The folks over at The Oil Drum have an excellent post regarding the current state of discussion regarding high prices at the pump. As anyone who has studied peak oil knows, the discussion going on in the political realm and U.S. society in general is far off base. In fact, the discussion is not even close to the target. If this were a game of hot and cold we’d be in the ice of the northern glaciers… of course those are warming up and melting aren’t they? But that is another discussion. Back to The Oil Drum and peak oil, I strongly recommend that you read The Politics of Oil: The Discourse Must Change:

Leaders of both political parties are expressing concern about the high price of gasoline. President George Bush announced yesterday that he was suspending deliveries to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in order to make more oil available to consumers as well as putting on hold the traditional regulations requiring additives to make fuel burn cleaner during the summer driving season.

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We strongly feel that the leaders of both political parties are not only headed in the wrong direction with respect to gas prices, but we also worry that they fundamentally misunderstand the factors behind the current situation at gasoline stations around the US. Public statements by political figures over the past several days would seem to suggest that oil companies and their record profits are the sole factor determining the price of gasoline. Not only is this untrue, but it is dangerous to give the American people the impression that only oil companies are to blame. The American people need to understand that the phenomenon of high gas prices cannot be attributed to a single source. They also need to understand that no one political party will be able to fix our current woes.

It’s a must read and is, as expected, followed by a fantastic discussion thread.

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