Think America, think

One of the most depressing parts of the Republican national convention last week was the crowd chanting "Drill baby, drill" during former mayor Rudy Giuliani's speech that included calls for offshore oil drilling. Giuliani said vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin favored drilling and he encouraged her to "Drill baby, drill."

The moment illustrated once again how the party is able to convince people to act against their own best interests to enrich private companies and individuals. Setting aside environmental concerns, offshore drilling isn't likely to have any impact on fuel prices for a decade or more. Even then, the amount if oil that is likely to be extracted will have only minimal impact on the country's current needs or prices.

The action that would have the greatest impact is conservation. While the GOP gave some notice to renewable energy sources, none of its leaders called for conservation. That's because conservation is not good for the private interests that drive the Republican party.

The rapid rise in the price of crude oil has caused a world wide transfer of wealth from countries which are not energy independent to those which have the resources. The Washington Post says, "Oil consumers are paying $4 billion to $5 billion more for crude oil every day than they did just five years ago, pumping more than $2 trillion into the coffers of oil companies and oil-producing nations this year (2007) alone."

This transfer is possible because of the major oil companies that provide the distribution system that links the fields where the oil is pumped to the engines in which it is burned. While the oil companies take only a fraction of the higher prices, the numbers are still so huge as to provide the companies with record profits.

Those that make their profits by selling oil and oil products don't want to see a reduction in demand. If we use less, they lose the power to boost their earnings by raising prices. Less demand will force them to compete with one another for sales and since fuel is a commodity, their only option is to reduce prices to attract buyers.

But what's bad for them is good for us. If we reduce our demand for oil and oil products, we get a cleaner environment and more national security -- something the Republican Party tells us they favor.

What we're not likely to see is lower prices and that's the dirty secret that neither party wants to discuss. Less demand will keep prices near current levels as companies seek to protect their earnings. There might even be tax increases to help fund conservation programs and development of alternative energy sources.

While none of us like the prices we're paying for energy, it makes more sense to spend that money on better air, cleaner water and greater safety than it does to send those funds to countries whose only goal is to move cash from our bank accounts to theirs.

That's the same goal as those who pull the strings of GOP leaders. They, too, have bank accounts that are hungry for cash that comes out of middle class wallets.

Drilling only provides ways those bank accounts can be funded in the future and it's sickening to hear an arena filled with voters clamoring for a policy that will only leave them poorer and less secure.

Instead of infantilizing the issue with calls to "drill baby, drill," we need to be shouting, "Think America, think."

-- Jim Grinstead