Pros/Cons Of Offshore Oil Drilling

Click Here To Discuss Offshore Oil Drilling.

Over the next few months, no one issue will be debated more in the halls of Congress and by the American people than offshore oil drilling in Florida and California. For 30 years, federal law has forbidden U.S. oil companies from drilling for crude oil in these locations, but last week – John McCain and then President Bush stated their desire to repeal the law the forbids offshore drilling in the United States. High gas prices are causing most Americans to rethink our green strategy when it comes to the search for and pumping of crude oil here in the United States. Of course, there are environmentalist that never want to see another oil drilling platform off the coast of this country and that is the reason there will be a huge debate about this issue all summer long.

There are many issues that make offshore oil drilling a political 'hot potato' for politicians in Washington. On the pro side of this debate, there is the unmistakable truth that the United States needs to produce more of our own crude oil, so we are not so dependent on foreign imports. However, the biggest pro of them all is that with gas prices heading ever closer to $5 per gallon, the U.S. economy is growing more sluggish every single day. All Americans realize that a poor preforming economy means that few raises and potential job layoffs could be just around the corner if high gas prices continue to put pressure on Americans biggest job creator, small businesses. Also, it just makes good sense that Americans not outsource our energy supply to nations that hate us in the first place. The only short term solution to this problem is to allow more oil exploration within the United States.

On the cons side of offshore oil drilling the issues revolve more around emotion than financial necessity. The biggest con I see to offshore oil drilling is that no one wants to be looking at an offshore oil rig when they go out to the beach on a sunny afternoon. In addition to the unsightly nature of looking out into the ocean and seeing an oil rig instead of clear blue water, there is a possibility that either through negligence or because of severe weather that an oil rig could start leaking crude oil into the ocean. As we have all seen after previous oil spills, the damage to nature is massive and also clean up efforts are never 100% complete when millions of barrels of crude oil first spill into the water and then eventually wash up on nearby beaches. The biggest con to offshore oil drilling is the potential of what a major oil spill would do the the ocean and to the surrounding beaches and wildlife that live there.

It is easy to see why environmentalist do not want to allow offshore oil drilling, but it is even easily for me to see why most Americans want it because of record high gas prices. While there are many other pros and cons to offshore oil drilling that I have not listed here, the decision on whether or not to drill offshore in the United States will come down to whether the Congress and President are more interested in the environment or will the severe economic issues of the day control their decision? I think most of us know who will lose this fight in the end. It will be the environmentalist and the 'green movement'. Over the history of this country, it has always been economic issues that have rule the day and with high gas prices putting a strain on average Americans – once again it will be the environmental/green movement that will be tossed aside in order to meet the short term energy needs of the United States. (Discuss offshore oil drilling in my forum)

Title: Pros/Cons Of Offshore Oil Drilling
Written: June 23 2008
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McCain's $300 Million Battery Idea

Just when almost everyone, including myself, thought that Senator John McCain was out of the the running for this years presidential race – now he has come with a crazy idea that might just help this country quickly develop an energy alternative to crude oil. Today, Senator McCain proposed that the U.S. government reward the person(s) that can develop a huge breakthrough in automobile battery longevity with a $300 million prize. Only last week, Senator McCain proposed a lifting of the offshore ban on drilling for crude oil in Florida and California and then today he is taking the next step, which has been needed so badly in this country and that is providing a real incentive for a person or group of people to prefect and extend automobile battery life.

The big question I have is, where is Senator Obama while McCain is thinking out of the box when it comes to solving this nations energy needs? He certainly is not offering up any new ideas of his own, short of the same old liberal nonsense that has been peddled by environmental extremist for decades. Right now, Senator McCain is proving that he is ready for this presidential campaign – but to date, Senator Obama is not. John McCain's energy ideas are right down the middle politically and that is where Barack Obama needs to be if he wants to become the next President. Within the course of one week, Senator McCain has proposed an idea that will allow for more crude oil discovery within the United States and now with his $300 million battery lottery idea, he is also looking toward the future energy needs of this country.

