US Gas Price Marks Biggest Drop Ever … However, Still Not Low Enough

With fears of a global recession and a declining demand, the price of crude oil was down to $77.70 a barrel on Friday. US travelers have also been conserving, car pooling and traveling less since gas priced previously sky-rocketed to over $4.10 a gallon. Even though gas prices have come down, with prices at $78 a barrel … the cost at the pump should be under $3.00 a gallon. Oil companies still have a ways to go with the price so not to gouge “We the People”.

(Reuters) - The average price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States recorded its largest drop ever as consumer demand continued to wane and oil prices slid, a prominent industry analyst said on Sunday.

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Oil Drops to $88 a Barrel … Why does the Price at the Pump not Follow? Trump Says OPEC & Oil Companies Ripping Us Off

The price of oil has dropped to approximately $88 a barrel amid economic concerns and the concern that demand for oil consumption will follow. In mid-July 2008 oil was selling for a yearly high of $147 a barrel. So with oil falling 40% since July, why does the national gas average not reflect the same? So why has the price at the pump that reflected these price changes?

At $88 a barrel and falling one would think that the price presently should be under $3.00 nationally. So why isn’t it? Once again, where is the Federal Government and namely the Department of Energy providing oversight? The irony is that the DOE has a web page promoted to reporting price gouging & fixing. So how does one report that the entire practice of oil companies is price fixing and the DOE just turns their head and allows it to happen?

U.S. crude settled down $6.07 at $87.81 a barrel after hitting an eight-month low of $87.56. London Brent crude fell $6.57 to settle at $83.68 a barrel.

Crude prices have plummeted from a peak over $147 a barrel set on July 11 as high fuel prices and the growing financial crisis slow oil demand in top consumer the United States and other industrialized nations.

However, at $88 a barrel one would think that the cost of gas would be below $3.00 a gallon. Imagine what our economy would be doing today if people had more disposable income of their own and were not gouged on a daily basis to fill up their gas tanks. If OPEC is not manipulating the price it would seem that the oil compares are. Donald Trump spoke recently on CNBC as said the following,

“I consider myself to be a great capitalist, but I think the oil companies have been ripping off this country and the world for a long time,” Trump said. “I can see doing something against the oil companies. They’re making numbers–nobody’s ever seen numbers like this. They and OPEC and lots of people together are having a lot of fun.”

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Democrats Blink to Pressure … Democrats to let Offshore Drilling Ban Expire … Victory for Republicans and the People

Democrats blink and the offshore drilling ban is about to expire. I thought that Democrats were supposed to feel our pain? Turns out the only pain they respond to is that of the voters had they tried to continue to ban offshore oil drilling.

Have House Democrats finally caved to the pressure of Republicans and the American people to the issue of offshore drilling for oil? It appears that way. Democrats had clung to the belief that only a partial repeal of the drilling moratorium would be required; however, the opposition for banning offshore drilling in polls has been so overwhelming that Democrats have no choice to actually do the will and work of the people rather than the will of the environmental lobbyists. Stop the ACLU declares that Democrats have surrendered on blocking oil drilling. Also Hot Air states, the drilling battle has been won; however, the debate continues for a broad reaching energy policy to be finally completed.

Democrats have decided to allow a quarter-century ban on drilling for oil off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to expire next week, conceding defeat in a months-long battle with the White House and Republicans set off by $4 a gallon gasoline prices this summer.

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Hurricane Ike Slams the Texas Coast … the Morning After …

Hurricane Ike officially hit the Texas coast in the Galveston area  at 1:10 am EDT as a category 2 hurricane with winds up to 110 mph. The storm surge has caused severe flooding and much damage has been left in Ike’s wake. Citizens, businesses and officials are left reeling and in the massive clean up and repair effort that they face in the coming days. Thankfully, the forecasted catastrophic 20 to 25 foot wall of water never materialized and the storm surge only topped out at only 13.5 feet. However, the damage was done.

The strength of the storm and the damage it has caused prevented firefighters from reaching multiple fires burning in Galveston and Houston.

Insurance experts say the value of insured property in the Houston area is nearly $1 trillion. FEMA estimates the damage could top $12 billion.

VIDEO: “I’ve never seen water so high”.

Johnny Hanson: Chronicle
Waves crashing into the seawall reach over the memorial to the hurricane of 1900 as Hurricane Ike began to hit Galveston.

