This morning, I rode on a Metro subway rail on way to Glemont Station here in Maryland, I saw a strange poster slapped on wall next to automatic doors. This strange poster warned that if we were to stop building wind turbines, that would result in the loss of jobs. When I saw that, I just had to laugh out on inside.
We’re in middle of an energy crisis, and so many liberals (greenies as well) want America to continue trying out different alternate energy sources instead of doing the right thing: allowing domestic oil drills. Now, they try to turn the table on us by saying if we don’t try out alternate energy sources like wind turbines, that would mean no potential jobs, hence no way to simulate economy!
You know, at this point, I’d have to ask a greenie or a liberal if he wanted America to create more wind turbines, would that mean he is willing to accept migratory birds could die from flying into wind turbines? Obviously, you can’t have it both ways: saving birds and creating a viable renewable energy source.
But I digress.
Getting back on track, if stopping wind turbines prevent the creation of more jobs, can’t that also be applicable to building more domestic oil fields? If we’re so concerned about creating new jobs in energy sector, shouldn’t we look for credible, proven methods of producing energy before alternate sources finally become cheaper and viable?
In any case, I want you to sit back and muse on this for a while: if we are able to build more domestic oil fields (or offshore oil drillings, either way is fine with me), that means five or ten years from now, the gasoline prices will drop. To be sure, we’ll never see $1.50 gasoline prices again in our lifetimes. Yes, I know, it’s sad, life sucks, well, at least for me anyway. However, one thing we’re all hoping is that we don’t have to stare at $4 or more per gallon for a long time. But I want you to think critically here: if gasoline prices drop, don’t that lead to more businesses willing to expand operationally and people going out to shop more often? Consequently that also leads to greater profits (or revenues, if you like), so it’s a win-win situation for everybody.
That may even mean creating new jobs! Yay!
The line of reasoning also led me to conclude that if more domestic oil fields were to be built, don’t that mean oil refineries would have to be built? So, here my somehow innocent and ‘naive’ thinking goes saying, building oil refineries and maintaining them also mean more jobs! Isn’t that what we want for our country? If we want to create more jobs and finding a way to make oil cheaper, then truly the best way to achieve is building more domestic oil fields, refineries and anything else that requires oil production to be at maximum efficiency rate. If oil supply is plentiful, even if demand is still high, then prices will go down, and as the result of prices dropping, more jobs could be created. Though, to be sure, it’s not a guarantee, and let’s be fair here, nothing in life is guaranteed, ever.
Maybe whosoever designed that poster on a Metro subway rail ought to redesign it so that the following caption will say: Caution! Stopping oil drilling results in the loss of jobs!
That’s the way it should say, at least in my mind. How about you?
Finally, there is one more thing I want everybody reading this to chant the onlhy thing that made any sense in the last few months: Drill, Drill, Drill Now! Drill, Drill, Drill Here and Now! Drill, Drill, Drill!
Drill, Drill, Drill!
Steve Maley
Moe Lane
Dan McLaughlin
Neil Stevens
Drill another belt hole
moderich (Diary) Wednesday, July 16th at 4:57PM EST (link)Drilling for oil is a very short-term fix — it’s a lot like adding another hole in our belt because our belly keeps getting bigger. The long-term solution isn’t finding bigger belts, but switching to a healthier lifestyle.
What we need is a cleaner and more efficient source of energy (electric motors are more than twice as efficent as gas; >90% vs <40% ). This will grow our economy by creating new patents, products and manufacturing plants from which we will profit. This will also greatly devalue the wealth and influence of oil producing nations like Saudi Arabia, Iran, Venezuela, etc, which then affects their ability to fund terrorism.
But should we fails to lead (America was built on being technological leaders), the rest of the world will not wait. In a few decades will be buying alternative technologies instead of oil from other nations. We simply can’t survive by being complacent and resting on our laurels.
“Austere, intolerant, well-armed, and blood-thirsty, in their own regions the Wahhabis are a distinct factor which must be taken into account” – Winston Churchill, 1921
Our focus is on now, not later
Cheetah772 (Diary) Wednesday, July 16th at 5:09PM EST (link)With all due respect, I don’t care about future right now. I don’t want experiments to be done, I want cheap gasoline right now. That means drilling more oil. The method of using oil to produce energy has working for over a hundred years, and there’s no reason for us to stop for the sake of creating more alternate energy sources.
This isn’t trying 31 flavors. I don’t care about 30 other flavors, I care only about one flavor: oil. By all means, go ahead and keep playing with alternate energy sources, but in meanwhile, I want oil supply to be increased, and that means only one thing: drilling more of oil. If you want to have more nuclear energy, then more power to you! I agree that nuclear energy is one of good alternate energy sources and worth pursuing, but not at expense of stopping oil drilling. NO WAY.
