In conjunction with the approach of Independence Day, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has launched a series of radio ads. According to the DCCC:
Chairman Chris Van Hollen announced today that the DCCC is launching the “Independence from Big Oil” campaign and will run radio ads against 13 House Republicans who stand with George Bush and Big Oil while America’s middle class families are being squeezed by the highest gas prices in history.
Our own 2nd district Congressional Rep. Thelma Drake is the target of one of those ads.
In case you haven’t heard the ad, here it is.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
The Minority Leader said in 2006, put us in the majority and we’ll lower gas prices. That happened in November of 2006. The price of gas on January 4th, 2007 was $2.04 a gal. What is the price where you live? Did she come through?
Drill here(by Americans producing American oil), Drill now, Pay less.
Saying that domestic drilling is the way to cure America’s addiction to oil is like saying the cure for alcoholism is to drink more domestically-produced beer.
Silence Dogood,
However, unless we are going to fund our alternative energy funding needs (research and subsidies) with borrowed money, why must we keep sending all the money for our crude oil needs to OPEC?
Perhaps if you are not bothered by Republican “borrow and spend” fiscal policies, maybe you do not have a problem with that, but for some of us, this is a problem. As long as I am going to be forced to pay outrageous prices for a gallon of gasoline, I would like to see some of my money go towards saving the world.
Since the American people are not going to allow you to starve us of our energy needs (gasoline from the gas station) while we learn to adjust, why can’t some of money that goes to providing for our needs go towards funding some of what we also want (alternative energy) instead of just having all the money go to OPEC? $4.00 a gallon gasoline is high enough to encourage conservation and motivate adaption of alternative energy.
Not every consumer of gasoline is an alcoholic that drives a Hummer. Some of us already own fuel efficient vehicles and we too are being squeezed by the tremendous run up in the price of a gallon of gasoline.
American consumers that need gasoline are going to continue to purchase it no matter where it comes from. Why must all the profits go to OPEC? Why can’t some of the profits go towards funding our attempts to break our addiction to oil?
I just can’t help myself, I have to double post.
Instead of comparing our addiction to oil to alcoholism, a better comparison might be to herion addiction. What happens if you ask the herion addict to break his addiction cold turkey?
I don’t know what it is about a metaphor that makes you assume I’m functionally retarded when actually my metaphor does cover everything you just mentioned, but whatever.
“What happens if you ask a heroin addict to break his addiction cold turkey?”
That would be the equivalent of saying “don’t use oil at all.” I haven’t heard anyone yet say “no oil,” what I hear are plenty of people saying “less oil,” countered by the other side which is arguing for “more oil.” If you want to use heroin as the metaphor instead, fine, whatever, but I think we can all agree that less heroin rather than more is a step in the right direction.
Dropping the metaphor entirely, let’s talk economics. The supply-demand relationship as it affects pricing holds that there are two fundamental factors that can lower a price point in a free market: increased supply or decreased demand. There’s nothing we can do domestically to increase supply in the short term, and in the long term increased domestically-produced supply doesn’t end our vulnerability to foreign oil producers–best case scenario, it only reduces Iran, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela’s market share.
The better near term solution and the only solution over which we have complete control is reducing our demand through better fuel efficiency standards and innovative thinking for alternative fuel sources and engine designs. And, indeed, we can see that’s the direction the free market is taking: GM is scaling back or shutting down most of its SUV plants and retooling for better fuel efficiency. Humvee sales are down. Vespa sales are up. Public transportation usage in major metropolitan areas is at a 50 year high. Detroit is actively seeking a better battery design so they can make better hybrid vehicles, and investors and innovators are exploring new ways to fuel our vehicles so that you have choices on how to fuel your personal transit. Because just like a stock portfolio, the best way to ensure that you’re not completely vulnerable to a market downturn isn’t to put all your money into one stock or commodity, but rather to diversify your investments.
And in the face of all of this free-market innovation, the best some people in our government can come up with is “more oil.” What a failure of immagination.
First, we don’t have any type of capacity to mass produce alternate energy vehicles. Second, only the upper income levels have access to many of the low gas usage vehicles. Finding something, other than oil would be nice. We’re not there now. The poor definitely can’t participate in any of this right now.
By drilling here, we use American labor making the tools, machines, units, platforms to drill for the oil…more employment…high income employment. Lower transit cost, faster turn around on ships transporting the oil. Our trade balance gets corrected or adjusted if you will. The money stays in America. By the availability of this oil, these speculators will have much more product to dilute their gains…the price of crude will drop. The price of gas will drop.
The cascading effects from lower energy cost will be felt across the spectrum. Everybodies boat gets floated.
R & D still goes on for other products/vehicles. Soon, maybe in twenty years we get the alternative products/vehicles to get rid of our oil dependency. Maybe thirty years this new stuff makes it down the lowest income levels.
Drill here, Drill now, Pay less!
Silence Dogood,
You stated:
“There’s nothing we can do domestically to increase supply in the short term, and in the long term increased domestically-produced supply doesn’t end our vulnerability to foreign oil producers–best case scenario, it only reduces Iran, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela’s market share.”
But 10 years from now with the additional squeeze we are going to feel we are going to be cursing the likes of you.
As for your comments about auto producers, today’s talk on Wall Street (and today’s decline of GM and Ford’s stock prices) seems to indicate that without some help America might soon be out of the automobile business. It would be a shame that at about the same time the Chevy Volt went to market GM went belly up.
Democrats took over management of Congress in January of 2007. Since then our prices have doubled for just about everything. So much for looking out for the poorer folks We need price relief and soon. Congressional vacations and time off should be suspended until progress is made in bring prices down. Looks like they should have focused on other things than just Iraq last year.
Drill here, Drill now, Pay less!