More facts and Myths

For years now we keep seeing political advertisements about getting rid of our dependence on "foreign oil" or how we are sending our fortune to the Middle East. Hmmm.....

Have you looked at the actual facts about just where "we" get our oil? The latest statistics published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration show that 70% of "our" imports come from the top 5 oil exporting nations. No surprise there, BUT what is important and dispels some of the Middle East "Myth" is that the Country we import the most oil from is directly north of us. That's right, CANADA. The country that we import the second most oil from is directly south of us. That's right, MEXICO. In FACT, the only Middle Eastern country among our top 5 imports is Saudi Arabia (at #3) and we get about HALF of what we import from Canada and about 20% LESS than we get from Mexico. Nigeria and Venezuela are in the 4 and 5 spots and not very far behind Saudi Arabia. In FACT, there are only 3 Middle East nations that make our import list AT ALL. 

The FACTS  seem to dispel the "Myth" don't they?

Another key "myth" is that if we somehow bought no "foreign oil" and just drilled more in the Gulf or Alaska or inland that we would a) be able to supply all of our current and future needs and b) that somehow this would result in major reductions in the prices of gas at the pump or heating oil costs.Well, the answer to a) is that we could not even come close to meeting demand (unless of course we wean ourselves off the oil as a serious goal) solely with "domestic" production. The answer to b) raises another "myth versus "fact" question and that is "Does the United States Government own and operate any oil company for drilling or refining that would bring about a lowering of any prices?" No it does not. Exxon Mobil, and Chevron are private firms. Shell is a foreign owned company as is BP and Citgo. The United States Government (meaning us) own none of it! Sure we lease drilling areas and we issue permits to drill or permits to operate refineries on U.S. soil but we cannot make any demands for lower prices and politicians certainly cannot (in fact) promise the American people that not buying "foreign oil" would reduce our costs!   

Another "fact" is that all the oil companies that we like to think of as "American" have partnership agreements with all the "foreign" nations to the point that they are virtually one and the same anyway.One thing the U.S. Government does do, however, is provide these "American" and not American oil firms with tremendous tax credits which only reduces the Federal revenue.

Maybe you should start asking these questions when these "myths" are tossed out in front of you;

       1) Does the United States own or control any oil company?
       2) Why are State taxes on each gallon of gas sold so high?
       3)  When will the tax credits for "foreign" oil firms be eliminated?
       4) Do we consider Canada and Mexico (our two largest import sources) to be the "bad guy"?
       5) When are politicians going to climb of the bed of big oil and start helping America to progress beyond oil and into a future than we can sustain?


It is TIME TO THINK AGAIN!