I’m tired of paying Saudi Arabians to indulge themselves in sex slavery and spreading Wahabbism. I’m tired of paying Hugo Chavez so that he can get the thrill of paying Imperialist card on us and building his army on oil profits. I’m tired of paying our enemies so that they can continue killing us. The world is feeding Iran just by buying its oil. Enough is enough. It’s about high time that we produce OUR own oil, period.
It’s time to tell liberals to either shut up and get on with program or get out of here, moving to another country like Iran or Venezeula. I don’t really care about liberals and greenies whining about how we’re not really trying very hard on building more of alternate energy sources. I don’t want to hear about it. Not at all.
Drill, Drill, Drill Here and Now!
Daniel 2:20 And he [God] changeth the times and seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding.
huh...this was supposed to be a reply to moderich's comment --nt
Cheetah772 (Diary) Wednesday, July 16th at 5:11PM EST (link)-nt
Daniel 2:20 And he [God] changeth the times and seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding.
I would land in the squishy middle
Repair_Man_Jack (Diary) Wednesday, July 16th at 5:13PM EST (link)between you and the diarist on this one.
1) We drill and make the short term fix because $5 to $6 gas would kill us. We’ve staved off recession so far, but I don’t bet on our luck holding too much longer.
2) We still build wind-power, more nukes, geothermal, solar and anything else to take loads off our power generationnetwork and retire oil-fired and coal-fired plants. These two sources of electrical power have high levels of negative externalities associated with their operation and should be replaced to make our health and welfare more optimized.
” I side impenitently with the human race against the modern reformer.” – C.S. Lewis
Drilling is actually a short term solution but..
Charles Smith (Diary) Wednesday, July 16th at 5:17PM EST (link)Sure drilling is a short term solution, one that will “not have an impact for 10 years”. The problem lies in the alternatives that are so poor they require government (read taxpayer) funding to be tested for viability. How much federal government money is thrown away on wind turbines? We’ve been about to run out of oil for over a century. Each energy crisis results in several changes. When the free market initiates the changes, they seem to work pretty well, when government steps in, and starts controlling things. Things seem to fall apart. I am in total agreement that we must investigate alternatives to oil, like coal liquefaction, or non-food sourced bio-diesel. Wind turbines are fine in areas like the coast where one can expect wind on a regular basis. Here in the heartland, we have weeks when the wind does rise above a single mile per hour. Why not use the tides to generate electricity, oh wait, that too requires ocean, which limits it to the coasts. Hey, here is an idea, let’s burn our garbage to generate electricity, solves two problems in one stroke, oh, yeah, garbage stinks when it burns. Well, create a more efficient burning technique; I’m sure the government will provide a grant for that to be developed.
See, if it’s viable, it doesn’t require government grants, but if it’s not viable, then the government has to get involved and then only God knows what will develop, maybe people will find less food on their tables because the government is paying someone to convert that food into fuel of some kind.
How about we let the free market determine what new energy technologies we pursue, and until then, drill here, drill now.
“No people will tamely surrender their Liberties, nor can
any be easily subdued, when knowledge is diffusd and Virtue is
preservd. On the Contrary, when People are universally ignorant,
and debauchd in their Manners, they will sink under their own
weight without the Aid of foreign Invaders.”
– Samuel Adams (letter to James Warren, 4 November 1775)
Agreed, let free market do its thing...
Cheetah772 (Diary) Wednesday, July 16th at 5:22PM EST (link)Agreed. It’s also time for government to get out of energy markets altogether. That means getting rid of burdensome regulations that inhibit offshore oil drilling or building more oil refineries, at least for oil production to be increased. As for other areas, I agree with you that government is distorting energy markets, so consequently we’re not getting the results we want.
Perhaps the biggest obstacle to cheaper energy sources is government in addition to liberals and burdensome regulations. No question about it.
Daniel 2:20 And he [God] changeth the times and seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding.
I don't think you're in the squishy middle
Vegas_Rick (Diary) Wednesday, July 16th at 5:24PM EST (link)The lefties and greens don’t want to talk about what we should do between now and the time that alternative and renewable energy sources are a reality.
I think every responsible American knows we can’t use fossil fuels forever. But we need them to bridge the gap.
We need to maximize our own energy resources NOW so that we have an economy strong enough to facilitate the R&D required for the other energy sources. AND so we can quit sending America’s wealth to despots, terrorist and other folks who don’t like us much.
