If as you neo-cons say, “we are at war” then that is as selfish and un-American a sentiment as ever could be uttered.

Two more lies from you. I’m not a “neo-con”, Jew hater, and we are not required in this war to be forced into collective action, no matter how much you try to lie about it.
Conservation is an individual decision. Another inconvenient truth for you lying lefties.

Rob: I wasn’t making an argument against domestic drilling. I was pointing out why Obama’s statement was 100% correct, which it was. And yes, I was only talking about offshore drilling, because that is what there is a federal moratorium on that McCain is proposing lifting.

And when Obama made his statement it wasn’t a national policy proposal, He was asked a question by an audience member in a town hall what they could personally do to conserve energy, and he pointed out in response the simple FACT that IF everyone would just do this, we would save that amount of oil as a result.

Ken:

You, and Obama, offer absolutely nothing in the way of new oil production and refining that will relieve energy costs right away.

You’re under the impression offshore drilling would? What part of “not for 15 or 20 years” flew right over your head?

Tire pressure gauges are no substitute for, you know, actually gasoline.

Is that a joke?

Using those gauges to keep your tires properly inflated improves fuel efficiency.

Improved efficiency IS SAVED GASOLINE.

No, it’s not a “substitute” for actual gasoline, it *IS* actual gasoline! What you just said is like saying that “saving money is no substitute for, you know, actual dollars and cents.”

you know tires are made of petroleum, right? So in order to have tires to properly inflate, you need oil. furthermore, why should we have to do one, or the other? either drill, and underinflate, or dont drill and properly inflate. it’s a false dilemma. if your tires aren’t properly inflated, and you dont get tune ups, your an idiot anyway. if you’re sitting on THREE TIMES the oil reserves of Saudi Arabia (we are, in the Utah are ALONE) and you let it sit in the ground, then your a double idiot.

Conservation is an individual decision, and it is no substitute for production.
You can’t “save” energy; you can only save money by using less of it, but then you will be less productive, so your life will contain less value.

Yeah… that was amazingly stupid of Obama to think that.

Oh wait, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, it’s TRUE. They projected that offshore drilling, in TWO DECADES, would be producing maybe 200,000 extra barrels of oil a day. That’s it. (The report: http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/aeo/otheranalysis/ongr.html)

In the meantime we’re currently using over 20 MILLION barrels a day.

70% of that is for transportation.

Proper tire inflation saves around 3% average, properly maintained engines another 3% or so. Which is over 800,000 barrels a day.

Of course a lot of people already do keep their tires properly inflated and their engines properly tuned, so we have to cut that number down some, but even cutting it by 75% still gives us parity with the effect of offshore frilling, and it gets us there NOW instead of in 15 or 20 years. Get the picture?

Before calling statements stupid you might want to try reading up on the subject you’re talking about. We WOULD save just as much by just getting everyone to properly inflate their tires and keep their engines properly maintained, only we’d do it *right now* instead of in 2030 when we damn well better be having alternative energy sources phasing in in large scales by then. Claims that offshore drilling will be substantively helpful in reducing gas prices are a scam aimed at the gullible. That same report I linked above concluded that even in 20 years time, the effect of offshore drilling on gas prices would be insignificant because it wouldn’t even make a dent in global demand.

Of course a lot of people already do keep their tires properly inflated and their engines properly tuned, so we have to cut that number down some, but even cutting it by 75% still gives us parity with the effect of offshore frilling, and it gets us there NOW instead of in 15 or 20 years. Get the picture?

Yeah I got the picture.

You, and Obama, offer absolutely nothing in the way of new oil production and refining that will relieve energy costs right away.

Our economy runs on oil, not air.

So 3% of $4.25 p/gal. is .13 p/gal…. there is the savings Amercans are looking for.
Problem solved.

/sarcasm

Grant: Unless you want to create a massive new bureaucracy to regulate tire pressures, these oil savings aren’t going to happen.

Also, I note that you’re only talking about off shore drilling. Domestic drilling is about more than just the coasts.

Here in North Dakota, just in the last two years, our presumed oil reserves have doubled. Meaning that once the oil companies started exploring they found more oil here than they ever thought we had.

The same could very well be true everywhere else.

So…what is your argument against domestic drilling again? That it won’t produce enough oil? Maybe, maybe not. But why shouldn’t we at least try?