“DRILLING INTO OFFSHORE DRILLING”

Or, the Obvious Flaws in McCain’s Supposed Plan to Lower Gas Prices

McCain says extract all the oil from all our reserves immediately so we can have a temporary few cents lower price today. Has he given any thought to the fact that will leave us no oil tomorrow and we’ll have to beg for some later from countries who weren’t such spendthrifts? What is it about Conservatives that they don’t seem to believe in conservation?

And, if reducing the price of gas at the pump is the sole objective worth pursuing and is justified at absolutely any cost, then why not nationalize the oil companies as a first step? Do that and we wouldn’t even have to wait the months or years of development time for new wells to increase the supply (temporarily). Nationalize the industry and we could instantaneously lower the price at the pump by eliminating the billions paid out in profits, extravagant oil executive salaries, not to mention advertising costs which would all become unneeded components of present prices.

Sure it would violate the Constitution, but as McCain's mentor Bush has demonstrated with his torture approvals, warrantless searches and supposed limitless executive power, that is a "quaint" document with no real restriction on whatever a President might desire.

Actually, I am not really proposing nationalization (except maybe a cap on those truly nasty CEO salaries). I am merely pointing out that there are a lot of ways, including reducing demand, that would produce both a surer and quicker downward effect on prices at the pump than anything McCain has bandied about so far. Why is anyone listening to him on this subject especially when he does such silly things like ridiculing keeping tires properly inflated which all government sources have proven is a cheap and useful technique to increase mileage? To stage his ridicule at a rally of Harley Davidson motorcyclists encouraging them to rev their engines (a surefire gas waster) is ridiculous in and of itself.

Taken together, McCain’s actions may demonstrate his real intent which seems to be to do whatever maximizes oil company income, his biggest campaign contributors.