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Letters, 8/20: Offshore drilling doesn't seem necessary

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Thursday, Aug 21, 2008 - 01:07:01 am CDT

Your editorial of Aug. 7 speaks favorably of a proposal in Congress to permit offshore drilling in waters off the Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia coasts. This display of bipartisanship is in response to John McCain’s solution to high fuel prices and “our dependence on foreign oil,” trumpeting a favorite issue of Republicans (30 years) despite a curious failure to drill any of 68 millions already leased (land and water) and the closing of dozens of domestic refineries in the same period.

So what do we get for giving Big Oil two-thirds of the Atlantic coastline? A promise to continue the existing ban on drilling the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the prohibited West Coast. In other words, you give me what I want, and I’ll let you keep what you already have. Plus, some pious promises, such as calling for 85 percent of new vehicles to be powered by nonpetroleum fuels within 20 years, ethanol research and tax credits for hybrid vehicles instead of for oil.

There is no mention by McCain of the auctioning off of the Chukchi Sea northwest of Alaska for offshore drilling to ConocoPhillips, Shell Oil and five others in February after duly delaying until May the classification of polar bears as “threatened.” Foreseeing environmental disaster, a concerned Fish and Wildlife issued regulations granting legal immunities to oil and gas companies. Such goodness and mercy shall surely precede our pathway along the Atlantic.

Warren Gilbert, Lincoln

Watch out for offensives

Although opposition to “Tropic Thunder” may ultimately result in fueling the movie’s popularity, it’s important for the public and the media to dispel the stereotypes this movie perpetuates.

People would consider it a huge social error to use racial slurs in their everyday conversations, yet the word “retard” has slipped into our unconsciousness in terms of acceptability. Much like a racial slur, the word “retard,” or “retarded,” is offensive and demeaning.

It is an emotional and highly charged word. I consider it a personal attack that instead of knowing my son’s gifts and abilities, in one word he is condemned as stupid, not worthy of society’s acceptance, dispensable.

In an age of political correctness, this word has somehow slipped off the radar of being incorrect. My husband and I daily hear intelligent, successful people use this word.

I commend the Journal Star for the opinion in Friday’s paper, “We can strive to use the controversy surrounding this film to remind each other of the cruelty that language can carry and thus help erase the r-word from our lexicon.”

Perhaps if the national media would give as much air time and print space to the positive accomplishments of people with mental retardation, the general public’s understanding, acceptance and encouragement of people with mental retardation would change.

On Oct. 4, more than a thousand people will celebrate the gifts and talents of people with Down syndrome at the seventh annual Buddy Walk. I encourage the Lincoln Journal Star to continue to run articles that help educate and dispel some of the stereotypes this movie helps to fuel.

Stacey Kuszak, Lincoln

Gas drop doesn’t equal oil

I’m not a mathematician, but I don’t understand why the price of gas is staying so high while the price of crude oil drops. It was reported (LJS, Aug. 12) that a barrel of oil has dropped in price from a high of $147.27 to $114.45. That’s a fall of 22 percent. With crude dropping 22 percent, why has the cost of a gallon of gas not dropped 22 percent? Nationally, the price of a gallon of gas has gone down 30 cents (a mere 7.3 percent), from $4.11 per gallon to $3.81 per gallon. If it were to drop the same percentage as a barrel of crude, it would (and should) be at $3.21 a gallon. I don’t understand the discrepancy. Why is gas staying so high, and what can we do to correct this?

Carol Hansen, Lincoln


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CW wrote on August 21, 2008 2:50 am:
" Normally, I'm not very big on the whole PC thing and I don't get offended by any language really. But it would be nice to hear the r-word (apparently you can't put the word in the comments...oh well) less when describing something as dumb or stupid. Just as it would be nice not to hear the word "gay" thrown around to describe something dumb or stupid. "

 Sorry Carol wrote on August 21, 2008 6:22 am:
" Big oil doesn't play for peanuts. They are motivated by profit and take it when they can. Being fair, being reasonable, these are not the important qualities required for an oil company CEO. They know that everyone will be happy with a $.10-.20 price drop. The funny part is you have a bunch of people who should be upset, yet they support the oil companies and want to lease out as much land to them for drilling, despite the companies having no intention of drilling for years and years. We live in a strnge world Carol. "

 Simple wrote on August 21, 2008 6:46 am:
" Carol,

It is simple greed. They will tell you it is supply and demand, but it is simple greed. This has all been set up with the aid of the current administration. If you want more of the same vote 'R' on your ballot. "

