Come on people, it's a complete coincidence that gas was $0.99/gallon with Democratic policies and $4.00/gallon with Republican policies.

Isn't this the same guy who in 2000 pledged to "jawbone" energy-exporting nations to keep oil prices low and to win passage of legislation to spur more domestic energy production?

Come on, does anyone with a modicum of intelligence seriously think that this president is going to do anything that hrms his oil industry buddies. Heck, he's looking to the future - waiting to get on some of those companies' boards when he leaves the White House. But if the public says "pretty please" maybe, just maybe, he'll send some government cheese to end the pain.

These companies are posting record profits. I'm curious if they're moving record volume to coincide with these record profits or if it has more to do with having record margins. If that's the case, nationalize our oil and set a regulated profit margin for gasoline. I don't buy that oil companies have nothing to do with the price of gasoline. They have EVERYTHING to do with it. Other than that, we can just wait for revolution.

The market determines gas prices, not government policies. The only way government policy determines price is if the industry is tightly regulated, like how the government determines our ComEd prices. Hillarbama would have those same people decide how much we pay for healthcare and the quality of care we get.

We had our chance to drill in a small portion of ANWR in 2001 and the democrats in congress blocked it. Now any chance at opening up that capacity is still too far away to have any immediate effect on these prices.

Congress needs to propose the gas tax holiday that both Clinton and McCain have endorsed just to keep things stable this summer. There's no easy fix to this, though, and any fix will require more oil whether that comes from ANWR, Brazil or wherever.

I am not confident that dropping the 18.4 cent/gallon gas tax will lead to an 18.4 cent/gallon drop in prices. I think gas stations will simply raise their price to make up for the absence of the tax. Despite rising gas prices demand has not dropped significantly. This tells the gas stations that consumers are still willing to buy gas at these prices. If the market says consumers will buy gas at $3.50/gallon then the market will charge $3.50 per gallon. Whether or not that price includes a tax or not is irrelevant.

"Democrat policies" Paul says. Who do you think runs Congress? It's Democrat policies that are keeping us from drilling in Anwar and the Gulf of Mexico. Nothing -- nothing -- Shumer and Pelosi have suggested will add one drop of oil to the American supply.

At least Illinois reaps a windfall with their price-based gas tax instead of a gallon based tax that other, less revenue-savvy states levy. Good job Blago and Company !!!

George Bush doesn't care about gas prices because he doesn't have to drive. He and his oil buddies are too busy counting their profits to be worried about the struggles of the American consumers.

Apparently, the "bully pulpit" only applies when we're talking about denying health insurance to middle class children or denying veterans benefits. The bully runs into his little corner when it's time to stand up to mommy and daddy's friends in the Middle East who control most of their fortune in oil stocks.

What incredible cluelessness by this lamest of ducks! How much difference does he think drilling in the Arctic is he going to make? I think even the most casual observer will conclude that the problem is skyrocketing demand, which isn't going to be met with any amount of drilling. So we need a sea change of some sort. Either everybody better get used to doing a lot more walking, or we're gonna need something else to run cars with.

What stellar, inspiring leadership! Good times must just be right around the corner... Perhaps we should repeal that pesky 22nd Amendment to the Constitution so this Bush fella can run a third time, eh? That would give him some extra time to really move America forward... Well, if that fails, we always have McBush this November.

Yes, the oil companies are greedy. Yes, Bush is incompetent. But, what do you call a nation full of people who've watched gas prices rise steadily for the last eight years, yet still purchase big, heavy SUVs that get 15 miles to the gallon and live 30 miles from their jobs?

For that matter, what do you call a nation of people who've spent the last twenty years watching the oil industry condense into a near-monopoly in which just a few companies control the market, and yet still defend the concept of an utterly unregulated Almighty Market System with a zeal best described as religious?

"Stupid" comes to mind. Or, perhaps, "Suckers" is more appropriate. "Stupid" comes to mind. We've had ample warning that oil is a finite resource, with more and more people wanting their share each year. And history tells us that totally unregulated markets lead to monopolies and price gouging. If we've chosen to ignore these warnings, whose fault is that?

