If the financial mess wasn't big enough...

[Ray]

How we doin' with oil?

I always found Matt Simmons to be one of the most credible prognosticators on oil, given his conservative politics, his lifelong work in the oil industry, and his ties to the highly controversial Bush Cheney energy task force. He's been a loud voice in the wilderness on this since his epiphany in 2003 while doing research in Saudi Arabia.

http://money.cnn.com/2008/09/15/news/economy/500dollaroil_okeefe.fortune/index.htm

I hope he's wrong. But I fear he's not. And if he's not, my god, the level of denial that we're in is truly amazing and well beyond frightening.

Its all a bit much. I believe I'm gonna go for a ride.

-Ray

[johnnymossville]

No worries, the do nothing congress will make sure to tie up any chance we have of drilling offshore and in Alaska, or building new Nuclear Plants long enough so his WWIII vision becomes reality, the key part they are working on is how to blame it all on Bush. LOL

[Ray]

No worries, the do nothing congress will make sure to tie up any chance we have of drilling offshore and in Alaska, or building new Nuclear Plants long enough so his WWIII vision becomes reality, the key part they are working on is how to blame it all on Bush. LOL
The guy's a lifelong Republican, he's a Romney guy, he worked on Cheney's energy task force, and he supports both off-shore drilling and drilling in Anwar. Not exactly a liberal. I don't see any indication that he's out to get Bush. He's worried that we're not waking up to the seriousness of the situation in time to deal with it effectively.

So am I.

-Ray

[weiwentg]

Somehow, I don't think the U.S. will deal with the oil mess until conditions become as bad or worse with energy as with the financial system.

I would be glad to be proven wrong.

[Avispa]

How we doin' with oil?

I always found Matt Simmons to be one of the most credible prognosticators on oil, given his conservative politics, his lifelong work in the oil industry, and his ties to the highly controversial Bush Cheney energy task force. He's been a loud voice in the wilderness on this since his epiphany in 2003 while doing research in Saudi Arabia.

I hope he's wrong. But I fear he's not. And if he's not, my god, the level of denial that we're in is truly amazing and well beyond frightening.

Its all a bit much. I believe I'm gonna go for a ride.

-Ray

The VP: "There is no bargaining for the American lifestyle..."
Glen Beck and others: "What we need is more drilling..."

I have always been fascinated by this topic of Oil consumption, etc. and this is not news to me! But, Ray... Make sure you remember when you are out on the ride the reality that is about to hit us all! If you all think the war in Iraq was bad... just wait for what will be next if we remain thinking the way we are thinking and acting.

Get yourself a Vespa or a Smart car before they are completely unaffordable!

..A..

[Ray]

The VP: "There is no bargaining for the American lifestyle..."
Glen Beck and others: "What we need is more drilling..."

I have always been fascinated by this topic of Oil consumption, etc. and this is not news to me! But, Ray... Make sure you remember when you are out on the ride the reality that is about to hit us all! If you all think the war in Iraq was bad... just wait for what wiil be next if we remain thinking the way we are thinking and acting.

Get yourself a Vespa or a Smart car before they are completely unaffordable!

..A..
I already have a Honda Fit but I was thinking more about stocking up on bike tires!

-Ray

[Avispa]

I already have a Honda Fit but I was thinking more about stocking up on bike tires!

-Ray

Ah, bike tires.... That's always another great investment these days!

..A.. :D ;)

[Ahneida Ride]

Combine limited oil supplies with unlimited frn supplies and you have
the recipe for the destruction of the United States.

At least the USA as we know it.

[Volant]

...except most Americans won't get on a bike. Perhaps it's because we've spread ourselves out so thin (geographically) that it's actually taxing to do most things by bike - or that it's dangerous as the roads we utilize weren't designed with cyclists in mind - or a number of other reasons - but, our 'way of life' is built around the automobile and oil consumption. That's going to be hard to change.

[Joellogicman]

...except most Americans won't get on a bike. Perhaps it's because we've spread ourselves out so thin (geographically) that it's actually taxing to do most things by bike - or that it's dangerous as the roads we utilize weren't designed with cyclists in mind - or a number of other reasons - but, our 'way of life' is built around the automobile and oil consumption. That's going to be hard to change.

Many of the non-performing mortgages the bail out will acquire are for starter homes built in exurb and far out suburban locations. Foreclosures have hit more densely populated areas, but nearly so much as what you see in the California Central Valley, greater Las Vegas, suburban Florida and Georgia.

