2008 Oil Crisis: Its Our Fault

Every day it appears that the price of gas is rising. We're at a rate of $4.00 a gallon for regular gas--a price that if someone had said that Americans would be paying that much for gas 24 months ago that person would have been Baker Acted. But, we are here. The only ones who could possibly be happy over the gas price are executives of oil companies, major oil investors, and overweight people. CEOs and oil investors are obvious crews who benefit from the oil crisis. On the other hand obese individuals are being forced to walk and bike more and eat less. Indeed, they are not complaining. But seriously, we are in a deep oil crisis that will make the 1973 and 1979 oil crisis look like a walk in the park. But all of this is our fault!

We need to stop the blaming game of pointing to Presidents Bush or Clinton and the Republicans and Democrats for our oil problem. The crisis originated from our arrogance and bull headed attitude that caused us to remain slaves to Mideastern oil nations and other Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)after the 1970s oil crisis. What happened? What did we do? Nothing!

Unlike other western nations who enacted policies to wean themselves off of OPEC oil the United States, that is, our elected leaders--remained silent and stubborn believing that they could force oil rich states to sell us oil at a cheap rate. However, nations like France, Germany and Brazil had other ideals. Brazil, especially, borrowed an American concept of developing bio-fuels that had been created in the 1920s by American car manufacturers; but not used on a grand scale. Well, the Brazilian leadership decided to tell Brazilian Ford, General Motors and Chrysler in the 1980s to build cars that can run on alcohol that is made from sugar cane. The Brazilian military government sold the ideal to the public as an issue of national security and nationalism. Now, Brazil is totally free of Arab oil. In fact, the government subsidized private oil company, Petro-Bras, has become the seventh largest oil company in the world by primarily selling their oil to Norte Americano gringos.

Now, we had options if we did not want to produce bio-fuels. One, we could have built more refineries. But we did not. We have not built a new refinery in our country since 1976. That means, if there is a run on the finding of new oil fields we are not capable for the rapid production of refined fuel for the American public. Secondly, we refused to drill off of our coast. There are scores of oil rich sites off the coast of Alaska and Florida, both in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, that we are not exploiting. However, our enemies and rivals are. For example, China, Russia and Cuba are drilling off the coast of Florida's Key West Islands. Brazil, which has found a mega oil source in the Atlantic are beginning to drill now in the Gulf of Mexico. What gives America?

Have we become so blind, stupid and crazy that we have lost our vision to live? Of course, it is chic for some Americans to brag about driving under the speed limit to save gas, walking and biking to work. But, this is the United States, the home of mega freeways, powerful and fast cars; not old China, the center of bike log jams. However, to keep from looking like the China of 1980, we must be bold and creative enough to tap into sources that we have now. I believe we can--I am not ready to give up my 300 horse powered Detroit made Pontiac. But most importantly--it is our fault. Let us find a solution.