And why are we expecting the politicians and business leaders who built this mess to now step in and magically make everything better? All they'll offer us is more of the same: Bush the Oil Man offers us more drilling, more refineries (read: more money spent, more pollution), and maybe a short-term bump in oil supplies, which we'll no doubt consume in the form of even bigger vehicles... and in short order we'll be right back where we are today.

It's your money. Nobody's holding a gun to your head and saying "You MUST spend it on gasoline." Find an alternative. Buy a little car that gets 30 mpg. Heck, summer's coming--park the car and ride a motorcycle or scooter to work. Maybe even make like the President and ride a bicycle! Swallow your pride and ride public transport. Move closer to your job, or browbeat your boss into letting you work at home or do a 4-by-10 schedule. You get the idea. There's a lot you can do to consume less gas and save money. But waiting for the Oil Patch Gang in Washington to bail you out ain't one of them.

Its always someone else's fault isn't it. The only ones to blame for rising gas prices are us -the users. When I grew up, our family had 1 car. My dad took the train to work. Now every family has at least 2 cars and more than likely they are gas guzzling SUVs or mini-vans. The only way we are going to get gas prices to go down is to reduce demand. Instead of spending billions of dollars on more roads or widening roads, it should be spent on better public transportation. Sure I can take a train from Lake Villa into the Chicago, but I don't work in Chicago. I work in Lake Forest. We need better public transportation between the suburbs!!
Why do you think cigarette prices keep going up - its because they know people will still buy it. Same with gas!

No magic wand=No desire
We need someone tough enough to take on the oil companies. I don't buy for a minute that something can't be done. This defeatist attitude from the right does us no good at all. How dare anyone question corporate America...they have our best intrests in mind. Right after theirs!

The oil companies need to build their own refineries with their record profits from the price gouging that BushCo has allowed. No more welfare to large corps who then knife us with record gas prices. Oil was 10 dollars a barrel when Bush entered office. A few weeks later the secret Cheney "energy" meetings happened with the CEOs of oil. Almost eight years later oil is what--120 dollars a barrel? And Bush now chides congress to think of solutions? It's time to make the oil companies public utilities. Bush could leave the largest SUV running 24/7 and the cost of gas would not faze him. McShame either. Or, they could leave a war running 24/7 for 100 years and that would not faze them either. I hope the environment doesn't get ruined just so the oil companies ripping us off can take even more grotesque profits.

On another note: According to The Wall Street Journal a few weeks ago, there are not enough shipping containers for America to export what little we actually manufacture. For some reason the containers end up more in the ports of other nations that we have trade agreements with. Funny logistics. And, America can't even produce shipping containers? Bush knows this.

ANWAR is not the anwer. The oil that would come out of ANWAR would go into the world market -- not straight into the US market like we are led to believe. That would be a drop in the bucket, and there are no guarantees that there's that much there.

If ANWAR had been the answer, the republican led congress would have approved it back in 2002.

All you need to do is go out to Wyoming, Cheney's home state, to see the absolute wreckless destruction by the wholesale gas and mining leasing of whats left of the american wilderness.

We "meddling environmentalists" have been pushing for fuel efficiency and government led investment in technology only to be consistently thwarted by this oil-loving administration.

One of the main problems is the weakening dollar. The price of a barrel of oil probably hasn't risen that much in Euros or other benchmark currencies, but because the dollar is worth only 65%-75% of what it was a year ago, prices of imported goods including oil have risen dramatically.

I never thought I'd see the day when the US Dollar would be worth less than the Canadian Dollar, but that day has arrived and it's stuck around a bit.

If this country let's another Republican (McCain) steal the White House this fall, we're screwed.

The republican-led congrees tried to pass it in 2002, Devin but it was blocked in the senate by democrat minority. The tactics that republicans use to keep a vote from getting to the floor that Pelosi/Reid decry today were the EXACT same tactics that the democrats used to stop ANWR from passing in the Senate. You can't say the republicans didn't try to pass it.

