Chavez threatens to cut oil if U.S.

[Fluffybunny]

As I keep saying; if we had invested a tenth as much time, effort, and money into all of the various forms of alternative energies available to us that we spend on dealing with securing oil in the middle east, we could be rid of blowhards like this guy, and the ilk like him in the M.E. . One of the biggest mistakes I think our government makes is not weaning us off of foreign oil; it could be done and the worst part is that it could be done a lot cheaper than what we are paying to fight this war in the middle east... with no need for foreign oil, we could wash our hands of them and walk away leaving someone else to go broke trying to deal with them. I cant believe that this guy has supporters...I give him maybe 5 years before he turns into (at best) a little version of pinochet...killing everybody who opposes him...or at least making them dissapear.

CARACAS, Venezuela (CNN) -- President Hugo Chavez on Friday wrapped up his campaign to push through broad constitutional changes with a broadside attack against adversaries at home and abroad -- including a threat to cut off oil exports to the United States. Chavez told a crowd gathered in the center of Caracas that if the referendum was approved and the result was questioned -- "if the 'yes' vote wins on Sunday and the Venezuelan oligarchy, playing the [u.S.] empire's game, comes with their little stories of fraud" -- then he would order oil shipments to the United States halted Monday.

At stake in Sunday's vote is whether the leftist leader should have full authority over the now autonomous Central Bank and with it the nation's economic policy, changes Chavez has said he needs to move the economy further toward socialism. Friday's rally acted as a counterpoint to an opposition march down the same streets Thursday that brought out tens of thousands who fear the 69 constitutional changes would serve to undermine basic democratic freedoms.The most controversial amendment would do away with term limits, allowing Chavez, who has served almost eight years in power, to hold his post indefinitely as long as he is re-elected.

link to rest of story

[Lt_Ripley]

As I keep saying; if we had invested a tenth as much time, effort, and money into all of the various forms of alternative energies available to us that we spend on dealing with securing oil in the middle east, we could be rid of blowhards like this guy, and the ilk like him in the M.E. . One of the biggest mistakes I think our government makes is not weaning us off of foreign oil; it could be done and the worst part is that it could be done a lot cheaper than what we are paying to fight this war in the middle east

TOO TRUE !

Not to mention switching to alternative energy forms would put this country back to work ( as long as they mandate no imports of hardware and tech from other countries even from American businesses )

It would rebuild our manufacturing base, our tech base , for a good long while. Get around to every house having at least 1 solar panel ? wind mill ?

[Unlimited]

we should be under a wartime effort to become independent of ME oil...what do we do..nothing.

[Ins0mniac]

as long as they mandate no imports of hardware and tech from other countries even from American businesses

That's pretty drastic. You release how much hardware and technology currently comes from overseas?

Say medicine based technology for example. If some other country like Sweden or Japan invents a way to prolong someone's life if they have a certain condition, are you going to deny that technology in the U.S until a domestic company reinvents the wheel?

I definitely see the benefit of trying to boost the local industry and being as self sufficient as possible but I think cutting yourself off from global markets wont make a nation stronger, sometimes it will leave you behind. Look at the countries who've tried it.

But I agree, if you can find an alternative to oil, that would be great.

Edited December 1, 2007 by Ins0mniac

[AROCES]

TOO TRUE !

Not to mention switching to alternative energy forms would put this country back to work ( as long as they mandate no imports of hardware and tech from other countries even from American businesses )

It would rebuild our manufacturing base, our tech base , for a good long while. Get around to every house having at least 1 solar panel ? wind mill ?

You want to start a trade war?

You will force solar panel and windmill on all homeowners?

[Ins0mniac]

You will force solar panel and windmill on all homeowners?

I think it would be a great idea to give incentives to do that. Not force though.

Edited December 1, 2007 by Ins0mniac

[Lt_Ripley]

That's pretty drastic. You release how much hardware and technology currently comes from overseas?

Say medicine based technology for example. If some other country like Sweden or Japan invents a way to prolong someone's life if they have a certain condition, are you going to deny that technology until a U.S company reinvents the wheel?

I definitely see the benefit of trying to boost the local industry and being as self sufficient as possible but I think cutting yourself off from global markets wont make a nation stronger, sometimes it will leave you behind. Look at the countries who've tried it.

But I agree, if you can find an alternative to oil, that would be great.