 Bill in Lincoln says.. wrote on August 21, 2008 6:50 am:
" ...way to go Carol Hansen. Can someone debate her common sense response in regards to the "still," high gasoline prices per gallon? "

 Zoomie wrote on August 21, 2008 6:53 am:
" Warren - good letter! But its even worse than you paint it. First, its not dozens of refineries closed, but TENS of dozens! Over the last 30yrs, more than 300 mostly small, mom-and-pop owned refineries were bought up by Big Oil and promptly closed (followed by screams blaming environmentalists whenever prices went up and people asked why we don't process more oil than we do). Second, drilling in areas such as the Chukchi Sea is dangerous and slow, given the weather extremes there. Plus, its not coastal, and relatively shallow, drilling but instead deep-sea drilling. And per the Wall St Journal two weeks ago, such drilling doesn't use standard Gulf-style rigs but instead uses highly sophisticated drilling vessels (basically, computer controlled big ships), which cost billions each to build. Right now, none are in production and every existing vessel is booked up for at least five more years! So there can be no drilling in these areas for years to come (supporting the claim these are just lease giveaways to oil companies, for distant future use, not to help us today, as Bush, the GOP and McSame keep claiming). Finally, some Democrats in the House have indicated they're going to force the GOP to put up or shut up. They plan to introduce an amendment to the bill to allow coastal drilling in the eastern Gulf and Atlantic coasts...but ONLY with a legal guarantee from the oil companies the extracted oil cannot be sold outside the US!!! If the purpose (as the GOP claim) is to help bring down our gas prices, and wean us off foreign oil, they should have no problem supporting a bill which requires US-territorial oil is used by and in the US only, right? And please...no lectures about fungible assets. No asset is fungible unless its made that way. Just as the Russians can turn natural gas supplies to Western Europe on and off at will, so too can we require OUR oil remain here in OUR country! "

 Voice of Reason wrote on August 21, 2008 7:39 am:
" Carol
Why don't you pose your question to our local "Gas Czar"? I paid $3.31 for regular yesterday in Missouri. Came back home and its about $3.65 or so. "

 MarkyMark wrote on August 21, 2008 8:34 am:
" A common misconception by the knee-jerk crowd, is that Big Oil is clamoring to drill in the ocean....open up the entire ocean to Big Oil and see if any of them actually drill.... "

 JT wrote on August 21, 2008 8:45 am:
" Hop on a bike, they don't take gas. "

 JohnK wrote on August 21, 2008 8:46 am:
" I'm still waiting for the letters complaining about the use of the word 'gay' as a pejorative. As in, 'That's so gay.' Are we going to raise a stink about that term too? "

 Becca wrote on August 21, 2008 9:18 am:
" This is just a question, so don't jump all over me. . .Could it be that because the gas stations tanks are filled with product that was more expensive when they bought it a few weeks ago, they are not able to lower the price on the more expensive gas in their underground tanks until they refill those tanks with lower priced product? I have heard that the profit margin on gasoline is not very high to the gas station owner. "

 Come on wrote on August 21, 2008 9:41 am:
" Everytime the oil companies want to raise the price of gas, there is either a crude increase, storm, ship sinking, etc. It's happened a hundred times. Just how stupid do they think the public is? We have a so called disaster then the price goes up 70%, the disaster goes away and they drop the price 20%, a 50% increase each time. It has happened about a dozen times in the past 10 years. Maybe we are stupid for not seeing this for what it is. A game played by oil companies to get a raise in prices. Price gas up, way up, then slowly drop it until its about 30 cents a gallon more than it was, and hold it there. It works folks, everyone today thinks they are getting a bargain at 3.40 gas. Hell, they laugh all the way to the bank. If the people don't see whats happening they may be stupid or blind. I agree with others that the oil companies lease already several million acres of sea for drilling and have not done it. They are like a spoiled kid, they want more!!!!!!!!!!!! "

 SB wrote on August 21, 2008 9:42 am:
" Gasoline is not crude oil and crude oil is not gasoline – have you also meticulously tracked and factored in the relationship of crude oil production and demand for other energy fuels (diesel, jet fuel, natural gas, ethanol production etc) oh and here’s a real big one – the dollar is weak and is weaker every day! What can you do to correct this? Don’t use it. Quid pro quo; give me some common sense reason why you are entitled to a cheap foreign commodity? "

 come on folks wrote on August 21, 2008 9:47 am:
" The oil companies have more leased land and sea then they could ever possibly drill into. They are like kids who are spoiled. I have some but I want it all. Ever noticed that the public is buying into the game oil companies play? Have a disaster, raise gas prices, drop gas prices a few cents and the public thinks they are getting a bargain. This has gone on so many times I would think the people would see whats happening. Gas priced at 2.90 a gallon, have a increase in crude oil or a disaster like a plant going down, raise the price a dollar a gallon to 3.90, then reduce the price back to 3.60 and people think they are getting a deal. I've seen this so many times that I no longer buy into the b.s. "

 Short answer man wrote on August 21, 2008 10:10 am:
" Why is gas staying so high, and what can we do to correct this?

