3 Reasons to Stop Hectoring Big Oil

Reader Comments

Back to blog

Someone please do a documentary on how dedicated Big Oil is to making us a clean energy nation. They brag about how much they are doing to bring about biofuels, etc. but I want to see the actual investments on-site. I want to see how aggressive they REALLY are and how much money and results they are producing to that end.

The truth is that their stockholders are greater than 50% non American and have no interest in drying up their goose that is laying their golden egg.

The public good is not in their sights. Their commercials however are designed to win our confidence in them and renew our complacence with their continued fossil-fuel dependence and economic dominance over our country. This is not an exaggeration. Please wake up Americans, both liberal and conservative.

They lobby and own our representatives.

Decentralized local energy production is our freedom. Butanol from algae production is doable at the municipal level for under $2. That is a fact.

Our freedom will be in doing it at the communtiy level. Many jobs await.

Darian Smith of NC 10:57AM May 20, 2011

I have to disagree with the comment, " Here's who we never blame: Ourselves. But we should." Americans would love to live without oil, but our congress will not let us. General Motors had an electric car that the people they let lease them, loved them. We could be futher ahead now in stopping our addiction to oil

if only our government would have listened. All our government can do is bail them out and play by their rules. It may be to late now to do anything as the earth is warming at an unpresedented rate, caused by, you got it OIL and other fossil fuels.

Fred of GA 5:15PM May 15, 2011

An interesting polemic but there are a number of practical issues you have to address like:

1) How do you switch to an infrastructure which is less oil reliant when there is a huge budget deficit?

2) How do you tackle the massive oil and car lobby groups, which have a presence all across the legislative process?

3) Copy China? Really? Yes they may be making huge steps to promote energy efficiency but what about human rights? I prefer messy democracy thank you.

John Smith of MI 4:35PM May 14, 2011

Uh-oh, self-sacrifice might as well be a four-letter word in America. Cue the indignant screaming from everyone with a massive sense of entitlement.

Seriously people, you don't have a right to cheap oil/gas. When you factor in foreign wars, supporting dictators, and environmental degradation it's not really even cheap. Learning to get by with less is about the only way to fight back here. If you really want to stick it to Big Oil and OPEC try buying less of their product.

The Dude of OH 9:44AM May 13, 2011

Add Your Thoughts
Your comment will be posted immediately, unless it is spam or contains profanity. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ.

Back to blog

Rick Newman

Rick Newman

The global economy is mysterious, even scary. Chief Business Correspondent Rick Newman connects the dots. In addition to his writing for U.S. News, Rick is the co-author of two books: Firefight: Inside the Battle to Save the Pentagon on 9/11, and Bury Us Upside Down: The Misty Pilots and the Secret Battle for the Ho Chi Minh Trail.


Read Rick's latest blog entries here.

advertisement

advertisement