I think yours is a responsible conservative position on energy.
“God is great, beer is good and people are crazy.”- Billy Currington
“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘press on’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” Calvin Coolidge.
That's called being unrealistic
moderich (Diary) Wednesday, July 16th at 5:30PM EST (link)The future doesn’t happen in the future, but in the things we do today. Anyone who has been successful in life will tell you the same thing. Every day you have have to plan for, and work hard at, being the success you want to be. That means never losing sight of the future.
Furthermore, oil’s days are numbered. Even those who disagree with me the most (like Joliphant) reluctantly admit the question isn’t if alternatives will replace oil, but when. As someone who is very positive about American ingenuity and invention, I see this day as being much closer than you think, and thus why I see your attitude as being dangerously complacent.
“Austere, intolerant, well-armed, and blood-thirsty, in their own regions the Wahhabis are a distinct factor which must be taken into account” – Winston Churchill, 1921
if oil's days are numbered, does that mean we stop drilling altogether?
Cheetah772 (Diary) Wednesday, July 16th at 5:43PM EST (link)Definitely not! What I am trying to say in my blog is that liberals want us to stop producing oil and keep building wind turbines because that creates more jobs. They are trying to turn the table on us by saying if we create more of alternate energy sources, that could mean more jobs for everybody.
We should and must plan for future, but not at current’s expense. We should keep drilling and searching for oil, until the day presents itself where alternate energy sources are considerably cheaper to obtain and economically viable.
When oil was first discovered, did that mean we stop using horses and other ways of transporting our goods simply because oil is the best way to use energy more efficiently? Americans did not think like that way back then, so why should we do that now? We shouldn’t stop using the current methods or sources simply because they’re about to be ended altogether.
That’s all I am trying to say…
Daniel 2:20 And he [God] changeth the times and seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding.
That's fair
moderich (Diary) Wednesday, July 16th at 5:54PM EST (link)n/t
“Austere, intolerant, well-armed, and blood-thirsty, in their own regions the Wahhabis are a distinct factor which must be taken into account” – Winston Churchill, 1921
Well, there you go again, moderich
Steve Maley (Diary) Wednesday, July 16th at 7:15PM EST (link)I thought we had corrected your notion of the comparative efficiencies of electric motors vs. gasoline engines. Alas, that archive would be in RedState 2.0 and lost to posterity, at least for the time being.
The blogger formerly known as ‘Vladimir’.
Oil losses
moderich (Diary) Wednesday, July 16th at 9:57PM EST (link)DOE Announces $14 Million Industry Partnership Projects to Increase Fuel Efficiency
U.S. Department of Energy, May 26, 2005
Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman today announced a public-private partnership between the Department of Energy, industry and academia aimed at significantly improving the vehicle efficiency of cars and trucks through advances in technology … The projects support the department’s goal to improve the efficiency of internal combustion engines from 30% to 45% by 2010.
Technical Specs – 2008 Model Year
Tesla Motors, 2008
Motor: 3-phase, 4-pole electric motor
Efficiency: 90% average, 80% at peak power
It’s true that resistance during the transmission of electricity means a certain amount of energy is lost in the grid as it travels from the generating source to the vehicle’s batteries. That loss of energy is not factored into the 90% estimate.
Then again the shipping of oil (usually by diesel powered tankers), refining it into gasoline, and shipping it a second time (usually by diesel powered trucks) lowers the energy potential of gas before it reaches vehicle’s tank. And that loss is not factored into the 40% estimate.
“Austere, intolerant, well-armed, and blood-thirsty, in their own regions the Wahhabis are a distinct factor which must be taken into account” – Winston Churchill, 1921
Actually we do burn gabage
ehosterman (Diary) Wednesday, July 16th at 11:25PM EST (link)and generate electricity, although we have to mix coal with it to get the BTU value high enough to make electricity. We also burn landfill gas. We do all of them without government grants.
Fallacious!
Rod_Patrick (Diary) Thursday, July 17th at 8:31AM EST (link)You hit the nail on this post. Yes wind turbine is now an industry. But oil drilling is a separate industry.
We need both industries to help our economy, although oil drilling is by far more promising in respect to overall energy independence of this country. Thinking that wind and oil industries cannot mutually exist in our economy is outrightly fallacious.
Private sector development and free market are the best strategies to come up with a more coherent and efficient energy program for the country.
We need them all, for as long as they give us some positive “net economic benefits”.
Everything is good in the wind sector right now. The oil exploration and development is currently on hold and it needs our help, especially the ANWR sliver area.
So what are we waiting for… shout: