Politics

[WAB]

not subject to them...who are we talking about?.....Muslim's? Russians? china? etc......so many boogie men, so little time.....how about we mind our own business for awhile and see how that works out.

we can always go back to interfering with other countries later. ....bob

Unfortunately I do not believe that is one of the options open to us with respect to Russia.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

US led global oil production for sixth straight year in 2023

The Energy Information Administration released a report finding that the U.S. led the world in oil production for the sixth consecutive year, topping Russia and Saudi Arabia.

www.foxbusiness.com

​

US led global oil production for sixth straight year in 2023​

The U.S. surpassed its 2019 world record for oil production with an average of 12.9 million barrels a day in 2023​

The U.S. led the world in oil production for the sixth consecutive year in 2023, according to a new report from the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Crude oil production in the U.S., including condensate, averaged 12.9 million barrels per day (b/d) in 2023 — a level which surpassed the American and global record of 12.3 million b/d that the U.S. set in 2019. Average monthly U.S. crude oil production also reached a record high in December 2023 at more than 13.3 million b/d.

"The United States produced more crude oil than any nation at any time, according to our International Energy Statistics, for the past six years in a row," the EIA wrote in its report.

 

[PARA45]

US led global oil production for sixth straight year in 2023

The Energy Information Administration released a report finding that the U.S. led the world in oil production for the sixth consecutive year, topping Russia and Saudi Arabia.

www.foxbusiness.com

​

US led global oil production for sixth straight year in 2023​

The U.S. surpassed its 2019 world record for oil production with an average of 12.9 million barrels a day in 2023​

The U.S. led the world in oil production for the sixth consecutive year in 2023, according to a new report from the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Crude oil production in the U.S., including condensate, averaged 12.9 million barrels per day (b/d) in 2023 — a level which surpassed the American and global record of 12.3 million b/d that the U.S. set in 2019. Average monthly U.S. crude oil production also reached a record high in December 2023 at more than 13.3 million b/d.

"The United States produced more crude oil than any nation at any time, according to our International Energy Statistics, for the past six years in a row," the EIA wrote in its report.

So, why have the prices of gas not gone down?

 

[Altitude sickness]

We can’t refine it. So it’s shipped out on tankers

Liberals have blocked permits for new refineries for decades

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

not subject to them...who are we talking about?.....Muslim's? Russians? china? etc......so many boogie men, so little time.....how about we mind our own business for awhile and see how that works out.

we can always go back to interfering with other countries later. ....bob

Unfortunately I do not believe that is one of the options open to us with respect to Russia.

@WAB, totally agree.

@bob meadows, a failure to lead, at any level, usually results in a bad outcome. When parents fail to lead, families usually suffer or fail to prosper. When community (or County, State or Federal) leaders fail to lead, communities decay, decline or go away.

Either lead, follow or get out of the way. To bury your head in the sand is not an option.

 

[Randy F]

Since the Oscar’s were last night. Which I have refused to watch for decades, due to Hollywood being the third branch of the socialist left wing.

This is comedy gold

I'll admit the guy can be funny. But all anyone needs to do is google "Ricky Gervais anti hunting" to understand why I'll never listen to him again.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

So, why have the prices of gas not gone down?

Prices have started to come down. Keep in mind, even the record US production is only about 10% of the total world production. Oil prices are determined to a large degree by the global markets. US crude price, such as West Texas Intermediate (WTI), is a couple dollars lower than other crudes, such as Brent North Sea.

There is also inflation. Gasoline, at $3/gal a few years ago, now has to fetch $3.30 or $3.60/gal on an inflation adjusted price.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Poland's President Calls on NATO Allies to Raise Spending on Defense to 3% of GDP

President Andrzej Duda made his call in remarks directed at home and abroad. His appeal came on the eve of a visit to the White House, where U.S. President Joe Biden will receive both Duda and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

www.military.com

WARSAW, Poland — Poland's president on Monday called on other members of the NATO alliance to raise their spending on defense to 3% of their gross domestic product as Russia puts its economy on a war footing and pushes forward with its invasion of Ukraine.

