Don't Expect to Find This in Mainstream Media!

Two topics that will surely not be covered at all by the so called "mainstream media"are the prospect of foreign countries drilling for oil off the coast of the Southern tip of the Florida Keys. And the real reasons for gasoline prices being so high.
In 1977 the United States signed a treaty with Cuba guaranteeing that Cuba has exclusive right to an exclusive zone of commercial exploration up to 50 miles off its coastline. Cuba is approximately 100 miles from the southern most tip of the Florida Keys, so this gives them mineral rights for an estimated 4.6 billion barrels of crude oil beneath these waters. This estimate was given in a speech on the Senate floor by Idaho Senator Larry Craig recently. The environmentalists and fellow travelers like Senator Martinez of Florida have managed to forbid passage of legislation allowing offshore drilling to provided the crude necessary to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. But the Cubans have already discovered oil offshore with the aid of the oil exploration company Repsol from Spain. Cuba is now in negotiations for drilling and production agreements with Repsol of Spain, Sherritt of Canada and (surprise-Surprise)the Communist Chinese company Siopac. Undoubtedly soon oil will be flowing to one or all of these countries while we Americans continue to suffer at the gasoline pumps.
The second thing you will not hear or read from "old" media is the main causes of the high cost of gasoline at the pump. It is not the price gouging of "Big Oil" as they and the Washington politicians would like us to believe. The real reasons are as follows.
1. The world increase in demand due to economic expansion both at home and in developing countries like china and India. These two countries have 8 times the population of the U.S. and are developing rapidly. Requiring more oil products.
2. Available supply of gasoline has been reduced Hurricane Rita and Katrina reduced U.S. refinery output by 5%. Government mandates for ethanol have reduced the refineries ability to produce gasoline. They can't produce them at the same time. Addition government regulation requiring the additive MTBE be put in ethanol for environmental reasons has delayed refinery retooling and increased time away from the production of gasoline.
3. The government tariff of 54 cents on the importation of foreign ethanol from countries like Brazil has reduced the supply of a government mandated product. This done by Congress to protect Midwestern corn farmers, especially Iowa.
4. Government failure to allow the building of additional refineries for the last 30 years.
5. Federal and State taxes cost an average of 50 cents a gallon. In some states it is higher.
6. Oil production in the United States has fallen by 44.5% since 1971, and since 1996 alone it has dropped 12.3%. Diminished supply always increasing demand and higher prices for what is available.
7. Today we have dropped the demand for fuel efficient cars, and have purchased many more gas guzzler SUVs and Pickup trucks.
So you see it isn't the money grubbing oil companies who are to blame. Some of the big companies like BP, the 2nd largest oil corporation in the world reported a net loss in profit of 15% for this years first quarter.
Just a few things to think about the next time you are filling your gas tank while cursing 'Those Damn Oil Companies!"

History Might Repeat Itself Again?

In 1773 the British Parliament repealed the Townshead Act which had forced American colonists to pay taxes on everything imported. But the repeal exempted the tax on tea from the repeal. This tax of approximately British shilling per pound of tea of this tax the colonist entrepreneur's, somewhat like old Joe Kennedy, decided to "bootleg" tea from Holland to avoid paying the tax. These laterday smugglers did it in a big way and managed to bring enough tea to America for sale to effectively put the British sponsored East India Tea Company close to financial disaster. To help the desperate EITC the British Parliament passed the "Tea Act" in May of 1773. This act allowed the East India Tea Company to sell directly to American colonists bypassing the colonial merchants who we selling the tea from Holland. The taxes and duties collected by the British were refunded in large part to The EITC as a "subsidy" to help them succeed. This enraged the colonists who began the chant, "no taxation without representation". This resulted in the ports of New York and Philadelphia refusing the Tea ships to dock at their ports. Boston allowed three ships to dock, but the dock workers refused to unload the tea,and on the night of 12/16/73/16/73 "The Sons of Liberty", about 60 men dressed as Indians, boarded the three ships and dump into the harbor 342 chests (45 tons) of tea valued at 18,00 pounds British Sterling. Because of this act of "revolution" the British parliament passed the "Intolerability Act" which effectively eliminated self government for the Massachusetts colonists,and closed the Boston harbor. Thus was the match struck that lit the fuse that led to the explosion of Revolution against the British in 1775. Today the issue is taxes in excess of what Americans at the polls in November of 2000 and 2004 voted for. The majority of Americans voted for politicians who promised to limit the size of government and the tax burden on us Americans. The exact opposite has occurred. Government and the spending has grown out of control. Not all of it can be explained by our war against terrorism. Too many expenditures for pork projects by incumbent members of congress for their special friends back home has been a big cause of the budget busting.
Now the oil crisis has hit us, and too many members of congress think the way to rein in the high cost of gas if through taxation. Tax increases at the pump and repeal of tax breaks for exploration and drilling for new sources of oil are in the proposals by various members of congress. No mention, not even by president Bush, of a roll back of the 18 cent federal tax per gallon of gas. Just more punative "acts" to force us and American industry to use less oil. The motor that runs this great country. When will the American people realize that it is time to revolt at the ballot box and vote out of office those that refuse to stop spending and taxing like we are the "colonists" and they are the British "masters". In the free enterprise way of life it is not a "sin" to make a profit. Especially when the stockholders and pension funds that hold the stock are beneficiaries of the profit. It is a "sin" when government makes us work from January 1st to May each year just to pay for their spending habits!