Carol Hansen, Lincoln
****************************

Carol : Walk. "

 michelle wrote on August 21, 2008 10:13 am:
" the same letters, the same comments. cant we find something else to debate? "

 Nope wrote on August 21, 2008 10:32 am:
" Becca, good thought. That used to be the case a when my husband worked at a gas station. They would raise or lower the price whenever they bought gas from the transport. They had a profit of .05 per gallon and that was to cover the wages of the person who pumped gas for you (full service). However, the last few years, the same day I hear the oil went up, the gas stations raised their prices. Of course, the same day I heard oil went down, they didn't seem to be so quick. I agree with some, it's greed on the part of oil companies. I don't think the local gas station makes much on the price swings. "

 NASCAR wrote on August 21, 2008 11:03 am:
" I agree Stacey, stop calling us Redneck's "

 Mother of two wrote on August 21, 2008 11:06 am:
" I am tired of being called Mam. Can we ban that too "

 Another Parent wrote on August 21, 2008 11:10 am:
" Thanks, Stacey. As another parent, I agree that instead of making ourselves look a loony and standing outside a movie theater protesting, we need to get the word out the people with disabilites are people that we care about, who bring us joy along with challenges and make our lives fuller. I cringe each time the r-word is thrown into the conversation and friends and family have removed it from their vocabulary. I think that most of the use is unconscious and does not mean to intentionally refer to or hurt people with disabilities, but with more knowledge people will start to understand that this word is not an accurate or appropriate way to describe something. "

 Sean wrote on August 21, 2008 11:13 am:
" Carol...Greed is the correct answer. Just look at the AG case against stations and a distributor who switched regular and ethanol brands in order to gouge the public. And according to his office, there's more to follow. Nuff said "

 peb wrote on August 21, 2008 11:32 am:
" Complaining about using "gay" as a pejorative has been happening for a long time. It's use is discouraged in schools.

If I were gay, I wouldn't want to hear "That's so gay!" as in "That's so stupid!" It shows that the person doing the talking isn't thinking. Why do we need to use those words in hurtful ways? Wouldn't our lives be so much more pleasant if we didn't have to hear things being called "the word that this site won't allow" "so gay," or any other words that are used pejorativly. There is no need considering the English language has thousands of words for us to use. "

 REvoice of reason wrote on August 21, 2008 11:34 am:
" Tell you why it's cheaper in Missouri. We have a A.G. who watches the gas suppliers closely. Also, it's because we have a lot less state tax on gasoline. The legislature debated asking the voters to raise the tax for highway funding, but, decided the taxpayers would not vote for it and dropped it. Missouri has a law that taxes cannot be raised without the approval of the taxpayers. It's a good law and something you will never see in nebraska. "

 Ignignokt wrote on August 21, 2008 11:38 am:
" Becca, the underground storage tanks at gas stations don't last that long. "

 R word again wrote on August 21, 2008 11:46 am:
" While I agree with people who are offended by the use of the "r-word," I disagree that it's become an accepted word in general use. My children know it has a derogatory connoation, and, if one of them were to use it, they would receive commensurate consequences. I don't use it and, frankly, I don't know anyone who does.

On another note, I also think those who object to the use of the word in "Tropic Thunder" are the same people who would like to see Huckleberry Finn banned from libraries--they hear about the use of a word and, WITHOUT SEEING AND/OR READING FOR THEMSELVES, they automatically assume the worst and go on a rampage.

So before spouting your objections, please please PLEASE gather all the facts and know exactly what you're talking about. "

 Brett wrote on August 21, 2008 12:38 pm:
" Wow, many of you have not taken economics. It's simple. Let's say the gas station bought 100 gallons of gas for $3.50/gallon. That's $350. Suddenly the price of them purchasing gas drops to $3.40/gallon. Well, it doesn't change the fact that they paid $350 for the gas that they still have to sell.

Also, they're buying this gas on the open market. It is a commodity and the price is not dictated by the oil companies, but the market. That means you. You may not think so, but indirectly YOU are responsible. YOU caused the price along with other market forces of supply and demand.

We all own directly or indirectly stocks, bonds, mutual funds, etc that own oil stock. This buying and selling is responsible for the price along with gas shortages which causes the market to bid the price up in order to obtain the gas that they need.

