It's incredible that you americans (and yes, disappointingly, some ignorant Australians) think you have both;

a) a right to cheap petrol

b) a right to someone else drawing down their stocks of their resources to suit your lifestyles.

The arrogance and venality are breathtaking. The oil belongs to the people in the country under which it sits. They can restrict supply and drive up prices if they wish. It's their resource. If you really don't want to pay $60 to fill the tank, buy a smaller car - you have no right to drive an SUV. It's a priviledge. As soon as you change your (incorrect) thinking, you will look at what you can *really* do so that you're not stung at the bowser.

Lobby congress to ban NASCAR would be a suggestion, as well as heavily tax cars greater than 2.5 litre engines.

Ross.

"Lobby congress to ban NASCAR would be a suggestion, as well as heavily tax cars greater than 2.5 litre engines."

Banning NASCAR would accomplish...what, exactly?

NASCAR claims 216,000 gallons annual use, critics claim up to 2 million. Given that the US uses about 3,700 gallons per second, even if we accept the highest number, banning NASCAR would help for all of 9 minutes... ( I note that F1 cars get mileage similar to their NASCAR counterparts...with a 2.4L powerplant...)

And engine SIZE isn't the concern, I don't care how large or small they are if they can meet certain mileage targets. Is it your contention that a 3, 4 or 5 litre engine using state of the art technology and getting superior mileage whilst providing reduced emissions AND better power should be penalized while an inferior model is ignored simply because it is under some arbitrary size designation?

You haven't given solutions, you've presented feel-good bullshit.

Try again mate.

But your arguments flips around just as neatly: the American market to which OPEC wants to have access is a resource that belongs to the US, and the US is entitled to set rules for access to that market. OPEC in turn is free not to sell to the US if it wishes.

I agree that Americans have a warped sense of entitlement to cheap oil, that's not the point being discussed, though. Noah's not saying people should be forced to sell us their oil, he's saying the sale of that oil should be covered by the laws and trade agreements our country has put in place. The article suggests higher prices would not change his stance.

Agreed that oil-exporting nations have the right to do what they wish with their resource. Naturally, the US has the right to withhold all exportation of such commodities as food, military support, equipment and parts for the maintenance of such things as oil production. And tankers to transport the oil of these nations. It's a 2 way street, and this is the nature of international commerce. It is breathtakingly naive to asume that an oil-producing nation can shut off the flow of oil without political and economic repercussions. Ask Venezuelans about the shutdown of intrernational credit and support following Hugo Chavez's "nationalizing" several industries.

The oil industry is a multinational conglomerate and has no one origin of ownership despite the geographical location of the crude product. It is you who does not understand the mechanism here not the consumer. Like all businesses they certainly do have right to seek the most profitable remuneration for their product available but they do not have a right to misrepresent, lie, manipulate, and hinder the alternative products such as they do with lobbying funds, phony wars and political betrayal. The market is fixed so that dependency causes a perpetual cycle of the same almost like paying rent to a landlord who never quite lets you catch up...you find yourself increasingly in debt and increasingly unable to get away. Eventually there will be real violence sponsored by big oil when renewables begin to break free of the petroleum umbrella. For now big oil owns both the gasoline market and plays a clandestine role as the devil's advocate in the renewables market making damn good and sure that it does not breathe on its own. That's whats got the consumer base so pissed off....the scam of it all. Additionally lets also remember that the oil you speak of benefits less than .01 percent of the people who supposedly own it, you see the largest and most sinful disparity in the oil market is not at the consumer end but instead and the production end where a few members of the elite and wealthy suck up the so called national treasure for their own benefit while poverty, pain and starvation lay just around the corner from them.

have contracts with those nations and own the rights to the oil. The nations sell out that right to sit on the oil, it is the oil corps that sit on the oil, not the nations.

LOL, you was so mad, you didn't even answer him correct.

:)

"If you really don't want to pay $60 to fill the tank, buy a smaller car - you have no right to drive an SUV. It's a priviledge..."

[Correct. Buying and/or owning an SUV is a protected right, however, driving it is not a right, it's very much a conditional priviledge, and can be revoked by the state. That's what you meant, right?]

".... As soon as you change your (incorrect) thinking, you will look at what you can *really* do so that you're not stung at the bowser.

"... Lobby congress to ban NASCAR would be a suggestion, as well as heavily tax cars greater than 2.5 litre engines."

Taxing heavy, gas-guzzling cars would be political suicide. So would banning NASCAR or any other race-sanctioning body (and wouldn't make a dent in fuel consumption anyway).

However, legislating a national speed limit of 55 mph for vehicles with GVWR* in excess of 4000 lbs is not only politically feasible, but could provide cash-starved states with increased revenue from all those speeding tickets.

*Gross Vehicle Weight Rating, weight limit for vehicle plus fuel, passengers, and/or cargo; most passenger vehicles (cars) have a carrying capacity under 1,000 lbs.

Issuing "green" license plates that would allow faster speed limits for fuel-efficient cars would do more to discourage gas-guzzler sales than any tax.

Yes...i was indeed mad...and yes you are quite correct about the oil corporations.

Issuing "green" license plates that would allow faster speed limits for fuel-efficient cars would do more to discourage gas-guzzler sales than any tax.

Yes...tapping into the graeat self motivator...slef empowerment...is probably the most effective measure. People never change because they want to they change when it is forced on them...just a sad, sad law of human nature. Asking people to pay for the privilege to go faster is an ingenious method of tapping that human nature.

Bravo!