President Bush Missed the Mark!

Today our president gave another of his speeches which he apparently hopes will raise the American public awareness of his recognition of the impact on us of high gasoline prices. The problem with his speech and apparent misunderstanding of the cause of this national problem is that he believes "Americans are addicted to oil."
What he should have said is that too many members of Congress are addicted to the largesse of the Environmental "wackos" who have managed to get enough members of both houses of Congress to derail any legislation which would allow United States to drill oil in ANWAR and offshore. We presently import sixty percent of the oil consumed to run our world class economy from countries who really don't like us. In fact some countries like Iran and Venezuela hate us!
No additional oil refineries or even modernization of existing plants have been allowed in over 20 years due to the influence of environmentalists and people like ex-Vice President Gore.
With the increased demand from economical developing countries like China and India, who each have over a billion in population. The demand has vastly increased world wide resulting in inflation of the barrel cost for crude oil. China has grown 9% per annum and India 7% In order for OPEC countries to keep up with this increased demand it is predicted by reliable experts that they will have to increase crude oil production by one million barrel's a day!
Another point president Bush failed to mention, is the impact: state, local and federal taxes have on the price of gas at the pump. This average of 46 cents per gallon we pay does not all get used for highway improvement,but like all other taxes goes into that large barrel which congressmen and women can dip into to fund their "pork" projects that keep them in office.
I am happy President Bush is our president and I shudder to think what would have happened if Mr. Kerry had won the election, but I am a little weary of our president failing to call out the real culprits in this oil problem. Not the usual suspects mention over and over by liberals wherever they speak or write, but those in Congress, primarily democrats who have failed to allow United States to become less dependent on Foreign oil. We need oil to keep our standard of living and prominence in the world of leading developed counties. Fancy speeches about alternative fuels and different modes of propulsion won't help,but hinder and mask the real need. More oil from American sources.

Small But Important Facts

One hundred and seventy (170) years ago this year Texas won its independence from Mexico in the great battle of San Jacinton. Sam Huston and his brave army of "Texicans" defeated the renowned General Santa Anna. Texas came into existence as a separate independent country and remained this way until 1845 when it joined the Union by way of "Treaty". The treaty, still in force today, allowed Texas to break up into five individual states if they wished to do so.
Can you imagine what would happen to the political lanscape if that happened. The way our government is now structured there would be ten (10) more Senators for sure, and who knows how many more representatives elected to congress. The balance of power would certainly be effected in the Senate with the probability of most of the Senators being elected to represent the Republican party. Not a bad idea!
Why our Country leadership continues to " kiss-up" to Communist China" and Russia, which I believe is still a haven for dedicated Communists, is beyond my comprehension. I know diplomacy with these people is better than overt hostility toward them. Never the less, both Countries are anything but friendly allies. China has sold and is still selling "silkworm" missiles to our enemies. China also is alleged to be exporting nuclear technology to Iran, and Russia not only provided ""SAMS"" to North Vietnam to kill American pilots, but is still supplying them, and the new "TOR" missile to North Korea with whom we are technically still at war but in a state of truce. The Russians lead by former KGB agent President Putin have publicly stated they will not support a UN resolution sanctioning Iran for continuing to work toward development of nuclear weapons. If this is what we accept from our "friends" being wined and dined at the White House. What do we expect from our enemies? Just one thing. Eventually they will use those weapons against us and/or our real allies.