LOL if only our politicians were that bold!!!

I hear what you are saying. True change will only happen when the American people speak up. Isn't it about time?

If the ABC and the Extreme Home Makeover can build a house in a week, our rich oil tycoons can solve our problem in 6 months. All this rhetoric about we don’t have it is B.S.

After the big earth quakes in San Francisco and Los Angles, roads and bridges were rebuilt in record time.

That is so true my friends. Americans are so worried about their " image" , like how good they look on the way there, we should focus on our destination. My bike isn't "all that" like it was back in the day, somehow pulling her down from the rafters & cleaning her up, felt good. truly a little embarrassing to be on a bike, after that it felt good. Surely it is no difference one way or the other what I do as an individual, but , you gotta do what you can. Job & reffup,it's a start, right?

We have become very complacent.  Which is not a good thing when it comes to things we really should be standing up for or against.  How do we, as country get out of that mindset?  Are we where we are today due to small changes over a long period of time.  When did it become OK, for parents to leave their children with sitters 9, 10, 12 hours a day in order to pay for all of their stuff.  Now Gas...right now, it's ok to pay 4.00 a gallon, because it sure beats 4.50 or 4.85. Before long 5.00 is gonna be cheap.  I'm not sure what is going to happen if it keeps up.  Our pay sure isn't raising as fast as the cost of Gas, milk, bread.  There are families out there working, just to pay the babysitter and car payment.  Another job just to keep Gas and Groceries.  No wonder people are losing their homes.  It's horrific. 

Bigdog will be starting work soon.  I'm thinking of injuring him myself, so that he can stay on disablility a while longer.  I don't look forward to our gas bill once he starts.  I think if I get a good solid whomp in his knees that should do for awhile. : )

First I will say that I have said much of what Newt said in the video to friends at work and only a handful agreed with me. I believe this is two fold as to why these people didn't agree with me. One, they listen to only the worthless media that gets more money clover the pain at the pump than to be real jounalist and investigate what can be done. Two, a couple of them are very much agianst using oil and has brought into Al Gore's crap of why the globe has warmed. In fat one friend even said he would rather have gas and diesel as high as possible to stop people from driving trucks and SUV's. When Ipointed at that the increase at the pump also means the increase in shipping, postal cost, food, and everything in the store he just blew me off. Of course a couple days later when Money Watch or whatever CNN has said the sme thing he then agreed with me.

In my opinion, we don't just need to increase demestic production to lower the prices but also to hurt OPEC. Many of those in OPEC are no where near friends to the US, even before Bush became President. Also if you didn't know, and I know the mass media has not clovered it much, if Iran starts the barricade at the Strait of Hormoz we will see 40% of the world oil being cut off. That means Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, and Bahrain. Here is a link to the Google Search results of the topic. http://www.google.com/searc...

The whole thing is a catch 22, oil goes up, the cost of everything goes up. Here is an example. The farmer who grows food for our table and feed for his cattle, pays more because the seed he buys gets trucked in on diesel truck that pays $5.00 gall for diesel so he passes the cost onto the farmer, the farmer harvests his crops with diesel powered equipment so he passes it on to the consumer. The dairyman has his feed trucked in on  diesel truck, so the cost is passed on to the dairyman, the milk is picked up by a diesel truck from the processor, so the dairyman passes the cost on to the processor, who in turn passes it on to the consumer. The processor runs on a mix of fuel and electricity, which is expensive so they pass the cost on to the consumer.  The trucks that bring the food to the store, run on diesel so the provider has to raise the cost to the consumer just to make some money. It starts at the bottom and works its way to the top, everyone has to raise prices because fuel is costing them and arm and a leg, so they have to make some money back. It also doesn't help that so much of the corn supply is being diverted to make ethanol, which has driven the price of corn up, which has driven the price of feed corn up, with in turn drives up the price of milk and beef products. Sooner or later, no one is going to be able to afford to eat or go to work.

 Jer72, actually only 20% of the oil come from that region. Regradless, 40% or 20%, it's all the same. We must become less dependent on foreign oil. That will only happen when the American people demand it. Sure I’m concerned about the environment but we can make this work for our best interest.

I suspect that the terrorist would very much like to see Iran attacked so the Strait of Hormuz would be blocked. The terrorist have done a good job at disrupting our way of life and our economy. Our president and politicians get some blame but I think terrorist should be blamed the most. Their smart tactics is what got us here in the first place.

I’m not pleased with republican or democratic presidential candidates. Nothing will change. I’ll say it again; nothing will change unless the American people demand it.

Concerned, there is one flaw in your analogy. The dairyman has no control over the cost he/she sells the milk for. That is controlled by the government. The dairyman has no choice but to eat the cost increases and many continue to go out of business every month.

The last time I checked, dairyman get only $1.48 per gallon.

Job,

I read 40% in the story that got my attention, but like you say 40% or 20%, what is the difference. The fact is that we are relying on foreign countries to provide us something tat could stop the nations energy and in affect the economy. Like you said, we the people need to make the government understand who is in power. Right now they are grabbing for votes and are saying what they believe will help them, but the current Dems in Congress seem to not be listening and keep blaming the oil companies for everything. Sorry but it is bigger than just the oil companies.

As for the comment you made to Concerned, sounds like more government regulation that removes free trade within our country. Funny they keep pushing free trade with other countries but limit it within the US.

I find it very hard to believe that there are not valid alternative fuels available - this is 2008. We've been to the moon, we've got computers the size of a cell phone. Money talks, in this case oil money. They can keep the lobbyists in business forever. How can you not hold the big oil companies responsible? How can you justify the profits recently reported?

Olivia is right, as a nation we've become way too complacent - people don't even bother to get out and vote.

You are right, milk prices are influenced by the market, sometimes are good sometimes are bad. Dairyman are payed for their milk by cwt (hundredweight) not per gallon. The last mailbox price (price that the dairyman actually recieves for his milk) was $20.62, so they dairyman makes about $20 for every hundred lbs of milk he produces, no much when you see how much milk is going for at the supermarket.

Joty, you are right, there ARE other sources of energy available.  We went to the moon in 1969 on hydrogen fuels cells for gosh sakes!!!  Now car companies are touting them as some new exciting technology!!!  They can't tell me that it's taken 35 years to perfect the technology, when it was perfect in 1969!!!  I'm usually not a conspiracy theorist type, but I wouldn't be surprised about the rumor that oil companies bought the rights to the fuel cell technology 30 years ago and have been sitting on it ever since.  I believe the oil companies don't want to usher in new technology until they can squeeze every last drop of oil out of that cash cow.  

There's no doubt in my mind there are alternative fuels available.  This is a way to make quick easy cash, from people with a need.  Kind of like a drug dealer who relies on addicts for a living. The Govt knows that people are gonna continue to drive to work, continue to vacation, if we all pulled together we could put a stop to this...That's a big old freakin'  If though.

Concerned, yes I know about how milk is sold by cwt. The gereral public is not aware of that and I used a term most would understand. I used to work on dairy farm when I was 16. One of my high school best friends in N.C. is stll in the business but is hurting.