“The war in Ukraine has clearly shown that the United States is and should remain the leader in security issues in Europe and the world,” Duda said in his speech to his nation. “However, other NATO countries must also take greater responsibility for the security of the entire alliance and intensively modernize and strengthen their troops.”

NATO members agreed in 2014 to boost their defense spending to 2% of GDP after Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014, but most members, including Germany, still fall short of that benchmark.

Poland, however, now spends 4% of its GDP on defense, making it the member to spend the most in percentage terms as it modernizes its military, while the U.S. is well above 3%.

 

[Red Leg]

people are always the brightest when they say what you want to hear.....bob

not subject to them...who are we talking about?.....Muslim's? Russians? china? etc......so many boogie men, so little time.....how about we mind our own business for awhile and see how that works out.

we can always go back to interfering with other countries later. ....bob

Yes Bob, it is called confirmation bias. I actually posted this clip because he is loved by so many on the far right. Thanks to the collapse of traditional media and rise of audience focused media on line, both sides, left and right, have become very selective in their sourcing of news - some by choice and many out of ignorance. If you have an alternative informed view of Vladimir Putin and the nature of his regime, by all means share it.

I have voiced this many times here, but I strongly believe that preventing Russia from regaining its position of power on the Eurasian land mass is a critical national interest. In 2014, when we initially ignored Russia's seizure of Crimea and entry into the Donbas of Ukraine, China began to conceive of the benefit of having a military centric ally on NATO's eastern flank that would divide US strategic focus and weaken our power projection capability in the Pacific. Russia and China consummated that relationship shortly before the invasion in February of 2022.

So, not only do we have a critical national interest being served by helping Ukraine thwart Putin's ambitions, but that interest is directly tied to limiting the expansion of Chinese power in the Western Pacific.

how about we mind our own business for awhile and see how that works out.

What we are doing is minding our business. Since 1812, when the US went to war with the greatest military power on the planet, through the issuance of the Monroe Doctrine in 1823, the US has understood its single most critical national interest is free access to its vast and ever growing trading network. Unhindered access to partners in Asia and Europe are particularly critical.

Prior to both the First and Second World Wars, isolationist movements in our country expressing your exact sentiments delayed our involvement at great eventual cost in blood and national treasure. Hitler, in particular, could have been easily stopped between 1936 and 1938 as his still weak army marched into the Rhineland, Austria, and the Sudetenland. Instead, we hid behind the Atlantic while appeasers tried to negotiate with Hitler.

The same sort of appeasers represent what I believe is a strategy with regard to Putin that is not merely self-defeating, but existentially dangerous to our country and the mercantile economic system that determines our way of life.

 

[WAB]

We can’t refine it. So it’s shipped out on tankers

Liberals have blocked permits for new refineries for decades

I’m not sure that’s exactly right. It’s been a while since I led refineries for a living, however, when I joined the industry the US had slightly over 200 refineries. When I left we had 157. However, during that time capacity expanded dramatically due to the expansion of the remaining facilities. We were roughly in balance on refined products production and consumption.

It is difficult for us to import refined products as the US runs on a gasoline economy while the rest of the world runs on a diesel economy. Their refineries are configured differently as a result.

Not all US crude makes sense in the US. For instance, many of our northern tier refineries are configured to process heavy Canadian crude. They are much less profitable on something like WTI.

The last refineries built in the US were built in 1977. I ran one of those plants. It was a nice change from running equipment built to fight WWII.

 

[Hunt anything]

@WAB , you mentioned the rest of the world runs on diesel, what is the rationale behind the smaller diesel vehicles not being available in the states? I’ve owned a couple of F250’s but would love a smaller truck to run around in.

 

[WAB]

@WAB , you mentioned the rest of the world runs on diesel, what is the rationale behind the smaller diesel vehicles not being available in the states? I’ve owned a couple of F250’s but would love a smaller truck to run around in.

