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Chill, Mark .. Saudi Arabia is our Best Friend Forever .. and why we went it Iraq (really) so the flow of Saudi Arabian oil out the Strait of Hormuz would be uninterrupted.

Back from walking the dog - and thinking about this:

America uses about 400 million gallons per day just for automobiles - that's about 150,000,000,000 gallons per year.

America also spends about 500 billion dollars on it's military budget - if you add VA and DHS it is closer to 700 Billion per year. For easy numbers let's say 300 billion dollars is directly spent on assuring the flow of oil to America.

$300,000,000,000 / 150,000,000,000 gallons

$300 / 150 gallons or $2/gallon

$2/gallon - that is YOUR Tax Dollars spent to keep the price of gas artificially low by providing security to the Exxon's of the world.

Is that good? Bad? I dunno .. but it sure as heck is much closer to "wealth distribution" than it is a "free market".

The oil is all in Saudi Arabia but the dipsticks are in DC -

Good one, Monica

"For easy numbers let's say 300 billion dollars is directly spent on assuring the flow of oil to America."

Glad you used the disclaimer "easy numbers", was this an educated guess? Where did it come from?

I'm sure you know this JDR but many may not, we import more oil from Canada than any other country, much more. 2 million barrels/day from Canada vs 1.4 million barrels/day from Saudi.

http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/company_level_imports/current/import.html

Since we don't have a military protecting the US-Canadian border perhaps your number is a bit inflated.

The 300 million is a good number, at least in 2007 (but unlike me, I did not post the link), but a more precise number would have been 292 million.

The $300 billion on military for oil was an educated guess. The $500 military total was not ($515 Billion in 2009) nor was the adder for the DHS and VA ($792 Billion in 2009) .. but unlike me, I did not post the link.

If you want to apply a discount to my guess, OK - le'ts just call it $1/gallon. Are you then OK with shifting the true costs of providing oil to the users? I gaurantee the first time something happens to an Exxon Secured Tanker, the irrational supply and demand oil speculators will rachet the cost back to $150/barrel and in a few days the a pump price goes back to $4/gallon - make that $5 with the extra buck.

THE POINT: Maybe some government intervention is good for stablizing markets. The problem is has a tendacy for inefficiences and readily subject to corruption ... but we need to go after the problems not constantly rail with our political ideas are always good, yours are always bad.

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.. and don't forget the new fees being applied General Aviation Users - shifting the true costs of little planes to the users. (just bustin' on ya buddy).

I screwed up that last post.

"The United States consumes over 20 million barrels (840 million gallons) of crude oil products each day. Almost half of it is in the form of gasoline used in over 200 million motor vehicles traveling a combined 7 billion miles per day, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)"

Half of 840 = 420.

420 x 365 = 153,000

Add some 0's to make millions

153,000,000,000

$300,000,000,000 / 153,000,000,000 gallons

= $2 / gallon, less the Dan Factor = $1 / gallon

I like that, the "Dan Factor".

I don't disagree with the total military expenditures you noted nor the fact that our military, hence we taxpayers, does provide protection for the safe shipment of goods in that area of the world. I would imagine other countries do too.

My point was that the $2 number seemed inflated as not all of our oil comes from the Middle East, and hence I would imagine doesn't need the same level of protection from Canada, Mexico or Venezuela. I might be wrong about Mexico, that place is getting pretty violent these days. Ditto Nigeria.

Also I would imagine other countries contribute their tax dollars to this cause?

It seems most people think the majority of our oil imports come from the Middle East when in fact there is only Middle Eastern country in the top five of the list I linked.

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Back to the letter, I wish we had nothing to do with Saudi Arabia and other backwards Islamic nations who allow the beating and jailing of a 75 year old woman for having two men bring her bread. Alas the progressive Islam apologists in the US and elsewhere don't realize how brutal followers of that religion can be.

Disclaimer: I am not saying ALL Muslims are brutal, nor am I saying people of other religions are not capable of brutality. Islam does have a large lead based upon recent history.

It's a cruel joke that people who follow such barbaric practices sit on top of so much oil.

BTW, given that these shipping companies cannot protect their vessels from a bunch of rag-tag bandits off the coast of Somalia, I doubt they would be able to protect them from organized terrorists.

. . . lets see here. . . nice little letter about beating an old lady and the link for oil via Saudi Arabia & CEDAW . . .

Hmmmmm . . . 9 post so far yuking it up about oil, politics and mathematical formulas of the workings of the universe . . . problems solved . . .

. . . I guess the old lady is just gonna get beat . . . oil rules I guess

Sorry Gladis Whipping Post of Saudi Arabia you drew the short straw on this topic . . .

J Peterman:

America has a few choices:

We can ignore the problem of Old Woman Beatings - that's what we've been doing.

