I now favor opening up the Strategic Petroleum Reserve

[bluestateguy]

I'm usually a real hard ass on this issue, but the conditions now seem to be appropriate to warrant opening the reserve. This is no longer about high gas prices, but a real disruption of supply. Opening the reserve may only slow the rate of increased oil prices, but it will prevent a major disruption of supply.

[LibraLiz1973]

1. my fear is... once he opens it for this

it will give them wiggle room to do other things that we wont know about. Sort of like the Patriot Act. What starts out as a decent idea becomes turf for tards in that White House.

[NoSheep]

2. I now favor every citizen taking seriously their individual responsibility

to drive as little as possible, compose letters to the editor suggesting we all take a damn break from making 10 trips to the grocery store in the gas guzzler each week, write their elected representatives and ask them to push for legislation that will fund alternative energy research, and I beg the government, as we have been doing and will continue to do: If "they" are going to take any kind of leadership whatsoever that they have SERIOUSLY, get the fuck out of Iraq-leave their oil alone and give the American people the kind of support their tax dollars are paying for!

Oh-What was I thinking-never mind-you may return to your embroidery.

:banghead:

[bluestateguy]

3. That's fine

I don't disagree with anything you said, but I stand by my position of opening up the petroleum reserve.

[milkyway]

4. I respectfully disagree. The energy situation is going to get far worse

than this. Hurricane Ivan last year disrupted the oil supply, and you can count on there being more hurricanes next year and thereafter that go through the Gulf of Mexico causing disruptions to the oil supply.

To me, the Reserve should be used only in times of an extreme energy crisis (for instance, a revolution in Saudi Arabia that suddenly leaves us without oil from there, or during a real war of national defense). And even then, it should be used only sparingly while in conjunction with strict conservation measures. It shouldn't be used to save people a couple nickels when filling their SUV's every time there's a bump in the supply.

Also, with all the human suffering that's happened and will happen to the people on the Gulf coast, it seems almost obscene to hear gas-guzzling Americans complain about the hurricane's effect on the price of gas. Where's Jimmy Carter when we need him?

[NoSheep]

5. Oil for basic needs of all Americans-NOT for luxuries and waste. PERIOD.

:kick:

[Yupster]

6. I agree with you

Bluestatguy.

It's there for emergencies, and this is one.

I don't believe in using it frivolously, as we might not have had it now that we've had a real disaster.