For some reason, Senator Obama is still stuck in his primary campaign against Hillary Clinton. While running toward the left in the democratic primary is the right thing to do, he must quickly shed many of his old time liberal ideology and get about the business of finding solutions to this nations problems in a moderate and compromising way. Right now, it appears that Senator Obama is trying to find himself while at the same time Senator McCain seems to have his war chest full of new ideas to fight the ever increasing price of gas. To say that I am shocked that John McCain seems to be the new ideas guy in this race, is a huge understatement. Like everyone else, I thought that it would be McCain that would stick with ideology throughout this presidential campaign, but to date it has been Obama that seems to be stuck in the politics of the past.

While Senator McCain's idea of offering someone a $300 million prize for helping to propel automobile battery technology to the next level will be criticized by some as nothing more than an energy gimmick - the amount of that prize, $300 million, is just the kind of incentive it will take to get Americas best minds to work on this most important issue. For far too long, young inventors have found their inventions being bought up by large oil companies and then shelfed because they could change the way Americans fuel their automobiles and homes. By putting a huge reward, $300 million, on the table – the U.S. government would assure that the next big idea in automobile battery technology would not be bought by some oil company just so it never saw the light of day in the free market. Even for rich oil companies, $300 million, is no small amount of money. Right now, John McCain understands that high gas prices are the only issue facing voters in this November's election. The next big question is when will Barack Obama discover that, as well?

Title: McCain's $300 Million Battery Idea
Written: June 23 2008
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George Carlin, 'Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television', Dead

I was saddened to hear the news that comedian George Carlin died yesterday at the age of 71. While some far right social conservatives consider Carlin as nothing more than a modern day anti-Christ, to millions of Americans he made us laugh when events in our lives left us little to laugh about. Thinking back, it has been years since I saw George Carlin appear on pay cable television shows where he was allowed to present his unique brand of comedy without being censored by the broadcast networks. In my opinion, George Carlin thrived on cable television especially on paid networks like HBO and Showtime. The initial power and influence of paid channels like HBO and Showtime have long since faded, but back during their glory days, it was entertainers like George Carlin that cause millions of people to send in a few extra bucks per month to their cable company just to be able to see George Carlin in the raw.

Now another American icon is dead and millions of Americans will grieve the passing of George Carlin. Like Carlin, I too am facing old age sooner rather than later, but back when I was in my mid 20's, George Carlin was the best comedian in the United States of America. All throughout this countries history, it has been comedians that have help us get through the day, when nothing but bad news is being thrown at us almost every single minute we are awake. Years ago, younger and more edgier comedians have taken George Carlin's place as comic relief to help get us all through our day. However, for many people like myself, we will consider George Carlin the 'gold standard' when it comes to judging young comic talent that is trying to find a marketplace in our lives.

Nothing made George Carlin stand out more with the American people than his comic routine where he talked about the 'seven words you can never say on television'. Of course, most of us heard him say all of those words on television, but for sure he was not being broadcast on free network television when he said them. In his own way, George Carlin made all of us think about censorship on the American airwaves and also to ask ourselves if that censorship was really in the best interest of this country. Now this comedian pioneer is dead, but George Carlin will not soon be forgotten by members of my generation. Like many other Americans alive today, I am a product of the 1970's and that decade is still a very important part of my life.

Tonight, another important voice that helped many up us come of age in the 1970's is dead. While there will be a few people that will try to ridicule George Carlin for the vile way he used his humor to make a point, to me – George Carlin will always be remembered as a man that used his unique brand of humor to make important points about what it really means to be an American. The 1970's were a very important part of the lives of millions of American that are alive today and those 70's feelings have not faded over the course of time. Even young people today look to the music of the 1970's to help them find their way in this ever changing world and hopefully George Carlin's death will help many of the '20 somethings' of today to better understand the history of this great nation and the battles that were fought long before they were born.

Title: George Carlin, 'Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television', Dead
Written: June 23 2008
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