Yes, the price dropped on oil recently by several dollars/barrel but that is NOT the only cost to get that gas delivered to you. It only changed the price of the input cost of purchasing crude by the oil refinery in order to convert it to gasoline. There are other costs like wages which are fairly fixed costs, transportation costs, crude oil conversion costs, taxes, etc.

The cost of CRUDE is not the same as the cost of GAS. Crude is only part of the cost. "

 Roger wrote on August 21, 2008 1:06 pm:
" "In an age of political correctness" - that says it all right there. Sorry, I don't buy into the PC thing, but maybe I should. Let me find something to be offended about... "

 DP wrote on August 21, 2008 3:01 pm:
" I don't see a problem drilling for more oil. When was the last time you heard a bad story about an oil spill in this country? The reason they aren't drilling in the 68 million acres they currently have is because there isn't any oil there. It's not like you can just start digging anywhere and find oil. I'm all for wind, solar, etc but that's so long tern that we should be using all of the oil in this country while we work on other alternatives. Politicians on the left say it would take 10 years before we saw a price drop from drilling but the experts in the industry say 3-5. Solar, wind and the like would be 20 years or more. I could care less if "big oil" makes a profit as long as gas prices drop. "

 Oil Is Our Friend wrote on August 21, 2008 3:10 pm:
" Ok all you Big Oil haters. I’d love to see all the oil companies say, “The hell with you whiners, we’re not drilling, refining, etc. for the next year. Let’s see how you get along without oil for a year! Maybe then you will appreciate the service we provide for this country!” "

 So Brett wrote on August 21, 2008 3:17 pm:
" If the gas station buys gas at a certain price and their underground tank is filled and 1 hour later, oil goes up and that afternoon, the gas price goes up on the gas already in the underground tank, what do you call that? And if the oil that is more expensive to buy that day does not get refined into gas for, lets say one week, shouldn't the cheaper oil that is being refined remain at the lower price thus leaving gas at the lower price until the impact of that day's oil price increase is felt? "

 Tzi wrote on August 21, 2008 3:40 pm:
" Yes - the starving people of the world shouldn't grow more food, they should take smaller bites. :)

If it works for oil, why not food? "

 Brett wrote on August 21, 2008 8:09 pm:
" You should all read a ECONOMICS 101 book. Figure out how the planet works. Figure out markets. Figure out how some commodities are elastic and inelastic in price. "

 dj wrote on August 22, 2008 12:48 pm:
" The alternative energy resources the no drill advocates write about are still largely non-existent in terms of technological and engineering capability. "

 Zoomie wrote on August 24, 2008 6:19 pm:
" DP - a) The USGS estimates the land the oil companies can drill on (but don't) has literally billions of barrels of oil under it. The oil companies don't drill because there is no need. Since we've maxed out production processing, more crude would just sit in barrels waiting.
b) Last oil spill? Try 3 weeks ago, when McSame called off his original visit to an oil rig because an oil spill along the river (caused by an oil tanker) fouled up New Orleans terrribly. Oil rig spill? Well, try 2005 caused by Katrina (yeah, I know the new Gov of LA, Bobby Jindal, made the claim Katrina caused no oil spill, but that's because he's willfully blind). In fact, the 2005 oil spill from Katrina was so large in the Gulf it was literally visible from outer space!
c) Why is wind and solar any more long-term than oil? Its not like you look and blink, and WHAM! there's a new oil drill or rig. Oil company estimates (optimistic ones) are 3-5 years before you'll see a drop of oil; pessimistic estimates say closer to 10yrs. Bush's own Dept of Energy says it'll take at least 5yrs, and won't peak until 2028! Meanwhile, you can build wind turbines or solar paneling now just as easily as oil rigs! In fact, had we followed up on the first move to renewable energy we made back in the '70s, we might well BE oil sufficient right now! France gets 70% of its energy from nuclear (different processes than we use, but far safer); Denmark gets 70% of theirs from wind (using technology developed from then-new technology they learned here in the U.S...but we ceased developing it, so they took it and ran!).
Meanwhile, five oil companies are getting $18 BILLION U.S. taxpayer dollars per year (intended to help them back when oil was selling for $15 per barrel), and use it to help their highest profits in WORLD HISTORY!!! Aren't you glad that billions of our tax dollars are being taken out of our education, health and infrastructure funding and instead are going to pay oil executives salaries of hundreds of millions of dollars per year? I'm not! So why are Republicans voting against canceling the tax subsidies, and against putting money into renewable energy? Because they get millions in donations from oil companies? Hmmm?? "

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