The storm cut off power to more than 4 million people in the Houston area

Floyd LeBlanc of CenterPoint Energy Inc. said 1.8 million of the power company’s customers — or more than 4 million people — in metro Houston are without electricity as high winds and heavy rains downed power lines. LeBlanc said 2 million customers represent about 4.5 million people.

Brian Devall, right, 16, and his friend Andrew David, 17, paddle a kayak through flooded streets to check on Devall’s house after Hurricane Ike hit the Texas coast, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008, in Galveston, Texas.
(AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

• See the slide show of pictures from Hurricane Ike.
• Slide show of pictures from Yahoo News
• More pics from Ike from The Houston Chronicle

Two men wade through flooded streets as Hurricane Ike begins to make landfall in Galveston, Texas September 12, 2008. Massive Hurricane Ike bore down on the Texas coast on Friday, driving a wall of water into seaside communities and threatening catastrophic damage.
(Jessica Rinaldi/Reuters)

Ike Strikes Galveston and Houston

Metro Houston faced a wicked blow from Ike this morning. Aside from the coastal flooding on the southeast side of the city along the western bay, Houston will deal with sustained tropical storm-force winds with numerous gusts to hurricane force. Once the center passes I-10, the metro area will see a slow decrease in winds but the heavy rain will continue into the afternoon.

Skyscrapers endured higher winds this morning than compared to the street level because of their elevation. Windows have been blown out in several of these very tall buildings throughout downtown Houston.

Fox News

UPDATE I: President George W. Bush comments Regarding Hurricane Ike

VIDEO

Obviously, this is a huge storm that is causing a lot of damage not only in Texas, but also in parts of Louisiana. The storm has yet to pass, and I know there are people concerned about their lives. Some people didn’t evacuate when asked, and I’ve been briefed on the rescue teams there in the area. They’re prepared to move as soon as weather conditions permit. Obviously, people on the ground there are sensitive to helping people, and are fully prepared to do so.

… In the meantime, the Department of Energy, the Federal Trade Commission, and I know state authorities will be monitoring gasoline prices to make sure consumers are not being gouged, make sure consumers are being treated fairly.

Gouging? Gas prices near $6.00 a gallon in parts of Florida.  How is it that gas prices can escalate but if a bottle of water does, its a Federal crime?

UPDATE II: Ike Roars Ashore in Galveston, Weakens to Category 1 Storm as Millions Lose Power

Democrat Controlled 110th Congress Has Passed Fewest Bill in 20 Years … Wonder Why Approval Rating is so Low

Who is the real “Do Nothing” Congress?

When Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Democratic Majority Senate Leader Harry Reid assumed power they promised America a change from the ways of Republicans. The 110th Congress has become the do nothing Congress as Americans sit back and scratch their heads why they go on vacation and refuse to pass any energy legislation to deal with soaring oil prices. Nearly 75% of Americans believe the US should drill offshore and become less dependent on foreign oil. Instead, the Democratic controlled Congress takes a vacation while everyday Americans cannot afford to.

Barring a burst of legislative activity after Labor Day, this group of 535 men and women will have accomplished a rare feat. In two decades of record keeping, no sitting Congress has passed fewer public laws at this point in the session — 294 so far — than this one. That’s not to say they’ve been idle. On the flip side, no Congress in the same 20 years has been so prolific when it comes to proposing resolutions — more than 1,900, according to a tally by the nonpartisan Taxpayers for Common Sense.

What change did Democratic leadership bring to the House and Senate? Is it any wonder why Congressional approval is at an all time low.

When Democrats won control of Congress in 2006, Republicans were eager to tar them as “do nothing,” an echo of Democrat Harry Truman’s successful 1948 presidential campaign during which he railed against the “Do Nothing Congress” led by Republicans.

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Paris Hilton Does Political Ad … That’s Hot … McCain says she’s deeper than Obama … Scary, She Actually Is

Hey Paris … A comprehensive energy plan … That’s Hot!

Paris Hilton puts forth a political ad of her own in response to the one that John McCain did using Ms Hilton’s celebrity. That’s right, Paris on video and this time it is not a sex tape.

Hilton thanked the “wrinkly white-haired guy” for his endorsement and offered her own energy policy. Believe it or not, one that made sense. It has to be one of the signs of the Apocalypse. Paris Hilton offered “We the People” of hybrid energy plan that Democrats Obama and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi refuse to. Now is that hot or scary?