Viv, the oil companies would LOVE to build more refineries if they were allowed. The government hasn't approved a new one in more than a decade thanks to NIMBY politics. I'm not sure if you're aware of this but exports are one of the few positive things in the US economy right now. The US produces quite a lot. Maybe the huge oil fields recently discovered in Brazil will help.

Paul, Democrat policies? Using that logic we should should see a dramatic decrease in gas prices if a Democrat wins the White House and retains control of Congress. If not, you shouldn't make promises you can't keep.

Enough of the smoke screens. We have the technology for Electric Motor Vehicles, we have the technology to come up with with synthetic fuels to replace gasoline and we have the technology to use other products other than food products for Ethynol based fuels. If the big oil companies can't get their hands in the mix, these products will never be explored. In 2009, Think City, a Norwegian company is introducing an electric car to the U.S. that gets 120 miles to a charge. That's a start and I hope this will encourage other companies to move forward. I will be the first one on the block to buy one.

And as usual the biggest roadblock to solving the energy problems come from the Loons on the Left.
The constant retort that it's Bush's fault, the evil oil companies!!
Folks, here is a reality check:
1. Oil prices are high and rising because demand continues to surpass supply. Demand is skyrocketing in China and India, while still remaining high elsewhere in the world.
2. Oil prices are high because speculators are investing in commodities such as oil and gold.
3. Oil prices will not go down, nor any other fuel, while demand continues to put pressures on supply.
4. More supply will help lower price. Drilling in ANWR will bring more oil to the market. Course, OPEC could cut back on its supply to match our new supplies. So be it, if that is the case. If we can come up with more of our own oil and become less dependent on others, then that is better.
5. There are rich oil fields off the coast of Brazil, in the Gulf of Mexico, off the Western U.S. coast, in North Dakota (as much as 500 billion barrels there), and in ANWR. All of those fields would make OPEC and any oil supply problems disappear.
But the Left does not want more oil, they don't want more natural gas, they don't want more coal, they don't more energy -- period! They just want to moan and groan, all the while for years they kept moaning and groaning gas prices were too low.

Sure, let's start drilling off Jeb Bush's coastline! Or maybe off Arnold Schwarzenegger's! That'll certainly help this summer's gas prices.

But an 18 cent tax holiday--the proverbial drop in the oil barrel.

Now a tax on the profits of ExxonMobil et al--that might help the deficit at least.

Maybe now someone will stand up to this worst administration ever and demand that we learn about Cheney's secret energy meetings. Oil execs have already been caught lying to congress about their involvement, yet nothing ever happens. Wake up America and take back the country from the fascists in control...on both sides of the aisle.

There is no way to fix this when your buddies (the oil folks) have you in their back pocket . I cant even imagine what they would do if they were only able to post a 2 billion dollar profit next quarter - for sure they would all go hungry.....

No magic wand? That was handed off to Bush & Cheney's oil buddies years ago.
Drilling in ANWR would not produce any oil for several years, so he has another lame excuse for gas prices.
Several weeks ago, he says he didn't hear about reports gas will hit $4 by summer, while every Tom Dick & Harry saw that coming.
Blame a democratic-led congress? What happened to the other years when Republicans controled everything while prices consistently rose?
Why is Bush topping-off US strategic reserves which are already at 97% capacity, something even republicans in Congress have argued agianst?
Even though demand for gas has dropped in the US over the past several months, why are oil companies exporting more oil out of the US, driving down further reserves, increasing it's price?

And oil companies keep breaking record setting corporate profits by the billions.

Bush has allowed companies to become criminally greedy, ever since he was buddies with Enron as a Texas governor, from policing themselves, deregulation, allowing companies to dictate their own rewritting of "laws", cutting back investigations, & just turning a blind eye - all at the expense of Americans.

Some things never change when you pretend to be a conservative..

