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24 comments on Tell Harry Reid the Real Oil Story

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Typhoon on September 29, 2005 - 4:01pm Permalink | Subthread | Comments top
Why even bother trying to spread the truth about oil?  Reid has his political agenda and he will continue to say the same things.  And it's not just liberals...I've been disgusted by what Bill O'Reilly has done.  On "The O'Reilly Factor" on FOX News, and on his "Radio Factor" program, he has constantly blamed the oil companies for price gouging.  He clearly shows a lack of understanding about free markets.  He acts as if there is "someone" who decides the price of gasoline every morning.  He blames Big Oil for colluding to keep the price high.  He has no clue how NYMEX trading works, and in reality there is actually fierce competition between retailers that usually keeps the price of gasoline as low as wholesale prices will allow.

Also, people try to blame OPEC.  In reality, OPEC has only kept prices up artifically when they got so low that OPEC members' economies were hurting.  Even when OPEC wants the price of oil to be higher, it has trouble enforcing discipline among member countries.  Cheating on quotas has occurred.  Now, of course, OPEC is producing as much as they can, and has no control over prices, but people still want to blame them.  The general public is ignorant.

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Glenn on September 29, 2005 - 4:05pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
We try because we care. We try because it is one of the few ways we can try to soften the blow, besides our own daily energy choices.
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step back on September 29, 2005 - 4:09pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
"Why even bother ...?

Here is why:
Voters read the Harry blog
Even if Harry/Hillary does not come around
from his corn-belt views,
potential voters may.

It is a platform..
It is a way to make more in the herd
Peak Oil Aware (POA).

Nothing is going to change until
we have massive numbers of Americans
in the POA camp

Right now, hardly anyone knows,
and if you try to convert them,
you become the sky-is-falling kook.

p.s. keep your comments
on the left-side
on Harry's site :-)

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Typhoon on September 29, 2005 - 4:25pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
The link below is to an article, "A Primer on Price Gouging", that is good to show to the average uninformed person.  

A Primer on Price Gouging

Anyone like Reid who ignores our free market economy and starts to complain about gouging is an idiot.

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SJMStrategy on September 29, 2005 - 4:45pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
I strongly agree with Step Back.  This is what is needed.  In management studies, the first step in bringing about successful change is education and awareness.

My sense is that we are on the verge of making the very important step of bringing the issue of peak oil into mainstream debate.

In political science, the most powerful approach to winning a debate is to ensure their is no debate -- keep it off the agenda.  Thus, it is important to put peak oil onto the agenda whenever possible.

The expanded debate is why I became aware of peak oil and it is why I used my influence to have it enter the curriculum of a major business school.  While my efforts are still modest, they are a beginning and collectively, we can make a difference.

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SJMStrategy on September 29, 2005 - 4:51pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
To give example of keeping it off the agenda, try this link:

www.counterpunch.org/heinberg07302005.html

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billyt on September 29, 2005 - 8:50pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
typhoon, i totally agree it's so hopeless.

still ya gots to try.  cause you just never know.

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