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Monday, June 23, 2008


Majority Of Americans Support Off-Shore Drilling…

...in California.

  Currently, it is only legal to drill for oil off certain parts of the California coast. Should the law be changed to expand drilling for oil in coastal waters or should the law stay as is?

  59% Change To Expand

  33% Stay As Is

  8% Not Sure

What’s perhaps even more interesting is that 48% of the 59% who want to expand off-shore drilling have just come to their position on this issue “recently.”

It’s amazing what $4.50/gallon gasoline can do to your outlook on an issue.

Meanwhile, the folks at the Environmental Defense Fund in California are saying a poll they conducted shows that 73% of Californians support state climate change initiatives even if those initiatives make prices higher.

One of these two polls is clearly wrong.  Which do you think is more likely?  That a majority of Californians don’t mind higher prices in the name of fighting climate change?  Or that a majority of Californians want cheaper gas?

Does this tick you off? Click here to email your elected representatives right here on Say Anything, or comment below.

Comments

Avatar for Hawk

It’s pretty easy to have North Dakotans vote to hurt the fishing and tourism economy of the coastal areas.  This would be a more valid poll if the people in California were in favor of drilling of the coast of California or if the people in Florida were in favor of drilling of the coast of Flrida.

Hawk on June 23, 2008 at 05:14 pm

The illegal legislation banning drilling off-shore and in the Alaskan wilderness was passed, with much media fanfare, right after the OPEC agreement to hedge our money. At the time, environmentalist represented less than 5% of the population.

It’s too late for oil. We can replace it much faster than we can get it out of the ground and into our gas tanks.

Telsa, producer of a $100,000 125 mph electric car with a 225 mile range and sub 4 second 0-60 times, recently got another influx of VC cash to develop and cheaper family model. The Army has awarded a contract for hydrogen powered tanks. Hopefully, this is a sign of things to come.

ews48 on June 23, 2008 at 05:19 pm

The problem with electric or hydrogen powered vehicles is that it’s NOT a primary source of energy.

You have to have electricity to produce such things.  If you haven’t noticed years of hostility by the government towards the electrical industry has resulted in shortages in generation and transmission.

You guys keep thinking that in a magical way energy will just appear.  I feel like I’m arguing with someone that believes in magic carpets and genies.


1% of Americans pay 40% of the income tax.
5% of Americans pay 60% of the income tax.
10% of Americans pay 70% of the income tax.


The Whistler's signature
The Whistler on June 23, 2008 at 05:36 pm
Avatar for Lee S Gliddon Jr

There are vast shale oil fields that are so oil rich that you can pick up a stone and light it with a match and it will burn. The problem is, Bill Clinton named those lands as a National Park/National Reserve!

Obama says it will take until the year 2030 to reduce the price of gasoline and diesel in any amount. His words are foolish as opening thwe shale oil fields would have oil production booming within 5 years! AT MOST!

So, will you write your elected guys and gals? I did and write daily!

Lee S Gliddon Jr on June 23, 2008 at 05:42 pm

The fallacy in that argument is that it will take decades to reduce our dependence on oil as well.

Pretending otherwise is idiotic.


1% of Americans pay 40% of the income tax.
5% of Americans pay 60% of the income tax.
10% of Americans pay 70% of the income tax.


The Whistler's signature
The Whistler on June 23, 2008 at 05:44 pm

That is what ticks me off too Whistler.  Americans can do just about anything when we need to.  We put a man on the moon almost 40 years ago.

We can go it   We can do anything.  More so when government gets out of the way

atease


atease

atease on June 23, 2008 at 07:51 pm

Hawk - It’s pretty easy to have North Dakotans vote to hurt the fishing and tourism economy of the coastal areas.

The flaw in your thinking is that those are foregone conclusions.

They’re not.

likwidshoe on June 23, 2008 at 08:29 pm
Avatar for Texan Across the Pond

When the libs in Kalifornia figure out they can expand the welfare state with the tax money generated by off shore leases, you’ll see the biggest switcharoo since New Coke/Classic Coke!

Texan Across the Pond on June 23, 2008 at 08:45 pm
Rob
Rob
22122 comments
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This would be a more valid poll if the people in California were in favor of drilling of the coast of California

Hawk, it was a poll of Californians.

Learn to read.


The purpose of government shouldn’t be to do good, but simply to refrain from doing evil.