How about eliminating differing formulation requirements for different regions. Why should regular unleaded have a different formulation in Kenosha than in Chicago? This unnecessary government regulation adds costs to fuel that can easily be remedied.

Well gosh...it just seems so convienent that his idea for drilling ANWR and North Dakota and Florida and anywhere else he wants is coinciding with gas prices soaring. Hmmmm....wonder how much stock the Bushies have domestic drilling operations....

How is it that the Tribune staff picked this title out of every possible angle for Bush's speech on the economy?!! Talk about the definiton of a bias liberal media.

Paul said: "Come on people, it's a complete coincidence that gas was $0.99/gallon with Democratic policies and $4.00/gallon with Republican policies."

Further destabilization of Middle East from deposing Saddam Hussein has added $40+ to current oil prices, although global demand is also a driver.

Sunni States such as Saudi Arabia are no longer cooperating with U.S. government since talks of U.S. withdrawl has increased....one of the signs of Saudi/U.S. rift is Prince Bandar (who has been a fixture at the Whithouse for several administrations) leaving U.S. a couple years ago.

The truth is we should use less oil anyways, and stop taking oil as a near free good.

Its basic economics, Supply and Demand! As many have stated before, if we can reduce our demand, the prices would have to come down because Corporate America and the greedy oil mofia will never allow their income to suffer! I agree w/Scott Free above, we've been stupid, and we've been stupid because we've taken the word of the media and listened to our government instead of having a blue color independent study of things going on in this world. Between the media and govenrment we have all been brain washed into believing and agreeing w/almost everything they say; we have lost our power of free will.

On a second note, everyone needs to think seriously about the timing of the tax incentative and the high rise in gas prices! Seems pretty suspicious at the end of Bushes term he would come up with this incentative, at the same time gas prices sky rocket. Guess he needed the one last knife in the back of the blue color workers. Oh and does everyone know and understand this is not free money, its an advance on our 2008 tax refunds?!?! Bush isn't happy with draining us of our meager wealth for the last eight years he has to make sure he jacks us up one more year. The $168 billion of incentative isn't going to help us or our economy, its just going into the pockets of the oil mofia. Come on America, open your eyes! We need to take some initivative here and get more involved and find a way to have more of a say about how things will be in the US. Its time we take a stand and say, "no more"! Its time America becomes America again!

And for Bush saying "he has no magic wand"; he is saying the President of the United States is the Little Engine Who Couldn't or better yet, the Little Engine Who Wouldn't!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you increase supply, the price will decrease. Perhaps we should stop adding to the oil reserve and release that into the supply for now since we have a large reserve on hand already.

Bush is just offensive. How can he stand there with that ridiculous rhetoric? Congress, congress, congress... Hey it's not my fault... it's congress. Bologna. He and his oil buddies are laughing all the way to the bank. None of us are fooled. Just sick of the bs. I will vote Democrat no matter who is on the ticket.

There is a real discussion of the way our country STILL plans cities and suburbs that was hinted at earlier in our usual Swamp blame game. Why is a place like Oak Brook, where thousands of Chicagoans work, not connected to Metra? Why do we still have suburbs designed to be 30 miles from the city. More new urban communities with real community density would do wonders in weaning this nation off oil. But nobody wants to hear that. They want their subdivisions and their buffer from the city and they DEFINITELY want their SUVs for whenever it snows.

The best path is to stay the course and continue to increase gasoline prices. The more Americans we can drive into poverty, the more attractive America will be for businesses and we could rebuild our industrial base so that WE are building products EXPORTED to China! By continuing to increase the federal debt, we can eliminate wasteful subsidies like Social Security and Medicare and for people to take care of themselves and their families, restoring family values to America. This is the path of least resistance.

Yeah, King Bush, no magic wand, where have you been the past 7 years? Why aren't we using coal to get oil. The USA had huge coal reserves and the government will not allow them to be used for oil. I wonder why Mr. Bush, ah, I know, it going to hurt OPEC and the oil companies if we use coal to get oil. But we have enough coal for 200 year's worth of oil production. Why are we not using it? Tell us the true story as to why coal is not being mined for oil.

