Taking a day or so away from tramping...
Does anyone besides myself find the world situation with oil prices alarming? Yes, the lack of direction from out elected leaders is causing problems, as is the dearth of any coherent foreign policy by the Cheney administration. The "war to liberate Iraq" has played a large roll in this mess, and will continue to do so, probably as long as there is oil to be pumped from the ground.
In my opinion, the biggest piece of the oil puzzle is the greed of the major producing nations—especially the worst enemy the United States has at the moment, Saudi Arabia—and the desire to control the world's oil reserves by Communist China, which will soon replace the Sheikdoms as the worst enemy of the "free" world.
China has a lot of oil of its own in the ground; lots of oil. China is also buying every drop of oil that becomes available on the spot markets and is driving the futures market, causing a big part of the present fiasco. It is a fiasco for everyone but China and the producers/exporters. Someday, it will become a miserable spot for the latter because Beijing will own the biggest part of what oil is still available.
Ever notice on newscasts from China how crowded the center-cities are with traffic? Yes, they do have a traffic problem, but have you noticed that away from city centers, there is very little automobile traffic? Even in the worst of traffic jams there, you see a lot of bicycles, many more bicycles than cars, actually. Folks, let me tell you what you already know—those bicycles get very, very good gas mileage. Between the cars and bicycles come the motor bikes. Not big Harleys or Hondas, but small machines the size of Vespas (basically a motor-scooter) and such. They don't get as much gas mileage as do the bicycles, but it is still pretty darn good.
Now, if you ever get a chance to see what the communists don't want you to see, look what is driven mostly in small and out of the way places. For god's sake, they are still using ox carts! A bunch of those around, too, and they get excellent gas mileage. Very few autos in Smallville, China, and not a lot of motorcycles, either. Other than the ox cart for things like we use a pickup truck, they mostly ride bicycles.
So what is China going to do with the oil they are stashing? Produce more and more shoddy merchandise for their own people, plus keep flooding the world with crappy goods, because soon enough, the communists there will be the only ones manufacturing anything.
I better stop now, 'cause I've made myself mad again.
4 comments:
Bush borrowed money from China so we could have the stimlus checks.
interesting.ag
If you happen to be one of the many thousands who owe and are a day late on making payments on a student loan, there will be no "stimulus" check. Chris is an example... she is working a full day shift job, plus cleaning a building for Carolyn, plus looking for more part-time work. She is struggling to make her rent and car payment, and I know she doesn't have enough to eat half the time. People like her are the ones who are getting put down the worst by gas prices. I would imagine Vanessa is finding it difficult, too. I don't see how a single mom can make it.
Money for the tax rebates isn't the only money Bush is borrowing from China...
I am not even sure how we begin to really fix this problem. Too a large extent we are already at the mercy of China. Since they make so many goods we use everyday and also food they export to the U.S. it will take massive amounts of work to right the ship.
In terms of growth China as a whole is like the U.S. was 100 years ago. The vast majority if Chinese do not much yet but they are well on their way and for them there is not going back.
We need our government and business leaders to worry about "we the people" and worry a little less about the bottom line.
The country is at a major crossroads and we will need some skilled leaders to view things in ways that we have never had to before. I do not see oil prices getting much better ever again. We should have taken advantage of what was learned during the 1970's oil embargo but instead we ignored everything and here we are today.
And finally if we continue to try and be the policemen for the "free world" we will contine to be in situations like we are today. The reason much of the world hates the U.S., government, not the people, is we have put many of these assholes into power including Saddam. We reap what we sow.
It really pisses me off. Greed and power.
Hi Mark,
Maybe communism is the way to go... at least a Bush can't get elected in China.
But, under communism or socialism, I can't see China ever attaining the status the US did after WWII. The freedom to gather together and share ideas still doesn't exist there, so innovation will be much slower than it was here. They seem to be planning on catching up to the rest of the world through schooling. Higher education mostly perfects the ideas that are hatched in kitchens, garages, and small shops of the working people. An overly educated populace leads to a society of elitists and greedists, and that just echoes your statement.
I see where the new-New Deal Democrats who promised so much to get elected last mid-term have jumped on Bush's sinking boat and are voting to fund the war some more. They are hoping folks will forget they are doing it by time elections get here, I suppose.
As the late, great Walt Kelly said through his beloved Pogo "We have met the enemy and he is us".
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