We can go in and kick their ass as we did in Afghanistan .. wait .. I meant to say that in present or future tense: kick their ass as we are doing or as we may someday attempt.

We can go work through diplomatic channels, quietly or agressively, and prod' the Saudi's into changing their way of life.

Maybe there are other suggestions? Which would you prefer?

Dan - that's part of the problem - many (most?) countries do not provide "their fair share" of keeping the world safe for commerce - through constitutional restrictions, e.g., Japan; a lack of resources; Haiti; a lack of interest, Saudi Arabia.

America gets stuck with the bill.

Reminds me of the Coallition of the Willing ... opps that's another thread.

"BTW, given that these shipping companies cannot protect their vessels from a bunch of rag-tag bandits off the coast of Somalia, I doubt they would be able to protect them from organized terrorists."

... depending on one's definition of "organized terrorists" .. which could include, perhaps Cuba - 'cause those socialists could use the oil .. or maybe even Mexico, as you noted earlier ... or .. heck just about anyone.

15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia. Nothing was done about it.

Somehow, this put us in Afghanistan and then Iraq.

If another attack on us occurs, let's invade Reidsville or Bowling Green, Kentucky. I'm sure France and Russia don't need any oil deals busted up between those two...

... yea but the 9-11 hijackers were long gone from both Saudi Arabia and Somolia - kicked out of both. They were in Afghanistan .. still are (depending on where you mark the Paki' border).

Of course, our recent other once-best-est friend forever Pakistan is currently falling apart too .. Obama's fault, I'm sure.

"...many (most?) countries do not provide "their fair share"..."

I guess that is because we consume alot more per capita and this country would grind to a screeching halt without oil so we are willing to pay the price. Witness the result of a few days of interruption after Katrina and last summer's gas shortages.

Other countries know we are willing to pay for this so they let us protect them, kinda like we have done for Europe throughout the Cold War. Ditto S. Korea.

"Organized terrorists" - you know like the ones who orchestrated 9/11, Bali, London, Madrid, USS Cole, Khobar Towers, more recently Mumbai. Those guys versus the rag-tag bandits in Somalia with little boats and small arms for weapons.

I said Somolia, I meant Sudan. My Bad ..
but in general we agree, as usual.

s'ok JDR, both countries are equally basketcases. Only difference is one is run by a genocidal dictatorship and the other is simply genocidal anarchy.

... and one of them had been without any government for perhaps 10 years when Georgie Boy decided Iraq would be the best-est place in the WORLD - both the Lord and Allah know the Saudi's would never adapt) - to establish a Democratic Nation and show the rest of the Muslim World how wonderful that would be ... (I have a bridge to sell, btw, see below) ... and meanwhile we sat silent as the genocidal dictatorship of other one went about killing all the men and raping the women to purify their blood lines.

Makes sense to me!

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The bridge to sell .. note that the Establish a Democracy Rationale came after GET BIN LADEN - Dear or Alive ..

... what? Americans figured out there is no connection? Then WMD's ! The Mushroom Cloud! .. what .. no WMD's .. keep looking .. no? OK ... tell them I meant Chemical Weapons !!

... what? Americans figured out what remnant chemical weapons were left had been supplied by America .. OK ... Tell them I meant to say Iraq is the most EVIL place ... what, Americans are not buying that either .. hmmm .. then .. I know ..

Tell them I meant "establish a Democratic Nation" and show the rest of the Muslim World how wonderful that would be ... Tell them they HATE our FREEDOM !!

Did that stick? YES? Whew ..

Dear = Dead

I have no idea what the war in Iraq has to do with what we've previously discussed but if a rant on it makes you feel better.....well....go for it. Perhaps your favorite team lost in the ACC tourney and you needed to vent, perhaps the wife cut you off for the last eight weeks, perhaps you have an ingrown toenail. Whatever it is I'm here to help.

"perhaps the wife cut you off for the last eight weeks.....Whatever it is I'm here to help."

interesting.

now now rahrah, unlike your cute cut and paste I don't cut both ways. You must be dreaming of lewd encounters since your Wulfpack won't likely make the NIT. No b'ball, may as well think of something else eh?

... a bit of a rant .. but there is a solid connection between Iraq / Sudan / Somolia .. and this here Saudi Arabia thread ...

My point was the CEDAW is meaningless in terms of any real impact on how woman are treated outside the US. Inside the US it will be used by lawyers and the feminist lobby to clog the courts with law suits. It will be a cash cow for lawyers.
CEDAW was used in at least one European country to outlaw urinals as a symbol of female oppression.
As for Suadi oil? All congress has to do is open up drilling in know US oil reserves. Every time the open more drilling in the US, the middle east cranks up production and oil prices come down.
There is a lot more to the politics of oil than mere supply. Buy that is another subject for another discussion.