Rob on June 23, 2008 at 09:01 pm
Avatar for surf66

the faithlessness that runs rampant when it comes to the public accepting and recognizing our country’s inherent ingenuity and scientific prowess is truly discouraging. We learned to fly….we put men on the moon…..do I think its going to take five or ten years to get domestic oil on line???? Gimme a break. “EARTH FIRST..then DRILL the other planets”

surf66 on June 24, 2008 at 07:50 am
Avatar for JEM

As a Californian who’s spent all his life within a couple miles of the coast:

DRILL ALREADY!

California is 50th in spending on roads. 

Our state government is in the pocket of the public employees’ unions, the last governor took every dollar of taxpayers’ money he could find and stuffed it into their pockets.

Our present RINO has been reduced to begging the Indian casinos for money to keep the schools open.

I want oil exploration because it’s the right thing to do, because it might help this state pay its way out of the hole it’s in, and because the day the first lease is signed half the environmentalists in the state will self-immolate and I really need practice with the video camera.

What we need from the Feds is a leasing program that makes it fiscally impossible for the states not to permit drilling.

JEM on June 24, 2008 at 08:19 am
Avatar for Dakota Lifestyle:  Beyond the Weather

JEM is right.  Besides helping us cut back our dependence on foreign oil, domestic oil drilling is an incredible help to local economies.  North Dakota is a great example of that.  We’re projected to have a surplus of $740 million this upcoming legislative session.  I don’t know what that’s like for other states, but it’s huge for ND (I count any surplus as a good thing) and I believe it’s mostly due to our energy industry, especially oil drilling.

Avatar for Sam

This poll comes from a TV Station in Fresno Ca. and does not reflect opinions of most Californians… on this or almost any other issue facing the state. Fresno is a very very inland area (far from the ocean) who depends on farming, etc. and has a very conservative citizenship. To claim this poll as having some kind of finger on the pulse of California is ridiculous. This is a town where George Bush won 52% of the votes in 2004… even the mayor is a republican. In the case of this poll, and having personally spent time In this area, I think I can fairly say that a majority of these folks don’t care a lot about California beaches or ocean life - but rather the cost of fuel to power farming equipment, big trucks and SUVs (which most Fresno residents seem to have), etc. So please, don’t try and spin this as what “Californians are saying” - that’s just not the whole picture, and not at all true.

Sam on June 24, 2008 at 10:48 am

Nice try, according to the poll they surveyed California, not a specific town or neighborhood.

Geography = California.


1% of Americans pay 40% of the income tax.
5% of Americans pay 60% of the income tax.
10% of Americans pay 70% of the income tax.


The Whistler's signature
The Whistler on June 24, 2008 at 10:54 am
Avatar for sam

Ummm… actually, according to the survey, they didn’t publish which Geographic areas were surveyed. Take a closer look before you post sillyness. What was interesting… and furthers my point, is that 86% of the respondents who want to drill were Republican… according to the survey.

sam on June 24, 2008 at 11:11 am

That’s because Republicans are more smarter, even in California. 

It said Geography = California.


1% of Americans pay 40% of the income tax.
5% of Americans pay 60% of the income tax.
10% of Americans pay 70% of the income tax.


The Whistler's signature
The Whistler on June 24, 2008 at 11:14 am
Avatar for sam

I like how you think by saying the same thing over and over it somehow becomes true. Just like, “weapons of mass destruction”... lol. Do you people ever get a clue… ever?!?

Anyway, try reading the statement of methodolgy at the end of the survey. Maybe it will enlighten you, although my guess is that you’ll just come back with: Geography = California… even though that’s not really what it’s saying.

Have a nice day.

sam on June 24, 2008 at 11:29 am

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That’s because Republicans are more smarter, even in California. 


Telling one lie or even consistently lying about one subject…doesn’t make you a liar…

robert108 on May 18, 2009 at 03:23 pm

“You have absolutely no reason, none, to trust our word or our actions at this point.”

Titular gop Head Mr. Steele


realitybasedbob's signature
realitybasedbob on June 24, 2008 at 11:30 am

Statement of Methodology: The following statement conforms to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls:How this poll was conducted: This SurveyUSA poll was
conducted by telephone in the voice of a professional announcer. Respondent households were selected at random, using Random Digit Dialed (RDD) sample provided by Survey Sampling, of
Fairfield CT. All respondents heard the questions asked identically. Within the report, you will find: the geography that was surveyed; the date(s) interviews were conducted and the news
organization(s) that paid for the research. The number of respondents who answered each question and the margin of sampling error for each question are provided. Where necessary, responses
were weighted according to age, gender, ethnic origin, geographical area and number of adults and number of voice telephone lines in the household, so that the sample would reflect the actual
demographic proportions in the population, using most recent U.S.Census estimates. In theory, with the stated sample size, one can say with 95% certainty that the results would not vary by more
than the stated margin of sampling error, in one direction or the other, had the entire universe of respondents been interviewed with complete accuracy. There are other possible sources of error in
all surveys that may be more serious than theoretical calculations of sampling error. These include refusals to be interviewed, question wording and question order, weighting by demographic
control data and the manner in which respondents are filtered (such as, determining who is a likely voter). It is difficult to quantify the errors that may result from these factors. Fieldwork for this
survey was done by SurveyUSA of Verona, NJ.