Real simple. Supply and Demand rise price. As the democratic led Senate has stopped the building of refineries and stopped the additional drilling supply has not gone up. Yet, other countries, and our own have driven demand up. So the price goes up.

Now lets say the Bush forces the price down. Well, the oil companies will still sell it at $150 a barrel, so that means taxes would pick it up, wich means we pay anyway. The way to beat this is to stop excessive driving.

But I will go just use the typical and wrong Democrat responce and blame Bush because its easier.

Obama and Clinton will just raise your taxes so you will have less money anyway.

Stop being stupid democrats.

I understand that the market sets the price of gas. The economy is terrible right now. Everyone says we need to do our part to help. But are the oil companies helping. No..they have billon dollar profits. You think maybe they can say ok we are going to hold down prices no matter what the market says, to help. We buy gas at any price cause we have to. To get to work, school etc. I would like to buy a better gas milage car but I don't have the money for a monthy payment. I would be spending more money with a payment then what I spend in gas a month. I am sure that a lot people are thinking the same way. What I would like to see is a little compedition between companies and have a gas war on price. Other business do it. Who has the best sale.

Well rladdi, can you provide any evidence that mining coal for oil is cost efficient or would it just raise the price but sound nice? Please back up your claim.

What you don't get is that demand has the barrel at $150. If America refuses to buy at $150 a barrel other countries will not. So then we have nothing. Can this get anymore simple?

Don't just blame the Democrats for not building refineries. There have been no refineries built for well over 10 years. Much of the problem is the Democrats blame the Republicans, the Republicans blame the Democrats, and nothing ever gets done.

Hi Carol,

The reason you can blame the Democrats is because of the voting history where you can see they have been the ones who have blocked the building of new refineries.

I CAN'T BELLIEVE AS "SMART AMERICANS" THAT WE ARE LETTING THIS HAPPEN TO US, WE ARE LIKE SHEEP GOING TO THE SLAUGHTER, $4.00 O.K WE WILL PAY IT, $6.00 O.K. WE WILL PAY IT, ETC.. WHY AS AMERICANS DON'T WE REALLY RAISE OUR VOICES IN PROTEST AFTER ALL THERE IS STRENGTH IN NUMBERS....14 BILLION DOLLAR PROFIT AND THE PRICES ARE STILL RISING........GIVE ME A BREAK WILL YOU PLEASE.....AMERICANS IF YOU ARE TIRED OF GET RIPPED OFF WHY DON'T YOU SAY SOMETHING LOUD AND CLEAR...........

Wait a minute.....Didn't we invade Iraq and soon Iran to steal their oil? Oooops, did I say that out loud???

George Bush, the man who put "bust" in the company Arbusto has a great idea about where to drill for oil. The only man who couldn't get oil out of Texas somehow now has the answer. That's so pathetic I can't even laugh.

Frankly I don't care whether they drill there or not.

But even Bush's peanut-sized brain must be able to grasp that ANWR's "1 million per day production" would only account for 1/20th of the US's 20 million barrel per day demand (and for only a few years).

Of course, that's assuming Bush's estimates are correct and the oil can be taken out of the ground tomorrow--two things I seriously doubt.

(I thought Chimps were supposed to be smart.)

This is a poorly written article. The trib should hold itself to higher standards when it comes to both content and grammatical accuracy.

The author and editor should be embarrassed.

The Man, not to mention how proud they were of scuttling the ANWR drilling plan. Hard to believe some people forget their shameful display from just a few years ago. How are we supposed to reduce demand for gas when this country's government seems to have no interest in providing cheap, clean public transit? And don't tell me to drive a mini cooper or a hybrid because while those use less gas they would still require me to buy it. Public transit is the best option available to end our dependency on foreign oil and I can't even take the monorail to the airport in Las Vegas.

Until our trade and budget deficit are addressed the value of our currency will continue decrease and the price of oil will continue to increase. Its has little to do with supply and demand and more to do with the fact oil is traded in USD. Come on sheeple!

