A DECLINE IN OIL PRICES: A GOOD THING, OR A BAD THING?

LET’S FINALLY, ONCE AND FOR ALL, KILL OFF THE FUCKING DINOSAURS

Republicans this morning on the news are bemoaning the low price of oil.   They are throwing around their usual mantra about low oil prices costing jobs.   They fail to mention that in the last six years they have done nothing to increase jobs: spending their time voting to close and defund Planned Parenthood Clinics and voting sixty times to kill health care.

  

There are three classes in this country: the mega-wealthy, the well to do that are invested in the stock market, and the people like myself that live from pay day to pay day.    For older people and working people at the bottom tier, the lower oil prices are wonderful – a big boon facing a winter with heating oil prices declining.  But, people invested in oil are taking a hit.  

  Perhaps these lower prices may spur investment in renewable energy production.    The Republicans, of course, will cry about the loss of jobs, but their real concern in for the companies and wealthy investors who depend on oil for their profits. 

Anyone who is paying attention must see, that because of environmental issues, we must move away from fossil fuel dependency.   Also as a national security measure we find that Russia and the middle east all depend on oil and oil prices for their economic survival – so there is no down side in seeing our adversaries on economic hard times, as opposed to being involved in military confrontations with them.   

As far as the loss of jobs go in the oil and gas industry, we should begin a transition allowing people to train for employment in other fields as we transfer to clean energy.  It is fairly well recognized that coal production is in its last throws and that at some point coal miners must retrain for other employment.   The same recognition must eventually be accepted for people working in the oil and gas industry.

We have all been sold the snake oil tonic that natural gas is the answer because it is less harmful to the environment than oil.   Now we have the massive natural gas leak in California.   We must at some point recognize that all fossil fuels are past their sell by date and need to be retired for clean renewable energy sources. 

With unlimited power available in solar, wind, water and tidal production, we are hanging on to fossil fuel simply because there are huge profits to be made by existing companies and the mega-wealthy as long as we keep the status-quo.