Here\’s an interesting piece from Slate.com

More Fun With Third Parties

A Rasmussen robo-poll recently showed that \”a 3rd party Presidential candidate with a pro-enforcement immigration agenda would theoretically end up in a virtual tie with…

I’m saying lets destroy other countries’ parks and wildlife preserves and things to get our oil, not our own (joke).

And yes, I think the Iraq thing is going very well too!

Are you afraid we’re going to invade the US to seize its oil resources?

i do agree with you about the third party thing; a third of people picking out pres does sound crappy.

but, in the meantime, you have gone and posted about oil in the US. i just don’t want to go digging and blowing up OUR country for oil. that’s why we invade other countries, like Iraq. we just need to start using alternative energy sources, period, and leave the oil alone. the sooner we get on that, the better.

the comment about your vehicle was actually just a joke – perhaps not very funny. and no, i don’t think that anyone who actually SAID they were going to raise gas prices would get elected. if i were that person, i would keep that to myself. (another joke – haha). but, just to clarify, i am absolutely not advocating an increased profit margin for oil companies. i think they should be persecuted as much as possible, while we simultaneously pay more for gas because our current gas prices, as high as they are, are still artificially low.

Myth of Energy Scarcity

Within five years, oil imports could be reduced by 40 percent. Within 15 years, they could be reduced by 75 percent, and within 25 years, oil imports could be eliminated entirely. Moreover, these goals can be met without discovering a technological breakthrough.

It is first necessary to dispel one of the most persistent myths about our energy dependence: the United States lacks energy resources. The facts say otherwise:

According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the United States has almost 175 billion barrels of oil reserves. These include 21.9 billion barrels of “proved oil reserves� – oil that has been discovered and can be produced right now – and more than 150 billion barrels of “undiscovered� reserves.

The USGS estimates that the United States has 1,430.6 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves.

The USGS estimates that there are 23.6 billion barrels of natural gas liquids reserves – products such as propane, butane and ethane – in the U.S. resource base.

The United States is the Saudi Arabia of coal, with 496.1 billion tons of demonstrated reserves – 27 percent of the world total.

The United States has between 500 billion and 1.1 trillion barrels of oil in the form of oil shale.

Seems pretty substantial to me…

ANWR is just the “Poster Child” for those of us who believe America has
enough oil to sustain itself. We believe we are being held hostage by the enviromentalists in this country. America should be drilling in ANWR, the Gulf, in other depostits in the lower 48.

If any candidate runs on a platform that includes raising the price of gas to $4/gallon, they will lose in a landslide. The people of New York,
California, and people that comment on blogs will be the only one to vote for them. So many Americans are screaming the oil companies
7% profit margin, do you think they would stand for the government adding a 25% profit margin in the form of a tax?

Actually, what I drive has little to do with my argument. I use my truck for the business I run on the evenings and weekend (home improvement). Business is strong enough to allow me to pass a
“fuel surcharge” on to my customers, so my gas is taken care of.
Even then – I still do my best to conserve by driving slower, etc.

Back to the original topic:
I’m not sure how I feel about a 3rd party. As it is now, it takes about
51% of the population to elect a person to office. That means we are all ruled by about half of us. With the introduction of a 3rd (or god forbid 4th) party, all of us are at the whim of a 3rd of us.

It seems to me that term limits for all elected officials would be a better option, along with some serious reforms on government powers from the top down.

ford – I understand you drive a f-150, so maybe you are not the person to be talking about gas prices. I do believe that we should raise gas prices some because I believe that we should be paying much, much more for gas, but I also believe that the figures of $6-9 given by some is way too much. A good compromise could be reached at somewhere between $4-5. Of course that won’t go over well in “middle america,” but them’s the breaks. As it is, gas is already turning into a hardship for a lot of people. Most will just have to make more cuts in their “budgets” from the recreational/entertainment category, or from whereever they choose. Others will have to stop driving around town as much. It will force everyone to evaluate more closely if they can walk somewhere or make errand-running more efficient. Yes, a few people will suffer serious consequences, but I’m pretty sure the poorest of the poor are already unable to own a car due to other expenses, such as insurance (although I realize that’s not necessarily a hard and fast requirement.)

And no, we canNOT please drill ANWR!!!! I thought you wanted to forget about instant gratification!

The only reason to go the third party route (assuming it is actually possible) is if moderates are a only plurality: a minority in both parties, but together larger than the respective extremes.

That aint gonna work.

1) The average American is struggling at $3/gallon, you’re going to raise it another 25%? I don’t think that will sell well in middle America.

2) Once the govt gains a source of revenue, they can never let go of it.
What will they replace it with, once people move on to alternative fuels?
I imagine they’ll have to keep the tax at the same level, on the alternative fuels, since they’ll already be spending that money. So they only ones that come out ahead is the govt.

When has any country EVER successfully taxed their way out of a problem? We are just now beginning to seriously work on alternative fuels, because a large percentage of the public is starting to demand it. In a few more years, you’ll see hybrids everywhere, and most gas stations will carry ethanol. American industry works much better on supply and demand than government mandates.

Everybody should just take a deep breath and forget about instant gratification. In the mean time, can we please drill ANWR?

I think this goes a long way towards explaining the typically low American voter turnout. The middle is seemingly neglected (or at best taken for granted) until the general election and by that time they likely feel neither candidate represents their moderate positions. In many ways, this is the predictable outcome. Independent and moderate voters are under represented in the process which means the candidates they might prefer probably won’t even make it to the ballot.

It is time for the middle to take its rightful position in politics. So long as we allow the extremes to dictate the dialogue, rhetoric will prevail. As with a pendulum, in order to find the center, conflict tends to first reach the extremes. History is the virtual seesaw of this process. Groups who see the resolution of conflict as simply a matter of power are destined to see their own power wane because they fail to persuade those over which they exert power. Over time, it is only persuasion that prevails. Until society rethinks its methods to resolve differences, tomorrow will merely look like today…the only difference will be whose in charge. I’m suggesting that its time for the middle to lead.

more observations here:

http://www.thoughttheater.com