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The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 12, 2008

Blaming Isn't Going To Solve The U.S. Oil Crisis

If those nasty old Bushes are responsible for the drilling moratorium, then why aren't all you enviro-fearmongers singing their praises? After all, they've single-handedly put the kibosh on any future drilling, right? Though we might run out of oil, at least there soon will be a caribou for every man woman and child in the United States! (I hope mine is high octane.)

And all this time I've been of the obviously delusional opinion that Congress enacted the laws in this country. So why are those nincompoops in Congress debating about drilling when they could be doing something important, like investigating whether or not Dubya lied about Saddam violating umpteen U.N. edicts?

I'm sitting here trying to figure out where I stated that we are going to drill our way out of this mess or that it would provide us with cheap gas, or that I advocate business as usual. In my considered opinion, cheap gas has gone the way of the pterodactyl - it's extinct! Yes, the price of gas is onerous for everyone, and it's going to get worse if we don't do something. China and India's economies are exploding, and everyone there wants to drive a car. But the price of gas is only one of the problems this dependence on imports is causing.

T. Boone Pickens says we're exporting in excess of $700 billion a year to the coffers of people who would like to see us extinct! The Saudis are spending oodles of U.S. dollars on funding madrassas all over the world. Where, in addition to teaching reading the Koran and everyman's guide to explosives, they teach hate the U.S.

Another problem is that petrochemical use is basic to thousands of manufacturing operations in our economy: Plastics, fabrics and clothing, food packaging, detergents and cleaning products, insecticides, paints, synthetic rubber, paving materials, medical equipment, cosmetics and toiletries to name a few. The price of manufacturing these products will escalate commensurately with the cost of shipping them. We're looking at an inflationary cycle unmatched in history.

Some say our production peaked in 1970 and is declining in all areas of current production. Some say our known reserves are roughly 21 billion barrels - a three-year supply at current consumption rates. And then they say don't drill? Does anyone beside me, in light of the aforementioned facts, see the insanity in this "don't-just-do-something, stand-there" approach?

Look, you can blame Congress, the president, Republicans en masse, the oil companies, the speculators or my Aunt Tilly. It doesn't matter. Blaming isn't going to solve the problem.

Absolutely, we have to reduce our dependence on oil - imported or domestic. Sure, we need alternative energy technology that is cheap and commercially available and we need it now.

However, you might have noticed we don't have it now. So what do we do, sit here with our collective thumbs up our assets? Give me a break!

The Republicans want to drill now; the Democrats are stomping their feet and having a hissy fit. Until they get over it, we'll be in big trouble. And, please don't hand me that "it takes 10 years to bring a new well on line." I'm not buying it.

The best time to have started drilling was 10 years ago; the next best time is now.

Can't never could!

Tom Cannariato

Weeki Wachee

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