacity SUV's and even trucks like the Tundra coming in the next few years. Most people are not exactly thrilled with having the large guzzlers or even the minivans but when you talking about having families of four or more young children to transport to school, soccer, etc it gets dicey. Unless you want to start going China on people and telling them how many children theny can have I guess. Choice is choice I guess and until there are more options or mandates passed requiring more larger capacity hybrids on the market most soccer moms have little choice but to go with whats out there and there are but a few of the SUV hybrid models that can satisfy the demands of larger young families.
I know we are all for reducing consumption but of course there is another option that even if done in the most environmental way most folks are against and thats drilling the Gulf, drilling off the coast of CA etc. Unfortunately people want to scream about the price of gasoline on the one hand and then want to concede that as long as we are buying in the market much of it from Canada, Mexico and the Middle East we will be at the mercy of that market. We certainly can reduce our consumption no arguement there but could we not also begin to bring our own resources on line to offset the supply concerns referenced above?
I am no expert on this and concede that but I have never understood why Louisiana seems to have to bear much of the burden in this country for the refining aspect. There are choices we could make to offset the price of oil  but we as Americans collectively chose not to undertake them and consumption is just one of them.
** an example of the hypocrisy is talking points regarding energy policy and the need for wind power and then like in MA have the same Senators talk about it but not want those mills off the coast of MA but off someone elses coast is just fine.