There is a New York Times Columnist that is a very competent writer and the head cheerleader in the American press for Globalization and "Free Trade." We are sure that he cares very much what happens to the United States and are quoting from his July 22 column At Risk of Wasting Another Crisis where he makes the case that President Bush shouldn't have lifted the executive orders banning drilling for natural gas and oil off the nations shorelines but instead "...summon the country to a great nation building project focused on breaking the U.S.'s addiction to oil." [Crude Oil closed at $123.26 a barrel on Friday July 25 down 4.4% for the week. The record high price was $147.22 on July 11- the price is down 16.3% since then. The broadcast, print and Internet media credited President's Bush action with the price drop (as did Republican Presidential candidate John McCain who favors offshore oil drilling) what happened was the giant investment and hedge funds bailed out of the futures contracts on a 1.8% decrease in Americans miles driven and an increase in oil in storage. Considering that Vice President Cheney was the former president of an oil services company who directed the drafting of the nation's "Energy Policy" in secret in 2003, the consequences of which we are enjoying now it is unlikely that any new direction in Energy will emanate from the Republican Party. President Bush made a speech about America's gasoline supply problem instead of announcing a Federal Government initiative: "a...project focused on clean energy. Instead he told us to go drilling." "What doesn't the Bush crowd get? It's this: We don't have a ' "gasoline price problem. " ' We have an addiction problem. we are addicted to dirty fossil fuels, and this addiction is driving a whole set of toxic trends that are harming our nation and world in many different ways. It is intensifying global warming, creating runaway global demand for oil and gas, weakening our currency by shifting huge amounts of dollars abroad to pay for oil imports... This statement from a writer who celebrates "Free Trade" and Globalization. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/0374185522/ref=nosim_httpgetovebl... It is important to read the works of influential writers who have several hundred thousand readers because their ideas affect your life! and are responsible for most of the problems that Americans are experiencing today. Thomas Friedman continues: "...Our cure is not cheaper gasoline, but a clean energy system. And the key to building that is tokeep the price of gasoline and coal higher, not lower so consumers are moved to break their addiction to these dirty fuels and investors are moved to create clean alternatives. (This is the rationale behind the "Cap-and-Trade" scheme the US Senate is trying to impose on Americans.) We are are for "a clean energy system," ethanol from sugarcane and algae, solar and wind power; and are researching those technologies and presenting them to you on our Internet pages. We are concerned with the transition, about the massive price increases to all fuel and electricity (and natural gas and propane) costs. Thomas Friedman has an excellent paying job, an income from his books and speaking engagements; his gasoline fill ups on his credit card is tax deductible as he is driving to interview people for his column in the New York Times. He can commiserate with us, but his economic experience is completely different from ours. This is the problem with the Democratic Party. The politicians are so far removed from our economic experience (city council people in the even the smallest cities receive a car and a gas card, cell phone and a laptop with tech support as part of their office) that they have lost touch with reality. The Democrats traditionally were for the "little guy," now they are for the "Environmental Activists" who foist rip-offs on us like Smog Check Too Much! (And their latest tax innovation "Cap-and-Trade.") We really need an effective "Third Party" that will look out for "We the People" rather than the teachers and public employee unions that pay hundreds of dollars a year to political action funds that keep the same politicians in office until they are "termed out" (so they are always looking to move-up the food chain to a higher political office; campaigning while they are still in the lower office, a perpetual-motion job-hunt!) For an article on Barack Obama's "Energy Plan Plus Jobs," Click: http://www.communati.com/steve-lee/obama-orlando John McCain also supports the US Senate "Cap-and-Trade" scheme that will raise fuel and utility prices, Click: http://www.communati.com/steve-lee/more-gasoline-price-pain ClickBack Copyright 2008 Steve Lee all rights reserved
Update; August 29 As Hurricane Gustav approached the Oil-Natural Gas Complex on the Lousana-Texas Gulf Coast Oil Futures prices were stable as "The Market" felt that the industry was better prepared to deal with a broad-based storm;  http://www.oil-price.net
This chart will show the latest closing price.
25 Reads July 25/ 43 Reads July 26/ 63 Reads July 27/ 86 Reads July 29/ 100 Reads August 1/ 203 Reads August 27 
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