Kudos to Paris, this is funny and actually makes a point. The funny part about the Paris Hilton’s political ad in response to McCain’s ad is it actually does more damage to Barack Obama than McCain. Hilton discussed a common sense energy plan. It’s pretty sad when Paris Hilton sounds like she has a more organized and thought out approach to the energy crisis in America than the “chosen One”, Barack Obama. Then again, as Hot Air reminds us, “She’s got a sense of humor, a thoughtful energy policy, and nearly as much federal legislative experience as Barry O”.

What, you thought I could not come up with an energy plan?

In the unkindest cut of all, McCain’s spokesperson Tucker Bounds tells TMZ that on the subject of energy, Paris is deeper than Barack. He says, “Sounds like Paris is taking the ‘All of the Above’ energy approach that John McCain has advocated — both alternatives and drilling. Perhaps the reality is that Paris has a more substantive energy plan than Barack Obama.”

As Wizbang states, Paris Hilton has a much more thoughtful energy policy than Barack Obama does. They pose the scary question of the day:

If Paris and Barack were your two choices, which would you vote for? I honest-to-God don’t know who would be worse.

Hot Air poses question 2 of the day:

If grotesque overexposure and grandiose ego are now prerequisites for the presidency, then the choice is … actually, the choice still isn’t clear, is it?

• Red State: Vive le Paris
• Payback: Paris Hilton Slams John McCain (Video), [but does she really?]

The Ace of Spades: McCain: I Was Wrong to Compare Barack Obama to Paris Hilton; Paris Hilton is Actually More Sensible and Less Goofball Enviroleftist

Winner: McCain. Runner-up: Paris Hilton … Loser: Obama.

Every wonder why Congress now has an approval rating below 20%? Celebrities actually provide more thought out common sense policies.

Obama in Panic Mode, Flip Flops on SPR … Polls a Toss up … Rasmussen & Zogby Have McCain Ahead

Change You Can Believe In … Obama flip flopping on oil as he sees poll numbers in trouble.

America is beginning to wake up and notice that there is a Presidential election in almost 90 days. Has Obama peaked? The more that America gets to know him and his ever changing poll watching policies, the tighter the polls are getting.

Barack Obama has seemingly had everything going for him in the campaign for the White House. He has had positive media coverage, a “rock star” celebrity European and Middle East tour and what is perceived as a Democratic advantage in the current political cycle. What has that gotten Obama in the polls?

In the Zogby poll John McCain now has a slight lead, 42% to 41% over Obama. Across the board, Obama has lost his advantage as America finds out more and more about the candidate that McCain says is too inexperienced to lead. Has Obama peaked too soon? This a hardly a trend that the Obama campaign finds pleasing.

• McCain gained 20% and Obama lost 16% among voters ages 18-29. Obama still leads that group, 49%-38%.
• Among women, McCain closed 10 points on Obama, who still leads by a 43%-38% margin.
• Obama has lost what was an 11% lead among Independents. He and McCain are now tied.
• Even with African-Americans and Hispanics, Obama shows smaller margins.

In a recent Rasmussen poll, John McCain is also leading Barack Obama when including “leaners” 47% to 46%. What is the disturbing trend in this poll for Obama? He is losing the unaffiliated vote.

A week ago today, Obama had a three-percentage point lead and the candidates were even among unaffiliated voters. Today, McCain leads 52% to 37% among unaffiliateds.

McCain is currently viewed favorably by 55% of the nation’s voters, Obama by 51%. That is the lowest rating for Obama since he wrapped up the nomination. Obama is viewed favorably by 83% of Democrats, 22% of Republicans, and 47% of unaffiliated voters. For McCain, the numbers are 87% favorable among Republicans, 26% among Democrats, and 61% among unaffiliated voters.

While the Gallup daily tracking poll shows Obama ahead 46% to 43% over McCain, it is hardly the 9 point edge that Obama had just a week ago.

With disappointing poll numbers is it any wonder why Obama has once again shifted his position on oil and tapping the into the Strategic Oil Reserve. As the Gateway Pundit reminds us, Obama tells us “silly Americans” that he did not change his position.

Obama flip flops again on energy policy

With the politics of energy shifting as rapidly as gasoline prices, Democrats, led by presidential candidate Barack Obama, are retreating from long-held positions and scrambling to offer distressed voters more immediate relief from spiraling costs.

The change has been most striking on the campaign trail, where Obama said in a speech Monday that he would abandon his past position and support tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to quickly cut prices at the gasoline pump.

Just one week ago Barack Obama was against the very idea of dipping into the Strategic Petroleum Reserves. It is obvious that Obama’s latest flip flop on the SRP is directly related to his down trending poll numbers. To Barack Obama and his campaign, their dropping poll numbers and potential loss of the election now constitute a “genuine national emergency”.