Why are oil prices high? We'll it's not really supply and demand, is it? I mean, the supply hasn't changed in the last two or three years has it? The invasion of Iraq didn't decrease production because that oil was embargoed from the world market anyway.

And despite all the wailing about the increased demand from India and China, it hasn't jumped up that rapidly in the last few years.

So what has changed? Mike Norman, the founder and publisher of the Economic Contrarian Update, adds another factor to the so call free market equation: speculation.

Our friends and neighbors that work at the Merc or in New York's Mercantile Exchange are the ones really setting the price of our gasoline. How? By placing bets it will cost more in the future. And after they place their bets, voila!, the price per barrel shoots up and so does the price at the pump.

"This tidal wave of speculative buying is fostering the artificial hoarding of oil," writes Norman on FoxNews.com. "It is dangerous, and it should be stopped."

But it won't be stopped. Because oil companies are making money hand over fist without having to invest a single cent in infrastructure, prospecting or jobs. Their profits have reach historic highs and they didn't have to do a thing. Except support an invasion of Iraq.

See, the occupation of Iraq and the constant attacks on the oil infrastructure there is the excuse the traders on LaSalle and Wall streets are using to claim that the worldwide supply is unstable, thus making future oil supplies more valuable.

Ironically, we've started to see the same thing happen in the food markets. People who have absolutely no involvement in the production of food, i.e. the traders, are determining the price of grain based on their future profit. And we are starting to see that their panic-pricing is having an effect on our food prices, such as the recent rise in rice prices.

One can always drive less when gas is too expensive. But there's always a point where one can't stop eating because food is too expensive. If we're not careful, we're going to allow these extremely wealthy people to make millions more... and millions more hungry.

Before we go drilling in a protected sanctuary, home to the Inupiat people for 6,000+ years, and one of the most beautiful and untouched places left on this ravaged planet, please think about the consequences.

The Beaufort and Chukchi seas are the home and life source for countless marine mammals and other wildlife, as well as American citizens. That's right, AMERICAN CITIZENS. How would you feel if the government took away your grocery stores? This extraordinary ecosystem is one of the last pristine wildlife sanctuaries in the United States. Don't let our government destroy it for greed and laziness when it comes to developing new forms of energy.

Follow this link to view a trailer for an important documentary trailer about this topic:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9oy9e-xF0c

The people of Point Hope and the Arctic Circle need us to protest this abomination that our government so whole-heartedly backs.

Newsflash to Roman B: In 1998, Congress voted to begin drilling in ANWR. Bill Clinton vetoed it and there weren't enough votes in the Senate to overcome the veto. If Clinton did not veto opening ANWR for oil drilling, we would be getting oil TODAY from ANWR.
The Left: no solutions, just mindless meanderings based on mindless stupidity.

Can't we just agree to blame this all on Reverend Wright?

Can't we just agree to blame this all on Reverend Wright?

"oink, oink, oink". So the price of pig slop is going up, up ,up. Well, when were done eating ours, we'll eat yours too! Look out Alaska, Iraq, Iran, South America. Here US come!

Let's do it.

Bush's energy and environmental policies have been a big failure. Bush had the chance to reduce green house gas emissions at the start of his first term and did nothing. The price of gas has more than doubled during the Bush administration.

Bush used the Iraq War as a reason to keep oil prices in check. What a big fat lie?

Bush was surprised to hear gas prices may reach $4.00 a gallon? Where has he been? Does he have his head in the sand? Is he to busy re-reading "My Pet Goat"? Just goes to show you Bush is clueless about what is going on in the United States.

I agree with the other posters who say drilling in the artic would amount to nothing.

The government has the ability to pressure to the auto industry to increase fuel efficiency but yet when they do enact new laws, they tell the auto industry increase fuel efficiency by 5 gallons over the next 15 years. A lot of good this will do. The government just keeps bending over to the speacial interest groups.

