Politicians complaining about other politicians … sheesh!

Michael said:

 I wonder if we'll be able to turn back at an earlier point than the Easter Islanders.

Michael - I wonder as well.  There are too many of us and our standards have been set too high.  I can't see anyone voluntarily racheting back their consumption to a 17th Century way of life.  Even if we did, there are way too many of us for that to suffice.  We will not change our ways until there is nothing left to consume.  And it will all happen slowly enough, and with a confusion of weather change and political upheaval, so that we still won't understand what hit us. 

Bush, this evening, officially announced he is going to tear down all of the offshore drilling restrictions.

I am not sure how far they will get, if and when the offshore drilling opens up.  There is a severe shortage of rigs and skilled laborers, steel and concrete might be in short supply given China's skyrocketing use, and steel is also up 40%.  Given the state of the economy and the cost of getting a project up and running, shortages of all sorts and the timeline on getting a project online, I wonder whether it will even move forward.  I think the American public is under the impression once Congress lifts the restrictions on drilling that overnight a magic spigot turns on and voila, there is an abundance of oil forever:)