Hey everybody,

I just have a couple of things to say - maybe I'm right, maybe I'm not. Just thoughts. I don't know about you, but I can't stand paying for gas these days. I'm a medical student, living off loans. Now, I'm pretty sure I'll be trading in my Tacoma for a Civic (tear, sob). No more off roading for me for a while, I guess. Anyway, I keep hearing all this stuff about how we're in an "energy crisis" and how the oil companies are "gouging" us. Also, I keep hearing how we're using up all our natural resources.

First of all - what the heck is crude oil good for anyway, aside from energy production? Yeah, I know other products are made from it, but to a much lesser degree than fuel. I mean, so what if we run out. How long will that take anyway? 50 years? 100 years? We're not anywhere close to being in short supply, so why not use it until alternative technologies have proven themselves to be truly viable replacements, speaking both of performance and cost. People still have boats to pull, people to seat, and equipment to haul. Those sissy little "eco friendly" getups aren't going to work for many people.

Regarding price "gouging", I'm not sure it's really the fault of the oil companies. Yes, they are having record profits, but they're still operating on roughly a 10% profit margin. McDonalds does better than that, as do many other companies, large and small. You don't see Congress interrogating Ronald McDonald multiple times, do you? Besides, the federal and state governments make substantially more per dollar of gasoline than do the oil companies. I found the following "breakdown". It's from March, 2008.

$3.77 = 1 Gallon of Gas (National Average)
----------------------------------------------------
$2.72 = Crude Oil
$0.45 = Taxes
$0.30 = Refining
$0.27 = Distribution & Marketing
$0.03 = Retail Markup

If anybody is gouging us, it's the Saudis first, then our own government. Additionally, the oil companies distributed the majority of their profits among the share holders. That equates to putting tens of billions of dollars back into the economy. I'm OK with that, especially today.

What we need to do is use the oil we already have in abundance in our own country. In fact, that should have begun over a decade ago. Let's drill the stuff, refine it, and use it. Again, until something truly better comes along (hasn't happened yet), I see no reason to stop using it. By the time we run out, should that day ever come, we'll undoubtedly have any number of alternatives to meet our needs. Heck, my dad told me that when he was younger, 12 mpg was fantastic. Now, we consider that a "gas guzzler". Today's cars provide huge gains in performance and economy. Heck, the new Corvette achieves 28 mpg at highway speeds. Not bad. Think what another 40 years will bring.

Anyway, this is just me, rambling. Feel free to add your comments below - for or against.