Offshore Drilling Ban to be Lifted by Bush

[Kevy Baby]

Originally Posted by Gemini Cricket

...lovely otter staining Exxon Valdez-style oil spills...

The Exxon-Valdez accident had nothing to do with offshore drilling - it had to do with transportation of oil from a land-based oil source. while many steps have been taken to ensure that an accident of this magnitude does not happen again, this kind of incident could just as easily happened with oil coming from the Middle East.

Originally Posted by BarTopDancer

I'm more concerned about the environmental factors then the aesthetics.

If they can do this without harming the environment then I'm really not opposed to it.

While there are no guarantees, significant strides have been made to ensure captivity of potential spills.

Originally Posted by Tref

Thank God it is almost over ... both Bush and the Conservative movement are in the death throes, but these final months are key.

Originally Posted by Tref

Its not even Autumn, yet, Scaeagles, and across the country Conservatives are dropping like dead leaves off a tree, even in old Republican strongholds. People are tired of being lied to, they're angry and disgusted by what they see and it is beautiful thing.

Not too many years ago, the exact same things were being said about the Democratic Party.

I truly believe that what the American Public is sick of the current two-party system and would like to see all of the old stalwarts (from BOTH parties) go away. Unfortunately, what most people are afraid of is change. Not the empty promise sound bite of change from Obama's current campaign, but a complete overall of our current political environment.

Originally Posted by Tref

Off shore drilling will benefit no one but the Oilmen -- <snip>. Off shore drilling will not lower the cost of gas and if it does it will be by pennies, but the cost of construction, the cost to the environment and the cost to our future can not be so easily measured.

Who would you rather have making the profits: the "rich oilmen" or the Saudi's? I agree that domestic oil drilling (be it onshore or off), will probably not lower prices. It just brings it to the point of being profitable for the domestic oil companies to extract the oil and sell.

And I have no problem with the money being kept domestically (rather than paying OPEC). That means AMERICAN JOBS - people who work on the oil derricks, the people who work in the offices of the oil companies, etc. If you look at the old oil towns in Texas, Oklahoma, etc. you will see depressed regions that despearately need an influx of jobs. It is NOT just a couple of rich white guys that are benefitting - it is our nation's economy.