Our economy developed around gasoline. It used to be a 70/30 gasoline/diesel ratio, while the rest of the world was exactly the opposite. I don’t really understand the drivers other than qualitative observations I could make. As to those cool little turbo diesel engines that we can’t get, ask your friendly EPA rep about that. Many of those are on the ‘not approved for import’ list. Having served on the low sulfur diesel and ultra low sulfur diesel working groups, my opinion of the EPA is rather jaded.

 

[John Wasmuth]

If anyone is still under the false impression that America doesn’t have a two tiered justice system you should be watching the Hur hearing right now…… absolute clown show on the D side…….

 

[Tundra Tiger]

If anyone is still under the false impression that America doesn’t have a two tiered justice system you should be watching the Hur hearing right now…… absolute clown show on the D side…….

I'll be interested to hear how that goes, when I get home today. Driving to work, NPR was on (we have exactly one radio station, and it's public radio) and they were analyzing the transcript from Hur, ahead of his testimony today. Not surprisingly they said Hur's most quoted stuff was taken out of context and that Biden sounded witty, sharp, and responsive for most of the interview. My first thought was, if that was ACTUALLY true, wouldn't his handlers have made a point of that, in support of him, waaaay before now?

No, whether you like him or not, the Joe we see is the real Joe, and it's actually (IMO) potentially much worse when the cameras aren't rolling.

 

[WAB]

I'll be interested to hear how that goes, when I get home today. Driving to work, NPR was on (we have exactly one radio station, and it's public radio) and they were analyzing the transcript from Hur, ahead of his testimony today. Not surprisingly they said Hur's most quoted stuff was taken out of context and that Biden sounded witty, sharp, and responsive for most of the interview. My first thought was, if that was ACTUALLY true, wouldn't his handlers have made a point of that, in support of him, waaaay before now?

No, whether you like him or not, the Joe we see is the real Joe, and it's probable - in my opinion - actually potentially much worse when the cameras aren't rolling.

I am certain you are right. They dope him up for the camera and likely let him doze off the rest of the time. I can’t imagine what an embarrassment our national security briefings must be.

 

[skydiver386]

The biggest obstacle is the American consumer.

In your average passenger vehicle, a diesel won't give the acceleration that people are used to unless serious modifications are made. A diesel block heater has to be plugged into an electrical outlet in colder climates, and people don't want to bother with that. Most Americans also believe diesel pollutes more than a gasoline engine.

On the plus side, Diesel's will run far longer than any gas engine. I work in a truck shop, and we have numerous trucks in our fleet with over a MILLION MILES on the odometer. My personal truck is a diesel with 300,000+ miles. In a truck application, a diesel has more pulling torque and is more efficient with heavy loads.

Buy yourself a good diesel truck, and most of that truck will fall to pieces before that engine gives up the ghost.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Fumbling Ukraine

It boggles my mind that after two years of the Ukrainian people fighting and dying to bleed our #2 national security threat dry, one of our major political parties (the GOP) appears happy to step back and let Russia win. They gussy their insanity up with all manner of justification, to include...

conservativewahoo.substack.com

 

[sestoppelman]

The biggest obstacle is the American consumer.

In your average passenger vehicle, a diesel won't give the acceleration that people are used to unless serious modifications are made. A diesel block heater has to be plugged into an electrical outlet in colder climates, and people don't want to bother with that. Most Americans also believe diesel pollutes more than a gasoline engine.

On the plus side, Diesel's will run far longer than any gas engine. I work in a truck shop, and we have numerous trucks in our fleet with over a MILLION MILES on the odometer. My personal truck is a diesel with 300,000+ miles. In a truck application, a diesel has more pulling torque and is more efficient with heavy loads.

Buy yourself a good diesel truck, and most of that truck will fall to pieces before that engine gives up the ghost.

I dont know man...my 2017 diesel Colorado has some serious get up and go, and 30 plus MPG on the highway.

 

[skydiver386]

I dont know man...my 2017 diesel Colorado has some serious get up and go, and 30 plus MPG on the highway.

Exactly, but most Americans are not ready to give diesel a fair shake.

 

[spike.t]

Zimbabwe’s Chinese problem

Zimbabwe’s Chinese problem By Trevor Ncube ...

convowithtrevor.com