But just weeks ago, Obama said that he did not support opening up the SPR. “I do not believe that we should use the strategic oil reserves at this point,” he told reporters last month in St. Louis. “I have said and in fact supported a congressional resolution that said we should suspend putting more oil into the strategic oil reserve but the strategic oil reserve I think has to be reserved for a genuine emergency,” he continued, saying a terrorist attack was an example of such an emergency.

With 70% of Americans wanting offshore drilling and energy independence Obama’s plan of tapping into the SPR is momentary band-aide on a compound fracture. Desperation is kicking in with the Obama campaign as their clear paved road to the White House finds them on the wrong side of an issue that affects all of “We the People”.

Remember when Obama said he was against drilling? Not any more, well kinda, sorta, maybe. He might be willing to support offshore drilling. Saying just enough to get people to vote for him. There’s change you can believe in.

UPDATE I: Pick a poll: Obama’s losing in one, leading in the other

Barack Obama has lost ground among some of his strongest bases of support, including young people, women, Democrats and independents, according to a new ATV/Zogby poll.

The Illinois Democrat has also lost some support among African-Americans and Hispanics, where his lead over Republican John McCain has shrunk, and among Catholics, where he’s lost his lead.

One thing is for certain, the Obama appeal is starting to wear off and wear thin. Obama is going the wrong way down a one way street.Obama’s downward trend is a bad sign as the more he talks, the more people get to actually know him, the more voters realize his character … the less they like him. The constant use of the race card is wearing extremely thin with Americans.

Think Gas Prices are Way To High … Kentucky John (Kenneth Nowak) Paid Prostitute (Angela Eversole) with $100 fuel card

TALK ABOUT A METAPHOR … HAVEN’T THE OIL COMPANIES, OPEC AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT BEEN BENDING US OVER WITH GAS PRICES … WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

Its pretty bad when the cost of a prostitute’s services are less than a full tank of gas …

Well, you know that the price of gas is way to high when gas is used as a method of payment and barter exchange for sex. That is correct, Sex for gas … According to court papers, Kenneth Nowak paid a prostitute, Angela Eversole, with a $100 gas card. The Kentucky woman was arrested Friday on suspicion of selling her body for a $100 gas card.

Angela Eversole &  Kenneth Nowak

JULY 2–A Kentucky woman is facing prostitution charges for allegedly trading sex for gasoline. Angela Eversole, 34, was nabbed last weekend during a police stakeout at a Days Inn, where she allegedly trysted with customer Kenneth Nowak. According to court records, Nowak admitted paying for Eversole’s services, in part, with a $100 Speedway gas card. Eversole was hit with a prostitution rap and also charged with doing business without an occupational license.

Read complaint HERE and HERE.

I guess we will have to change the above price now to SEX

She was charged with doing business without an occupational license? There’s a stretch. Can one get an occupational license for prostitution?

A local prosecutor noted that it was sad to see someone selling their body for gas. No sir, what may be more sad is that the gas card will only get her about $25 gallons of gas and let’s hope that she does not drive a diesel or a vehicle that requires premium unleaded. With the ever increasing cost of a barrel of oil, Angela Eversole may want to think about raising her price.  What’s next, trading books and food for sex?

Price of Oil Hits $140 a Barrel … Politicians Have Done Nothing for 30+ Years

Politicians have done nothing with regards to energy policy in the US for 30+ years and a vote for Obama will continue the pattern. A vote for Obama means no drilling and no immediate help to “We the People”. If politicians do not want to use any responsible form of help to reduce the burden on Americans for energy costs, then they should be voted out of office. The help needs to be immediate, not 30 years down the road.

As the price of a barrel of oil reached $140 for the first time ever and prices at the gas pump are over $4.00 a gallon and increasing, ask yourself why? How is it that our Federal government, Republicans, Democrats and Independents alike, all have done nothing for 30+ years except act like absentee landlords to the American public.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com)  Oil reached $140 a barrel for the first time ever Thursday following reports that Libya may cut production and an OPEC official said crude could hit $170 a barrel this summer.

Meanwhile, the dollar’s decline against the euro added further upward price pressure.

Every single option must be explored which includes short term offshore drilling for oil and drilling in ANWR, medium term ideas like increasing nuclear and energy and long term alternative fuel implementation. It is obvious that we must wean ourselves off of foreign oil and in many respects oil in general. However, that will not happen over night. We also must conserve; however, that is not the only answer.