Lastly, the terrroists have won. Since 9/11 they divided this country politicially, the cost of every thing has sky rocketted and Bush has driven this country into bankruptcy with his War on Terror without the ability to pay for it.

But hot damn would that be yummy for the people selling the ANWR oil at $120+/barrel.

-----------------------------------------------
"ANWAR is not the anwer. The oil that would come out of ANWAR would go into the world market -- not straight into the US market like we are led to believe. That would be a drop in the bucket, and there are no guarantees that there's that much there. "

The only magic wand I see is the one that looks like Bush's middle finger pointed straight in the air. He is basically flipping off the American people. His Texas oil buddies, Cheney and of course Bush himself are getting stinkin' rich while the rest of us suffer. He is a smug jerk.

I'd like to learn more about this issue of 'speculation' affecting the price of oil. It's really disheartening to think that market traders are artificially causing this problem.

So then drilling for more oil would not do much beacuse we already have the oil, and the traders would then just move to artificially inflate the prices of any new supplies found?

The Bush family and the Cheneys and their buddies are making a last ditch effort to get the big bucks from the oil before their "gravy train" pulls out of Washington. Believe me, there will be a a lot of shredded documents, and a lot of cigar-smoking and laughing as they sit around the campfire reminiscing on how they took the American people for a ride while they "bushwacked" the Constitution and human rights.

"The oil that would come out of ANWAR would go into the world market." Says who? If US companies are drilling for oil on US land who is to stop us from sending that oil to the US first? There are also massive deposits of natural gas in ANWR that could have helped us Chicagoans with gas out for the last couple winters.

athena,
How about we drill off Jeb Bush's coastline when the Kennedys allow a wind farm to be built in view of theirs (Google "wind farm" "Nantucket" and "Kennedy" and you'll see what I'm talking about.)

No, please, lets NOT drill for oil ANYWHERE in the U.S. territory and then just sit around and complain about the price per gallon.

Think again Jeff about your comment! How much oil you think trickles down to the lower 48 via the Alaskan Pipeline we had built in the 70's. The answer is not much at all. The bulk of that oil is sold on the World Markets.

Isn't it enough that he has environmentally destroyed this country, must he try and destroy the antartic area as well.

[quote]
We had our chance to drill in a small portion of ANWR in 2001 and the democrats in congress blocked it.

Posted by: Jeff | April 29, 2008 12:17 PM
[/quote]

Jeff, from 2001-2006 Republicans controlled the White House and both houses of Congress. So what is their excuse for not accomplishing anything regarding American energy policy? Why does every aspect of energy policy from people like you focus only on more drilling, and usually ignores alternative energy sources like wind and solar and completely ignores improving our conservation rates?

We can drill for oil in the ANWP all we want; but most folks (I hope) aren't naive enough to think that will result in gasoline prices being even a penny a gallon less. Would be just a windfall for Big Oil, which would pocket all profits, as usual. Big Oil couldn't give a damn about the consumer---and those on this board engaging in partisan bickering need to wake up and smell the coffee. Both major parties are in the pocket of Big Oil---none more so than the current President and Vice President, to be sure. But really, there is sadly no substantial difference between the Dems and the GOP on energy policy. The Dems merely talk a better game. Ralph Nader is the only one with backbone and credibility on this issue, but I'm not holding my breath waiting for him to get elected.

BC, it doesn't matter if you "control" congress in the senate. If you don't have an ironclad majority of 60 senators there's this little thing called a filibuster that will keep controversial bills like the ANWR drilling bill from passing the senate. The bill sailed through the house and then was stopped in the senate which is the exact same thing the republicans are doing to the cut off the funding for Iraq bills that the democrat majority wants today.

This happened in 2001 and again in 2005 so it's shocking to me that you have such a bad memory on the subject. Here's a link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10560979

This is unbelievable. It is blatantly obvious that George is still working on lining his cronies pockets with cash. If gas prices were high and the oil companies WERE NOT making record profits, that would be different. All he is doing is helping them, and trying to ruin the world in which we live to do it. He gets his way, there will be nothing left. He makes me absolutely SICK.