The taxpayers hope to get money back is premised on finding a market for homes where people will need to commute up to 100 miles a day for jobs that may not even exist any longer (SubPrime mortgage companies and volume home builders were located in the Central Valley, Nevada and Florida).

These homes probably are nothing more than resources banks, assuming there will ever be much need for cheap lumber, brick and recycled cement.

On topic, the US should be working to harness Ocean, solar, wind and other alternative power while searching for some dramatic way to reverse or lessen the impact of sprawl on a near emergency basis. Of course with so much of our money tied up in the war effort and now fixing bad loans, it is not likely this will happen.

[csm]

never mind smart cars, vespas or bike tires.
start hoarding mres, 9mm rounds and shotgun shells.

[Avispa]

...except most Americans won't get on a bike. Perhaps it's because we've spread ourselves out so thin (geographically) that it's actually taxing to do most things by bike - or that it's dangerous as the roads we utilize weren't designed with cyclists in mind - or a number of other reasons - but, our 'way of life' is built around the automobile and oil consumption. That's going to be hard to change.

Well, "That's going to be hard to change..." Is exactly why we are in this mess. IMO, that's a way of thinking.

In any case, I believe that a bike is really NOT the solution to every transportation problem. Really, look at Europe.... Not everyone is on a bike or wants to be on a bike... But they certainly do function much better without everyone having a car!


..A..

PS

There is a documentary out there called "The End of Suburbia". IMO, it should be a required piece to see before eveyone gets/renews their drivers license!

[93legendti]

I thought B.O. was for clean coal, but now Sen. Biden says he is against clean coal - so it is a mess.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/18/joe-biden-says-he-doesnt_n_127386.html

[Ray]

Well, "That's going to be hard to change..." Is exactly why we are in this mess. IMO, that's a way of thinking.

There is a documentary out there called "The End of Suburbia". IMO, it should be a required piece to see before eveyone gets/renews their drivers license!
Couldn't agree more. It WILL be hard to change. BRUTALLY hard. Which is not a reason not to start. Its a reason to start NOW. Hell, its a reason to start 30 years ago but its a little late for that now, so at least NOW.

"The End of Suburbia" was my first exposure to Matt Simmons, the guy in this article. They were interviewing all of these left wing social commentators, new-age architects, etc, all with scruffy hair, beards, beat up clothes. And Matt Simmons from the Bush energy team? He, imho, made the most compelling case of anyone in that film just because he was the unlikliest guy to believe the peak oil stuff. But his research led him to it - the other guys were almost piggy-backing on the work he did from within the industry.

-Ray

[Volant]

Couldn't agree more. It WILL be hard to change. BRUTALLY hard. Which is not a reason not to start. Its a reason to start NOW. Hell, its a reason to start 30 years ago but its a little late for that now, so at least NOW.

-Ray

My sentiments exactly. Just because I stated that it'll be hard to change, doesn't mean that we shouldn't try! Truth be known, I'd like to see physical fitness tests as part of obtaining, and maintaining, a driver's license (I hope that statemenet doesn't take us off-topic).

[EDS]

Couldn't agree more. It WILL be hard to change. BRUTALLY hard. Which is not a reason not to start. Its a reason to start NOW. Hell, its a reason to start 30 years ago but its a little late for that now, so at least NOW.

"The End of Suburbia" was my first exposure to Matt Simmons, the guy in this article. They were interviewing all of these left wing social commentators, new-age architects, etc, all with scruffy hair, beards, beat up clothes. And Matt Simmons from the Bush energy team? He, imho, made the most compelling case of anyone in that film just because he was the unlikliest guy to believe the peak oil stuff. But his research led him to it - the other guys were almost piggy-backing on the work he did from within the industry.

-Ray

It is amazing when you think about it the direction our leaders have taken with respect to energy and conservation in the past 30 years. Unfortunately, the lessons from the Arab oil embargo did not sink in.

Carter instituted vehicle emissions standards that were rolled back by subsequent administrations (all subsequent presidents have a dirty hand in this) until GWB finally agreed to legislation requiring the American auto fleet to meet todays Euro efficiency standards by 2020. Reagan even removed the solar panels Carter installed on the White House.

I think drilling in Alaska is a pipe dream and that the resources would be better spent on developing technology tied to sustainable energy sources.

"Hot, Flat and Crowded" by Thomas Friedman is a good read.

[csm]

I think it is in our nature (American nature that is) to need some kind of urgency to push the research and development of something. we are looking for a huge change in the way we power our lives. I think it's akin to the Manhattan Project or the space race.