I'm talking about a limited product - like solar panels and the hardware there for. With it so easy for American companies to leg it to where they can pay squat but still charge the same price here needs to stop. we can't all be flipping burgers for a living.

we should be under a wartime effort to become independent of ME oil...what do we do..nothing.

but that is why we are at war ! the oil !

[Unlimited]

but that is why we are at war ! the oil !

so we secure the worlds oil supply than see 2000% increase in prices at the pump...looks like the guys in the futures market found a bunch of suckers dependent on their product...the consumer!

[Ins0mniac]

I'm talking about a limited product - like solar panels and the hardware there for. With it so easy for American companies to leg it to where they can pay squat but still charge the same price here needs to stop. we can't all be flipping burgers for a living

Ah right! Sorry. Misread your post. It's been a long day.

Yeah, I think I agree with what you're saying there.

Edited December 1, 2007 by Ins0mniac

[AROCES]

I think it would be a great idea to give incentives to do that. Not force though.

Yeah, that is being done now with tax incentive.

The thing is it still cost a lot of money and the return for the investment is not that great for consumers to embrace them yet..

[Lt_Ripley]

You want to start a trade war?

You will force solar panel and windmill on all homeowners?

trade war ? it doesn't have to be if one uses their brain. for each home that places a panel give a home property tax credit or something similar. it would be nice to see a property tax actually benefiting the property.

force solar panels ? in a way yes --- like TVs

WASHINGTON--If there's one message the government wants you to know about analog televisions going dark in early 2009, it's this: don't panic.

Federal officials say American households will have plenty of time to make sure their gadgets are ready for the congressionally mandated switch to all-digital broadcasts after February 17, 2009.

The key is knowing what your options are. As the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Federal Communications Commission stage back-to-back public events here this week, CNET News.com has compiled a list of questions and answers designed to ward off a DTV D-Day

<a href="http://www.news.com/FAQ-What-does-the-digital-TV-switch-actually-mean/2100-1041_3-6210037.html?tag=item" target="_blank">http://www.news.com/FAQ-What-does-the-digi...7.html?tag=item</a>

Edited December 1, 2007 by Lt_Ripley

[AROCES]

trade war ? it doesn't have to be if one uses their brain. for each home that places a panel give a home property tax credit or something similar. it would be nice to see a property tax actually benefiting the property.

OK, that I like!

[Princess Serenity]

>< Good lord. He has a big ego. We're not his people. He can question/critize anything he does. He's not the boss of us.

(Sorry about the post.)

Edited December 1, 2007 by MoonPrincess

[stevewinn]

The US and the UK should have oil rationing, but the Majorty of people arent ready to give up their cars or wastefulness, i agree we should be moving to alternatives,

I looked at getting solar panels for my house and the cost was to great i couldnt afford it even with the government grant, the solar panels i was looking at said i would get 85% of my leccy needs from the panels which is excellent, but i guess the government doesnt want us to go independent on our leccy because how would they tax us,

[Fluffybunny]

The thing of it is that we would not have to go to anything so drastic as solar panels that require so much expense.

I cant find the article...it was in scientific american a few years back about alternative energies. The gist of it was that it wouldnt take any big advancement in hydrogen powered cars, solar powered homes, wind turbines on top of every building, nothing that drastic. Had we simply kept push automakers to make vehicles stick to a mileage requirements that were already established, we could have avoided a large chunk of the need for foreign oil that way. The quote I was looking for was amazing, basically it boiled down to the fact that if every car on the road got something along the lines of an additional 8mpg it would cut our dependance on foreign oil in half.

When you consider you have people driving vehicles that only get 8 mpg to start with because they are huge behemouths, it is frustrating...It is that constant high demand that keeps the price as high as it is, and the dependance on foreign oil complicates matters even more. For whatever reason people still want to drive the jacked up F350 when they have no need for a pickup truck or the textbook hummer H2 soccer mom. Of course they have the right to drive the vehicle, but it adds to the problem... and a problem that could be fixed relatively easily too.

Can you imagine how good it owuld feel to be able to tell all of the middle east as well as chavez to go pound sand?

[greggK]

The thing of it is that we would not have to go to anything so drastic as solar panels that require so much expense.

I cant find the article...it was in scientific american a few years back about alternative energies. The gist of it was that it wouldnt take any big advancement in hydrogen powered cars, solar powered homes, wind turbines on top of every building, nothing that drastic. Had we simply kept push automakers to make vehicles stick to a mileage requirements that were already established, we could have avoided a large chunk of the need for foreign oil that way. The quote I was looking for was amazing, basically it boiled down to the fact that if every car on the road got something along the lines of an additional 8mpg it would cut our dependance on foreign oil in half.