The truth of the matter is that all options must be explored and implemented. The political bickering in Washington, DC must end and end now. The oil crisis is destroying the American economy and individuals. This is now a matter of national concern and national security. Politicians have sat back and made enough excuses, on both sides. There is no reason why a solution cannot be made to solve the problem and it is their job to do it for “We the People”.

However, the political posturing and nonsense goes on. As Republican Presidential candidate John McCain says drill offshore, Democratic candidate Barack Obama criticizes him for it.  Why the criticism? Because in the 2000 campaign McCain favored a moratorium on offshore drilling. Earth to Obama … IT AIN’T 2000 YOU IDIOT!!!  It costs $30 a barrel in 2000.  The year is 2008, gas and oil prices are through the roof and people are suffering. Funny, Obama sat in his church pews for 20 years and listened to anti-American rhetoric from his pastor Reverend Wright and seemed to change his mind in 2008 to finally distance himself. What’s the difference?

What does Obama think is going to happen this winter to the people in New England (that bastion of blue states) when it comes time to heat their homes with oil? The voters in New England best take a good look at what they are about to spend in heating bills under an Obama Administration.

The likely Democratic nominee pledged to keep in place the federal government’s 27-year moratorium on offshore drilling, and criticized McCain on changing his position on the matter.

Said Obama: “The politics may have changed but the facts haven’t.”

In McCain’s 2000 campaign, the Republican said he favored the moratorium. This week, he said he supports lifting it to give states the option to drill, and cited as a reason alleviating the pressure on consumers facing high gas prices.

McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds responded that Obama is rejecting measures needed to lower gas prices. “The American people cannot afford Barack Obama’s do-nothing, out-of-touch energy policy,” Bounds said.

This is what energy policy has become in the US. One side trying to adapt to changing global conditions and righting a wrong, while the other side merely criticizes.

Drill Baby Drill … 67% Support Offshore Drilling … End the Federal Ban if Offshore Drilling

Just Drill Baby … Doesn’t it actually seem un-American to have a supply of oil right here in the United States, yet instead refuse to drill. Instead the US makes itself dependent  upon others for that very same oil while paying a ridiculous price per barrel of oil. Why does our government want America to be dependent on foreign countries for its oil supply when they can drill at home? When it comes to oil dependency, there’s no place like home.

Government needs to stop pandering to environmentalists and start caring about the people who voted them into office. If politicians do not think that the high price of gas is not political issue that is affecting millions of voters, they best rethink that notion. The politician who best present their price of gas policy as a winning issue to the voters will win in November.

According to a recent Rasmussen poll, 67% of individuals polled support offshore drilling in the United States and 64% believe that drilling will lower prices at the pump. John McCain called for an end of the federal ban on offshore oil drilling. I think McCain is only saying what most Americans obviously feel. Enough is enough. The high price of oil has reached such levels that it is affecting every aspect of the American economy.

A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey—conducted before McCain announced his intentions on the issue–finds that 67% of voters believe that drilling should be allowed off the coasts of California, Florida and other states. Only 18% disagree and 15% are undecided. Conservative and moderate voters strongly support this approach, while liberals are more evenly divided (46% of liberals favor drilling, 37% oppose).

Sixty-four percent (64%) of voters believe it is at least somewhat likely that gas prices will go down if offshore oil drilling is allowed, although 27% don’t believe it. Seventy-eight percent (78%) of conservatives say offshore drilling is at least somewhat likely to drive prices down. That view is shared by 57% of moderates and 50% of liberal voters.

John McCain seems to be the only Presidential candidate who hears the will of the people and looks for a way to end high oil prices. In this day and age we can drill for oil in an eco-friendly manner. Caring for the environment does not mean that one should want to destroy the American economy. McCain wishes to drill responsibly. As Red State points out, “the Obama campaign has come up with no proposals whatsoever aimed at increasing the supply of oil in order to alleviate current price pressures.”

“We must embark on a national mission to eliminate our dependence on foreign oil,” McCain told reporters yesterday. In a speech today, he plans to add that “we have untapped oil reserves of at least 21 billion barrels in the United States. But a broad federal moratorium stands in the way of energy exploration and production. . . . It is time for the federal government to lift these restrictions.”

Gateway Pundit: Bush Will Call On Congress To Lift Ban On Offshore Drilling Tomorrow

McCain touts energy conservation and oil exploration

Rising oil and gasoline prices have put energy concerns at the center of the contest between McCain and presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama to succeed President George W. Bush after the November election.