I remember being the lone employee working in a place five years ago where all these Rush-conservative, idiot co-oworkers were happy Iraq was invaded because gas prices would soon come down. They all had interesting, choice names for me.
Some of them even traded in their sedans for humilades, while I got a different job where I could walk to work.

Who's the idiot now?

I thought his home state of Texas was full of oil??? Where is J.R Euwing at??
I would rather save a heard of carabu then the stooped heard of SUV drivers.

When was the last time any of you environmental wackos made your way up to ANWR for a little vacation? NEVER right? The oil prices that everyone is complaining about are the result of liberal environmental policies. Plain and simple!

The oil coming out of Alaska now goes straight to Japan. Why would this "new" oil be any different. Another lie from the Great Liar.

wow
we're screwed.
no one in the administration one cares.
now what?

More oil is not the answer.

You want to have an impact on oil prices?...Demand that congress pass tough new CAFE standards NOW! Diesel/Hybrid/Electric technology is ready now to meet drastic increased mpg standards right now. Problem is congress is a bunch of wimps that would rather pander for votes and tell lies to the people rather than actually addressing the real problems. Let's see the oil embargo was when??..1974 and we have done absolutely nothing to decrease our dependence on foreign oil. What a joke this country has become.....And we are burning up our precious reserves of natural gas because we are afraid of nuclear while the rest of the world laughs at us.

The Alaskan oil fields produce heavy sour crude oil. That means thick, sulphurous oil. The refineries in the USA cannot process that oil -- they need light sweet crude -- so the Alaskan oil is shipped to Japan. Drilling in the ANWR will not get us any more gasoline down here. It will just increase the profits of companies like Exxon, which is now scheming to get out of paying for the damage that it did to Prince William Sound.

Jeff, Oil corps do have their own refineries--Shell--Anacortes, WA-- just one. In order to stay profitable, oil corps won't invest in new refineries bc they know there will be less and less oil in the future. It is not illegal for oil companies to have their own refines. More refines= more gas= lower prices.

This is primarily a result of short supply and high demand. We as consumers can do something about the demand by driving more efficient vehicles and taking other steps to live more efficiently. Reducing the gas tax will only cause increased taxes elsewhere. The gas tax should be increased, and used for alternative energy research and subsidies to help people purchase more efficient vehicles.

I've read several of the first posts (about 30 of them) and not one person mentioned the war and the effects of oil prices. Think about this. Back in 1991 when Bush 1 invaded Iraq, gas prices went up to about 1.47 (Dec 1990) a gallon from 1.21 (July 1990) in 5 months. Then in April 1991 we pulled out of Iraq and the gas price went down to 1.09.

When we get out of Iraq, oil prices will go back down. And then gas will go back down also. We may never see 1.47 again, but by this time next year, we will be back under 2.00 a gallon.

Middle Easterners do not like Bush or the Republican party. They are turning Americans against Republicans so we won't elect them again. Republicans always go where they are not wanted!! Trying to change the world. Look where it got us!!!!! They changed the world alright. Now nobody wants to be our ally except Great Britain. And heck, now since Tony Blair is gone, it doesn't look like they want to cooperate with us anymore either. Democrats take care of home. Let the Iraqis and Iranians and Jews and Lebonese, and Afghans all blow themselves up. Why do we need to get in the middle of that?

Not only is the government conducting surveillance, they have applied bio-metric to all Americans via dust networks and smart dust. They have placed computer chips in the food supply. Ypu are being tracked and are hooked up to the dust networks. you have a wavelength emitting frrom your body. Thjey have also placed the mark of the beast on all Americans using the HAARP project, dust networks and tele communications. Tele communications need to be sued because they have placed Satanic symbols on all people. They are in pregnant women, infants, children, adults. See the FFCHS. They have applied bio-metrics to the world and seek to control the world for their "New World Order" which is really the church of satan for their economic control and ego-maneical power surges.