Solving the country's problems is so easy when you're a freeper

[Rude Horner]

Ok, my brother in law isn't a freeper officially, but his view of the world definitely leans in that direction. He has blessed me with wonderful tidbits throughout the years about things such as his solutions to illegal immigration ("Give me a gun and put me on the boarder!"), etc....

And just now he visits me in my office here at work and gives me his incredibly thought-out solution to the country's gas crisis. His solution:

Make an announcement that "the South" has one year to decide where we're going to put 10 oil refineries. (As if "the South" is one person who you can give an ultimatum to. Also, not sure why he chose the South. Maybe because we live in the north and he doesn't want it in his backyard.) After one year, if they haven't decided where the refineries are going, we pick 10 spots on our own and just build them. Oh, and then "we get to give the finger to Iraq and Iran and stuff".

So there you have it. It's just that simple, folks. :eyes:

[bryant69]

1. Gosh that is simple

Why did we invade the South if we weren't going to put oil refineries there?

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[jackster]

8. ROTFL

:rofl:

now THAT is funny

[Sapere aude]

2. Yes then the oil companies will have more refineries to shut down.

We have enough refining capacity but they are taken off line and you need raw crude before you can refine it. Building refineries will not bring in raw crude. Also drilling only here, without the beginnings of alternative fuel development will lead us to the day when we run out of oil with nothing to power our society.

[WCGreen]

5. We don't have enough Oil refineries if they are operating at close

to 95% capacity and that is barely enough...

They blame everything else on their lack of investment...

And the more they stall, the more they can charge at the pumps...

[Sapere aude]

9. I am not so sure,

http://wyden.senate.gov/leg_issues/reports/wyden_oil_report.pdf

[WCGreen]

17. Okay that report was from 2001...

The Oil companies have not added any more refineries...

They closed refineries and haven't been building replacement...

They effectively instituted the policy they were following from the 1990's....

And demand has sky rocketed since then simply because of the Chinese heavy hand in the market place let alone the increase in the automobile driving population in this country...

We are importing refined oil products...

They are using every excuse they can to control the market. Add the speculative nature of raw resources and the hyper-kinetic fluctuations of an open commodities market, the dentists who were investing in DOT.com companies in the 90's are now speculating in the commodities market, and you have $ 3.50 gas price...

What happened in the 1990's, excess capacity will never happen again...

[TahitiNut]

3. If he doesn't want a refinery in his backyard, does he want more pipelines?

Where would he like to put the distribution terminals? It's amazing how little folks know about the petrochemical distribution system.

I find it interesting that a 'freeper' is advocating greater government control (socialism?) of the energy industry.

[SoCalDem]

4. Just a long line of people handing buckets along..

I'm sure he can find a "recipe" online to make his own gasoline :rofl:

[RaleighNCDUer]

7. Pipeline? Wazzat for?

Gas comes in them big trucks we see all over the place.

[karlrschneider]

6. If he gives the finger to the M.E. (Iran, Iraq and stuff), just where the fuck does he plan

to get the oil to go IN the refineries?
jeezus...

[cui bono]

11. Maybe he didn't mean flip them off.

Maybe he actually wants us to each send them a finger. You know as a gift.

[karlrschneider]

13. He sounds nutty enough to actually mean it like that.

You may have something there...
;-)

[11 Bravo]

10. That would be funny ...

if it wasn't so sad.

[B3Nut]

12. Damn, too bad I wasn't in the office

I'd have rang you from my cell to rescue you from him. :D What a maroon....

(hi boss!)

Todd in Cheesecurdistan

[Rude Horner]

14. One of our other gracious co-workers rescued me

My brother in law has a reputation for ...um....how can I put this delicately?....never shutting up. Sometimes when he's in my office for a long time, one of my sympathetic co-workers will call my phone to rescue me. Sad, but true. :)

[Javaman]

15. sounds like a regular genius. nt

[underpants]

16. Seriously, ask him if he thinks any oil companies want any more refineries

Refineries are the only control that domestic oil companies have over supply and demand. The reason you hear supply and demand mentioned so much is because discussion of that distracts from talking about how refineries are the built in spigot of the oil companies.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/underpants/45

Editor, Times-Dispatch: The oft-cited excuse for rising gas prices is the lack of new refineries in the U.S. This is echoed by people who should know better.
Blaming this on radical environmentalists is naive (sic). If the American Petroleum Institute wanted to initiate a lobbying effort to build a refinery in the middle of the James River, it would -- and it would get it, too. Big Oil doesn't bow to environmental pressures; in fact, it bows to no one, let alone the Sierra Club.

The important factor here is the companies' margin on refining and not over-investing in capacity; they are dealing with a finite supply, you know. There are currently half as many oil refineries in the U.S. as there were in 1981 but refining capacity has only decreased 10 percent. Google "Chevron memo refineries" and read for yourself (search for Texaco and Mobil memos, too). Big Oil has control over supply primarily through control of refining.

Oil companies enjoy the rare ability these days of price control and they apparently have willing followers to chant their message for them. Would you make a U-turn to get a $2.50 gallon of gas? Would you have a year ago?

The Chevron memo
http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/energy/fs/5103.pdf

The Mobil memo
http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/energy/fs/5105.pdf

The Texaco memo
http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/energy/fs/5104.pdf