The conservatives have been having a field day with Obama’s suggestion that simply inflating our tires properly can solve the problem of our demand for oil and eliminate the need to lift the ban on offshore drilling.
Offshore drilling facts (as stated by President Bush):
If we open up offshore drilling we can start producing 200,000 barrels a day by 2030.
Our current demand is 2 million per day
Those 200,00 barrels that would be produced in 20 years will mostly go to other countries.
Gasoline conservation facts (of which Obama is being ridiculed for):
Properly inflating your tires can save 3% on gas
Reducing idling time (turning your car off if it is idling for a long time, i.e. at the drive through, when you run into the store, sit at the bank drive through) can save 5%
Eliminating unnecessary acceleration can save you almost 20% in gas consumption
Regular car maintenance such as tune up, changing filters, changing the oil can save 4%
So we have the choice of giving the oil companies free reign over our already endangered oceans and risk oil spills killing tens of thousands of birds, fish, marine wildlife and the coral reefs that are a habitat for ocean wildlife and line their pockets with even more money.
Or we can just start to be a bit more conscientious and take it upon ourselves to accept the responsibility of reducing the demand for oil we currently require. It might take some extra effort but in the long run it is much much more worth it.
August 12, 2008 at 4:54 pm
I applaud your concern for the environment. I have to disagree with your take on things. Obama is not the saint, here and he his no different than any other arrogant leader. What has Obama Sacrificed? What has he done to deserve this sainthood you’ve given him, other than being the anti-bush candidate?
The fact is no one wants to sacrifice anything. Every single one of us needs the oil each day to do our business. Our society is built around the car. While your sacrificing Obama is still flying, and driving around the country trying to get us all to vote for him. How fair is that?
August 12, 2008 at 9:50 pm
Obama-
Let me make it clear that I personally do not like Obama at all. You are entirely right that he is no better than any other “leader” we have had. I am not at all mesmerized by his supposed charisma by any means.
I am quite disappointed that you failed to prove your point and instead instantly attacked me for supposedly liking Obama simply because I happen to agree with something he said. I don’t like John McCain either but that doesn’t mean I have to instantly disregard anything he says as absurd.
I would like you to point out where it is that I gave him some sort of sainthood.
You know what happens when you ASS-U-ME something, don’t you?
You completely missed my point and I’m not even going to bother reiterating for you again because obviously it’s not even the issue you care about.
All I will say is do the math:
In 10-20 years we’ll get a slight percentage of 200,000 barrels a day sold to us from the international companies that will be given the go ahead to drill in our oceans. Our CURRENT demand is 2 million barrels/day.
In 10-20 years, if we start taking steps NOW that are incredibly easy and don’t cost a single penny and will actually save you money, how much do you think our demand for oil will decrease or at least level off if we start doing the things I talked about in my post that results in using 20-30% less gas than the average person currently does.
Here’s an idea though:
Instead of building an entire site based on the fact that you seem to hate someone so much, why don’t you build a site promoting someone you like. I think your energies will be best and more efficiently spent that way.