Leon wrote:


"Hank" wrote in message
.. .

I think we should
stop subsidies to oil companies. They no longer drill nor do they build
refineries. Perhaps a windfall profits tax would be proper. Any profit
over
5% roi should be subject to an 80% tax. There goes most of my income for
the year (past years).


So you blame oil companies for not drilling or building refineries?

From ANWR to the North Dakota oil fields, there is sufficient oil to let
us tell the OPECers to go pound sand. But ... we might inconvenience some
caribou (even though the plan is to use only 2000 acres out of several
million), or we might endanger some previously unknown "endangered" microbe
or left-handed kangaroo rat. We have gas prices going up now because of
the required cafe blends for each specific city that requires refinery
shutdown and reconfiguration every year. Only when people get angry enough
at the shenanigans going on to thwart production and distribution is this
problem going to get solved. Instead, right now we have self-righteous
earth-worshipping luddites preventing progress and trying to force people
to buy indulgences to atone for peoples' environmental sins. Neither of
which is going to solve the needs and will only exacerbate the problem. It
will, however have the effect of providing lots of money and power to the
people espousing these policies (who, will of course not alter their
lifestyle -- that is for the "little people") and lower the quality of life
and remove freedoms from the rest of us. Until and unless people wake up
to this sham, I'm afraid we're in for a lot more of the same.


--
If you're going to be dumb, you better be tough