Got $120,000.00 CND to blow.....

I'd go moose. Horses aren't the brightest of animals, considering they'll actually run themselves to death. And nobody fucks with the business end of a moose. Neither of them.
As far as the gas thing goes, the reason it's so much cheaper here is that we've got so many damned companies shipping it in. That doesn't make it any less bullshit. I'm at the point where I just thank whatever put me in the US that I'm not living in Europe, where gas is bought by the liter. What were you guys paying per liter before all of this war crap was happening?

 

I don't have a problem with waging war for oil, especially against Islamic countries. However, I think we in the U.S. desperately need to exploit the oil resources within our own borders first and foremost. The environmentalists need to get over themselves and realize that oil is, and will be for quite some time yet, the lifeblood of modern society. The transition to renewable energy is going to be a slow one, and the skyrocketing price of oil won't speed it up one bit.

 

The war's not really necessary, though. It's been estimated that there's more than a trillion barrels worth of oil in the oil sands of Canada, and perhaps another trillion barrels under the rockies. I know it's a horrible thing to say, but we have to do all we can to get oil (yes, even drill into natural habitats), because no one is ready for a life without it. Everything relies on oil. Absolutely everything. If we tap into the oil sands, and start producing about two million barrels a day, gas prices will definitely drop and get closer to what they were in the earlier part of the 2k decade. We just need permission from the canucks to ramp things up. Shell's already up there refining the sands.
And I know that Australia is completely stocked up on rad fuel, but without oil you'll be hoofing it with carts of pitchblende to the power plants.

 

Unfortunately, oil sands and oil tars are not very useful. Very little of the oil is retrievable, and they create all kinds of very toxic atmospheric byproducts.

America subsidizes oil to a great extent, and that's one of the reasons it's cheaper for us. You can get all your winter heating oil in Alaska for free just for living there (and letting them rape your homeland).

American oil drillers are, in fact, holding onto the oil until it becomes more valuable. They'll often import oil from Central America or the Gulf of Mexico and sell that instead. However, there isn't as much retrievable oil as it is made to sound. Just "oil reserves" doesn't mean anything.

Also, what do you think about peak oil? When are we going to (effectively) run out?

 

Iraq isn't supposed to peak until 2019 or something, and that's the longest of anyone so far. All of the oil we currently available is supposed to be gone by the 30's at the current rate of consumption.
And yes, the sands are actually a lower grade petroleum than straight up crude oil, but we've got the technology to refine it now. That, and we have the technology to take all the viable oils from just about anything. The price on that ends up being $80 or $90 per barrel, as opposed to the $15 being touted when it was first realized in '03. It's tougher than was estimated to take the petroleum back out of old tires...go figure.
The oil sands aren't reserves, however. It's a viable source that can be used if anyone in Canada wants to and is allowed to harvest it, and there is a lot.
But, since you're absolutely right about the drillers holding on to the oil they've got, they may already have started buying up land with oil sands on it and will tap into that when our normal stores are long gone-then rape us for it.
ExxonMobile actually reported a $40.6 billion profit for last year (they have NEVER made that much money in a year!). That's when gas hovered around $2.50 per gallon for the US. If they sell the same amount of oil this year, they'll probably make about $70.5 billion. It's got to stop.

 

I'd rather be raped in prices by a oil sands speculator than have an oil company like Exxon rape human rights.

 

NUCLEAR POWERED VOLVO!!!!!


*ahem* Gross, I don't think prices'll ever go down. Even if they discover a way to produce gasoline. Too many people're making too much money off this to be willing to let the prices drop. On a completely different note:

http://www.mtsc.unt.edu/CooLN2Car.html

 

Oil companies aren't the reason for the high gas prices. They only have about a 7% profit margin on gas. 15% of the price you pay at the pump goes to the government. The rest goes to the cost of buying, refining and transporting oil. The reason they earn so much is because it's a huge market. So next time you fill up, remember that it's the government that's raping you, not the oil companies.

 

can you sell me some pot?

 

It only costs an oil company in the US about $10-$15 dollars to purchase and distribute a single barrel of oil from Saudi Arabia, and they're selling it for $139. The taxes on gas in the US are state taxes, and taking those away wouldn't really lower price too much...so it's the oil companies.

 

Oil companies do not and cannot dictate the price of oil. Oil prices are dictated by the global market. So while oil companies do benefit from increased prices, they are not responsible for them. It's an issue of global supply and demand. Demand is steadily increasing, but supply is not keeping pace very well, so oil prices go up.

 

We pay $0.36 cents state tax in Washington. How's this for a way to help fuel the argument? My father has a commercial account (for business reasons), and allows me to fuel my car with that, and then pay him at the end of each month. Why? Because last month I paid $2.75 a gallon. To end this argument, however, I'll say this: we're getting raped by everyone. The government (State and Federal), the distributors, and the oil companies. EVERYBODY is raping the consumer.

 

In the ass. With no lube. Of course, it's not just the price of gas going up. Everything is getting more expensive, and you can blame it on the weak dollar, gas prices, war, whatever. Personally, I blame our increasingly socialist government.

Also, ammunition prices are getting stupid. So stock up now.

 

This is actually a decent dollar comparison;

A single dollar from 1981 is worth $4.42 today, based on the current Global Domestic Product (all of what we as a nation produce as international junk). Inflation blows. Especially when you're in a massive deficit.

 

Could you explain this? Please? I'm suddenly very curious how we're getting more socialist, and how that's effecting the economy.

 

He means the whole "everyone gets a piece of the pie" deal we're force-fed by our leaders. It's a big con-game, because most people believe that the wealth will eventually get to them, and are willing to sacrifice personal freedoms to get closer to the top.
Also, the whole "politically correct" idea is marvelously socialist. Everyone working together to not step on anyone else's toes, because there's no one better than anyone in this country.
Bullshit.

 

So you don't like the idea of universal medical/dental/vision? Also, I was hoping for the names of specific programs, and such. Were you talking about ADA, or Welfare, or something specific? Or do you mean that all of the things I've named, and more.


p.s: I'm extraordinarily liberal, and fairly socialist in some aspects, but even I hate Political Correctness.

 

No. I don't

Yes.