Wednesday, March 26, 2008

The Green Green Gas of Home

Being a truck driver gives me a front row seat in the train wreck that is our nation's energy policy. It also exposes me to hundreds of varying opinions about it. Between talk radio and the C.B. radio, I have no shortage of theories to consider. And since truckers are arguably the biggest casualties of our energy policy, I feel obliged to clear the air (no pun intended) about our so-called "fuel crises".
First of all, there is no "fuel crises". A crises is when you suffer from something for which there are little or no options, usually something that you could not have predicted or controlled. Cancer is a crises. Your house burning down is a crises. Your plane developing engine problems mid-flight is a crises. The cost of fuel and it's ripple effect throughout the economy is NOT a crises. It is a result. Worse yet, it is a result that anyone with the most basic education in economics probably saw coming. That alone explains why liberals can't figure it out.
Contrary to media-spun belief, we are not paying more at the pump because of greedy oil companies. Do they make an un-Godly amount of money? Maybe. But you have to consider the sheer size of the typical oil company. Think about it. Exxon-Mobil alone employs thousands, if-not millions of people around the entire globe. From the gas station attendant to a corporate V.P. Then consider how many gas stations they have in every country. How many oil wells? How many oil tankers? How many oil trucks? How many pipe lines? How many refineries? Don't forget, we're not just talking gasoline. They also produce specialty fuels and lubricants for trucks, planes, ships, homes, industries, etc. etc. Then you have to consider how many gallons of these fuels are being pumped every day all over the world. The point is, there is no way to escape the massive profits being made at the upper tier of the petroleum world, for no other reason than the massive size of the industry.
So if it's not greed, then what is it that's driving the price of fuel?

The short answer is: gullibility. For some reason, we bought into the idea that animals come before people. So, we supported environmentalist legislators that put the needs of animals ahead of the needs of the nation. The result was that we have not built a new oil refinery in America for over thirty years. Yet the demand for refined oil (fuel) grows every hour.
Then, we bought into the idea that man is creating global warming via his consumption of oil. Even though man had not invented the SUV until well after the melting of two ice ages. So, we supported environmentalist legislators that put the needs of, well...pretty much no one ahead of the needs of the nation. The result was that we are turning our food into fuel, and wondering why the price of food is going up.
You see, ethanol comes from corn. Corn is a crop that used to be grown for food, but is now grown for gasoline. Roughly the same amount of corn is grown, but now is in twice as much demand. Original demand=food, new demand=gasoline and food. Since everyone eats, and most food is related in some way to corn, we are talking a big-honkin' demand being put on corn producers...hence the shortage of corn...hence the price of corn (our food) going up.

As if this weren't enough, we supported all of this, knowing full well that the Middle East and other America-hating and/or third world countries were going to be the ones who sell us our oil. The result was that if they decide to bring the price of crude oil up to 100 dollars a barrel, we get to bend over and take it.

So to watch our country fall apart for sake of the "green movement" is sad to say the least. Especially when the answer to our problems is right under our noses...LITERALLY! It's called O-I-L, and we can pull it out of our own ground whenever we want to. It's like watching someone starve to death in the middle of a grocery store, and blaming it on the grocery store owner. Then, when you ask him why he don't just buy some groceries, he says, "Al Gore told me not to".

8 comments:

Seane-Anna said...

"It's like watching someone starve to death in the middle of a grocery story, and blaming it on the grocery store owner. Then, when you ask him why he don't just but some groceries, he says, "Al Gore told me not to." Brilliant passage, Terry! The whole post is spot on. The solution to our energy "crisis" really is right under our noses if we'd just take off our green tinted glasses and LOOK!!!

PS

Thanks for stopping by my humble blog PoorGrrl Zone. Hope you make it a regular thing. And stay safe on the road!

Goat said...

Dang, your rants sound like mine, well said my friend!

JMK said...

"Contrary to media-spun belief, we are not paying more at the pump because of greedy oil companies." (Roadhouse)


100% Correct!

The price of oil has risen on INCREASING world DEMAND, even though the SUPPLY has actually INCREASED, just not enough.

The price of gasoline and diesel have gone up because of that AND due to government action.

Every March 1st gasoline rises in price as the Summer blends kick in, raising the price of gasoline we pay.

Diesel goes up because of government action as well.

Why don't more people understand or care about that?!

I know a half dozen guys who have diesel powered cars that now run on bio-diesel - waste oil from fast food joints and the like.

Truckers should be able to run their rigs on anything they want - after all, they ARE still "free Americans" aren't they? (Maybe not)

A few years ago (not being a trucker) I heard that a truck driver could get a HUGE fine for burning home heating oil #2 in a rig. That's why they die the home heating oil (virtually identical to diesel) red, so they can see if truckers are burning it in their rigs.

There's plenty of oil - offshore, in oil sands and shale oil and under the sea beds, and there are plenty of alternatives on which to run machinary that wouldn't impact the food supply - "bio-diesel" is made from waste oil from deep fryers!

It's another example of If the governemnt just got out of the way, the people would prosper.

Roadhouse said...

JMK,
You're right,we get fined for running what is known as "off-road" diesel. Another problem is the fact that some older diesel engines do not run well on the new "green" diesel. This has put a lot of owner operators out of business because their trucks are too old to run the new fuel.

The bio-diesel is only going to be viable until the fast food joints realize that they can actually make a profit with their waste cooking oil.

Goat said...

There ain't enough fryer grease to run the greenies vehicles let alone the trucking industry and converting food to fuel is a pipedream of the worst sort. Heck we have more oil in the US than Saudi Arabia does just the moonbats won't let us drill for it, pump it or refine it.
BTW, do you drive long haul or local? If you are ever around Sacramento let me know, we'll have a cold one.

Roadhouse said...

Goat,
I only run the mid-Atlantic region. I've never been to Caliifornia. If you've ever seen the South Park episode where Cartman goes to San Francisco, that's how I picture it.

Goat said...

I have never seen South Park but I live in a deep red part of Ca very conservative nothing like San Fagcisco, its a little country town with horses and goats and chickens, the real ones. We keep all the moonbats on their earthquake peninsula or in Hollywood, the rest of the state is awesome.

Dan O. said...

For some reason, we bought into the idea that animals come before people.

I've spent my entire adult life trying to find the Amendment that gives animals any rights under the law. Let alone more than people.

It's not like we'd go in and kill them for their home. Are you telling me they couldn't survive anywhere else other than the land over where all the oil is? Puh, leeeze!