When you consider you have people driving vehicles that only get 8 mpg to start with because they are huge behemouths, it is frustrating...It is that constant high demand that keeps the price as high as it is, and the dependance on foreign oil complicates matters even more. For whatever reason people still want to drive the jacked up F350 when they have no need for a pickup truck or the textbook hummer H2 soccer mom. Of course they have the right to drive the vehicle, but it adds to the problem... and a problem that could be fixed relatively easily too.

Can you imagine how good it owuld feel to be able to tell all of the middle east as well as chavez to go pound sand?

In the UK or China, they have been studying a paint that is used on cars that has solar panel elements in the paint so it can recharge the battery or maybe run an engine of some sort. There have been studies in the US that say that running a car on Biofuel will deplete our food supply and that's all. It wont do any good. A Hybrid Soccer Mom Hummer SUV will burn the Hybrid fuel while driving around town below 25 MPH and after the game when she is so excited and driving over that speed, she is burning the regular fuel at probably 8 MPG. The alternative to driving and reliance on oil is walking and relying on water. But, those days are gone forever. Nobody, I mean not a soul is interested in stopping anything that has to do with the fulfillment of their pleasure.

But, you have to understand that the majority of the oil that is used in the US is not for cars. Every product that you use, that you handle, that you see, even the lipstick and the make-up that women use and are so batty-eyed over has to have petroleum based ingredients. All of the ships that go on the sea, the planes that fly in the air, the ammunition that the armies have, the guns, the bombs, ALL OF THIS requires an oil base. All of the Wal-Marts, the manufacturing plants, and I could go on and on . . .

Edited December 1, 2007 by greggK

[Killer Moth]

I read that in brazil lots of cars use ethenol and other fuel, if the can do it there ten so can the USa, then we will not need hugos oil anymore

Edited December 1, 2007 by Killer Moth

[Bella-Angelique]

i guess the government doesnt want us to go independent on our leccy because how would they tax us,

Exactly. They are whimpering cowards hiding from reality and the future.

[greggK]

I read that in brazil lots of cars use ethenol and other fuel, if the can do it there ten so can the USa, then we will not need hugos oil anymore

It takes half of a gallon of gasoline to make a gallon of ethanol! A family with an ethanol car would probably go through a silo of corn in a year to drive the car. There is no way that we can swith to alternative fuels and do what we do with feeding the third-world countries.

Edited December 1, 2007 by greggK

[stevewinn]

My Milkman is ahead of the game when it comes to leccy powered transport, hes been delivering milk in his milk float, which is all leccy for the last 20+ years, i admit hes flat out at 20 mph, but you can get 25 mph going down hill with the wind behind you. but when was the last time a milk float run a red light or had a crash, we should all get a float, the world speed record for a milk float is 70mph.

[Bella-Angelique]

we should all get a float, the world speed record for a milk float is 70mph.

I could get used to it, lol.

[ships-cat]

My Milkman is ahead of the game when it comes to leccy powered transport, hes been delivering milk in his milk float, which is all leccy for the last 20+ years, i admit hes flat out at 20 mph, but you can get 25 mph going down hill with the wind behind you. but when was the last time a milk float run a red light or had a crash, we should all get a float, the world speed record for a milk float is 70mph.

cat LIKES it

Presumably he has cream in the back, as well as milk ?

It may not be fast, but Cat could still do a Lap of Honour in it

Meow PURR

[Guardsman Bass]

Come on, Chavez. Do it. I dare you. Cut off all oil exports to the United States; I would love nothing more than to see Chavez and the US get into a stand-up over this, and then wait for Chavez to back down as soon as he realizes that his little patronage system built on oil won't survive as long as he doesn't have free income off of the PSVDA to mooch from.

[Mademoiselle]

Well , it's HIS oil .

[ships-cat]

Well , it's HIS oil .

True, but unhelpful.

America needs (currently) his oil. He needs foreign capital.

You might as well say "It's America's money, and they can spend it where they want", but if they where to suddently threaten to boycott Venezualan oil, then the left wing around the world would be up in arms, saying that the US is 'bullying' Venezuala.

Belicose posturing is rarely useful for long-term political or trade relationships between countries.

Fun though

Meow Purr.