Geography: California


1% of Americans pay 40% of the income tax.
5% of Americans pay 60% of the income tax.
10% of Americans pay 70% of the income tax.


The Whistler's signature
The Whistler on June 24, 2008 at 11:41 am

Meanwhile the sponsors of the survey were obviously part of the right wing conspiracy.

: KABC-TV Los Angeles, KFSN-TV Fresno, KGTV-TV San Diego, KPIX-TV San Francisco

Boob, I was saying that Californian Republicans are more smarter than Californian Democrats.  I wasn’t saying they were smart enough to tie their own shoes.


1% of Americans pay 40% of the income tax.
5% of Americans pay 60% of the income tax.
10% of Americans pay 70% of the income tax.


The Whistler's signature
The Whistler on June 24, 2008 at 11:44 am
Avatar for sam

Okay… one final thought about polls: since this California one is accurate (according to you) the following must be accurate as well… right?

A USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll last month found a majority of the U.S. public doubted the United States would win the war in Iraq and believed the Bush administration deliberately misled Americans over Iraq’s weapons capabilities when it went to war in 2003.

Associated Press/Ipsos poll showing a surprising 59 percent of Americans supporting Roe v. Wade

Asked whether the United States was meeting its objectives in Iraq, 56 percent in the poll said the United States was not while 39 percent said it was.

A new survey shows the U.S. public is unhappy with U.S. handling of Iraq and with how the Bush administration deals with the Muslim world in general.

And let’s not forget this major survey: Who do u side with Ryan Seacrest OR Simon Cowell?

60% vote Seacrest - because he’s cute.

nuff said?

sam on June 24, 2008 at 11:49 am

Laughing my butt off.


1% of Americans pay 40% of the income tax.
5% of Americans pay 60% of the income tax.
10% of Americans pay 70% of the income tax.


The Whistler's signature
The Whistler on June 24, 2008 at 11:50 am
Avatar for Hawk

Majority Of Americans Support Off-Shore Drilling…in California.

Hawk, it was a poll of Californians.
Learn to read.

Learn to write.  I am sure our resident proofreader can diagram your sentence for you and explain that “in california” modifies where the “off shore drilling” is not where the “Majority of Americans” are.

Hawk on June 24, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Avatar for JEM

I don’t care how much of the state was surveyed, the fact is there’s going to be considerably higher support for drilling now than ever before. 

California politics are a constant tug of war between the coastal Socialist Republics in the Bay Area and LA (and the potheads in Humboldt and the pseudo-Beltway-Bandits ringing Sacramento) and everyone else. 

Aside from this just being the right thing to do, any issue that helps tip the state’s political balance the Right Way is potentially a good thing.  Energy exploration might be one, especially if someone can put forward some detail on its value to the economy.  The gay marriage Constitutional amendment is another, though I personally have nothing against the whole idea.

JEM on June 24, 2008 at 05:33 pm
Avatar for HG

Rbb,

Let me see if I can follow your logic thought process.

One California republican falls from grace =  republicans in california are not smarter than california democrats.

Did you consider the California democrat failures or was this too inconvenient a fact to account for?


I’m curious, exactly how does this make sense?

HG on June 25, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Avatar for susan gazzano baker

What about supply and demand?  I am not using as much gas. I very carefully plan all my trips so that I do not make extra trips.  I walk whenever possible to cut down on use of fuel.  I refuse to put more than thirty dollars of gas in my car per week.  I drive at 55 miles per hour in the slow lane on the freeway,.  Now if we do this as an entire nation - then the consumption will go down.  Once the consumption goes down, the supply will go up. This will cause the price of oil to go down.  One of the primary reasons that prices go up is because the demand is up.  We need to do this with perscription drugs and prices of food as well.  All of these prices have skyrocketed, causing the recession.  How can we keep up with the three major basic needs being so high. It is time to take the problem out of the “powers that be” and put it into the power in numbers.  Let’s take the matter into our own hands and go around the government and large companies who have not been able to solve it.

susan gazzano baker on July 18, 2008 at 06:47 pm
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