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Bush says Saudi oil boost doesn't solve US problem

JENNIFER LOVEN

Associated Press

Latest comment posted at 1:48 PM EDT 17/05/08

Soaring gas prices won't be cured by increase in production, U.S. President says ...Read the full article

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  1. Cynthia M from Canadian in, United States writes: I think we should now become oppoertunistic parasites and erect an electric fence along the Canada US border...lol! I know a lot of people here would love to live in Canada and suddenly the grass is green on the other side of the border. Not for long though. With Harper and McKays big wannabe heads, they're decisions pertaining to international relations are making Candians ugly like US.
  2. Chris E. from vancouver, Canada writes: "He mentioned steps such as developing alternate fuels, improving conservation and expanding domestic exploration."

    No mention of immigration? Mass immigration is driving up gross domestic energy consumption. Big business is addicted to growth, and mass immigration is the crack cocaine of market growth.

    Why should anyone here conserve fuel so that tomorrow's immigrant can consume it? Both Canada and the U.S. take in far too many immigrants, and the consequence is that national energy demand keeps rising.

    Canada, for example, grows by the equivalent of one new city the size of Ottawa every four years. That's a million people added to the energy grid, which forces us to keep adding capacity.
  3. Brendan Caron from vancouver, Canada writes: Gee. George is talking about conservation, alternative energy, cutting down consumption. Seems that the presidency has altered his state of mind on these things. Progress, slow though it may be, is better than no progress. America will cut it down without having to develop the American Hinterlands. Immigration I must admit is a source of concern. Every immigrant is like a teenager and his car. People that own cars have to learn to leave them at home or in the parking lot.
  4. The Iconoclast from Halifax, Canada writes: The leaders, economists and CEOs of the world urgently need a lesson in exponential growth.

    The lesson is simple: Unlimited exponential growth is impossible in a finite world.

    Anything that grows by a certain percentage each year is exponential growth. And anything growing exponentially doubles every N years. The number of years, N, to each doubling is given by 70 divided by the growth rate in percent.

    The economies of China and India are both growing at 10%. This means both countries are doubling their consumption every 7 years.

    World population is growing at 1.5%. This means the world population is doubling every 60 years.

    Every species in Nature, when introduced into a new environment with food, grows exponentially (doubling every N years) until it exceeds the limits of its food supply. Then there is a sudden population collapse (dieoff) when many individuals starve to death.

    The human race is growing exponentially and is now approaching the limits of its energy supply, oil, and also the limits of its food supply. To make matters worse, our food supply depends on oil.

    So Bush is complaining that we can't keep growing exponentially. Someone should break the news to him that we can't break the Laws of Nature no matter what economists say. Growth has to stop or we will run out of oil and run out of food. The results of that won't be pretty at all.

    ===
  5. The Iconoclast from Halifax, Canada writes: World population is growing at 1.16% percent doubling every 60 years (sorry).
  6. Orest Zarowsky from Toronto, Canada writes: Why is GWB complaining about high oil prices? He's an oil executive. And that was the real reason for invading Iraq. To get oil prices up. Mission Accomplished.
  7. Orest Zarowsky from Toronto, Canada writes: "Growth for its own sake is the logic of cancer". Cancer is usually a terminal disease. And not a pleasant way to die. Painful, in fact.
  8. Orest Zarowsky from Toronto, Canada writes: I'm ENTITLED to my SUV - DAMMIT!! Steengkin' fuel economy! Who needs that claptrap? Leftie, treehugging scum should be shot. How dare they question my entitlements? Drive on. Say GWB, Stevie, and crew. But what are you gonna do when you run out of gas, and can't afford to fill the tank anymore? Who ya gonna rob then?
  9. The Iconoclast from Halifax, Canada writes: "Growth for its own sake is the logic of cancer". Great analogy.

    The Earth has cancer -- us, growing exponentially. Either the Earth mounts a successful immune response and gets rid of us, or... we grow until we kill the planet (climate change, pollution). However, if we kill the planet, we kill ourselves. Therefore the cancer will get cured, one way or another.

    It would be so much nicer and smarter if we stopped growing like bacteria in a Petri Dish, and became sustainable, living in equilibrium with the eco-system, like all other species, rather than continuing on as a terminal cancer.
  10. Orest Zarowsky from Toronto, Canada writes: See also "Collapse" by Jared Diamond for more details.
  11. Captain Pugwash from Canada writes: Bush declared that signing up to Kyoto would destroy the American economy. It looks like his policies have done just as well. Oil is trading almost 4 times higher than it was the day before Iraq was illegally invaded. Under Bush's stewardship the dollar has lost a huge amount compared to other currencies making oil cheaper for Americas competitors. Iran's new oil bourse is now trading in Euros instead of dollars as payment for oil, a strategy Iraq had started 6 months before it was invaded. Now Bush has to go to the country responsible for the 9/11 attacks holding King Abdullah's hand while begging for a quick fix to all his problems.
  12. gerhard beck from Canada writes: High oil prices are partly caused by speculators and stockmarket schemers. And of course oil executives and their companies, which includes quite a few Bushits. So what is he doing about it apart from talking?
  13. The Iconoclast from Halifax, Canada writes: Contrary to what many people seem to believe, the Earth is not hollow and filled with petroleum all the way to its center. Petroleum is a finite (limited) resource and sooner or later it's going to run out. And it looks like we are beginning to run out now. The wheels will fall off The Empire as it begins to run out of gas.
  14. The Iconoclast from Halifax, Canada writes: See also:

    The Collapse of Complex Societies by Joseph Tainter (book)

    How Civilizations Fall -- A Theory of Catabolic Collapse (website):

    http://www.xs4all.nl/~wtv/powerdown/greer.htm
    http://www.energybulletin.net/16649.html

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