Personally, I really believe there's nothing GW can do for the here and now. His long-term plan is the only thing that's going to work for sure. You have to remember that gasoline is a free market product, part of our "free" capitalist economy. What would you have us do, revert to socialism and have the government run these types of businesses? Do you really want somebody from the fed setting the price of a gallon of gasoline? It'd start there, and then the next thing you know they'll be setting the prices on a pair of bluejeans. We have to keep the government's control as far away from the economy as possible to keep competition and a free market viable.
I do agree, however, the price gouging that the oil companies have been screwing us with need to be addressed. When the FTC (or whoever) went after Microsoft, I think they were going after the wrong guys. The government should've stopped Exxon and Mobil from merging. I think that's when we got really screwed over; talk about a virtual monopoly, man! That's a lotta refinement capacity between them.
The dumbocrats are arguing that they should listen to the people about what direction to take on the energy "crisis," which is idiotically stupid bull$hit if you ask me. How many people out of the American population are energy experts? Like less than 0.001%? Like we're going to know what the best decision is.
They must have missed the day in Political Science 101 when the prof told us that we elect officials to make these decisions for us. Just an *** -kissing appeal if you ask me.
If you watched GW's speech on his energy plan today, he said the key words that will automatically drive gas prices down: conservation and increased supply (aka supply and demand). Using our petroleum more efficiently and cranking up refinery capacity is what it means, bascially. With all of the new powerplants preported to be built, I think we'll see the energy cost go down. But as said before, it won't happen overnight. We're only in this pickle because Clintler's administration left us with NOTHING to build on. No plan for the future, just tapping into our strategic oil reserves to band-aid a problem that will plague us in future years if some of the proposed measures are not developed.
I'm tired of the tree-huggers throwing a fit every time a new power plant or oil exploration comes around. There was some idiot with a "NO NUKES!" sign outside where GW was delivering his speech. Um, okay, we haven't built a single nuclear power plant since 1973, for God's sake!!!
Hell, it's one of the most plentiful and environmentally clean sources of energy we can get! Even disposal won't be a problem in the future if the repeal on the ban of using plutonium (spent nuke fuel) goes through. The solar idea for households I do like, though. Free energy is cool.
Okay, I'm done. Just had to get that off my chest, hehehhe.
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Capri306, Moderator, The Mustang Works Online
1979 Mercury Capri, 5.0L -- C4 -- 2.73
1987 Mustang LX Notch