Offshore Drilling: A Republican Ploy to Give The Oil Industry A Future Boost While Americans Think They Are Getting A Quick Fix

Now the Republican John McCain wants to alleviate the financial pressure at the gas pumps by allowing the oil companies to drill offshore on the continental shelf. He wants you to believe by doing it: we will gain a quick fix and immediate gratification by lower prices at the pumps. it is a classic smoke and mirrors game my friends, as John McCain says, pure smoke and mirrors. American is buying into this bullshit out of desperation.

But, while it is rhetoric sounding like John McCain is doing something good-it has no substance for immediate relief for the American taxpayer. Understand it will take a minimum of 7 to 10 years for the oil from these rigs to reach the American gas pumps. Seven to ten years is not immediate gratification, is it?

Hell, it is not any form of instant pump and price gratification to the public. The oil companies love it because they will still be relying on foreign oil, and the oil companies have a new source of domestic product for the future and add their complex profits oil stranglehold on the American public.

In the US, there are close to 70 million acres of public land leased by oil companies and held in reservation available for oil exploration by the nation's oil companies. They lease the land for $3.00 an acre per year, locking the land for possible future exploration. No one else can drill or explore on it while they claim the leases as assets. Eighty percent of the oil leases are going unused. No plans are presently underway to drill for this oil and bring it into production. The oil companies do not lease land unless they know there is oil in it. It simply lies in the ground, a huge oil bank waiting exploration and profits. Why are we not using this land for oil drilling instead of looking to the controversial off shore drilling?

Meanwhile, the oil companies are not hurting. Oh no, Mobile/Exxon made almost 12 billion in profits, (that is with a "b") for the second quarter of this year. Wall Street is surprised the profits were lower than expected. People should wonder with record profits from Mobile/Exxon, why they refuse to build new refineries to replace the old fun down ones in the US?