8/17/05 The Age Of Oil

Last night there were dire warnings on the news about an impending oil crunch that could cripple the U.S. Everything depends on energy. Without it our economy would grind to a dead halt. And yet our president accepts the fact that our destiny is in the hands of Saudi Arabia and a few other dubious allies.

The fact is that the age of oil will come to an end in the not-too-distant future. Whoever controls the energy technology of the future will be a great power in the world. If our leaders had any vision they would be doing everything possible to ensure that this power would be held by the U.S.

If you look at the ups and downs of the U.S. economy over the last 25 years you will see that when oil prices rise the rest of the economy goes down. During the times of economic recession oil companies have posted record profits, as is the case today.

In the early 1960’s president Kennedy announced that the U.S. would put a man on the moon within ten years. It might have seemed impossible to some, but the goal was achieved.

It is time for our president to set a similar goal for developing new energy resources. It should be the highest priority. President Bush put 2 Billion towards developing new energy technology in his last budget. Compare that with the 200-plus billion we are spending to protect Iraqi and Saudi oil in the Iraq war. Most of out nation’s problems are caused by oil. We would never be entangled in the Middle East if it wasn’t for oil. We would not be fighting the war on terror if it wasn’t for oil. We have fought and financed multiple wars to protect Saudi Oil. We have lost thousand s of lives and spent billions fighting the war on terror because of our Middle East entanglements. Why then is it not worth putting money into development of new energy technology?

The well being of the American people should not be in the hands of Saudi oil sheiks. Every president for the last 25 years has failed the public by not rising to face this challenge. Of course, when you make an x-oilman president, whose campaign was financed by U.S. oil companies and who is a longtime friend of the Saudi royal family, you shouldn’t be surprised when gas prices skyrocket and oil companies announce a 300% increase in profits since the last year.

Unfortunately it is unlikely the next president will give this matter priority unless the public outcry makes this an important campaign issue. Does anyone have any ideas on how we can get the media to get behind this issue?