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The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 18, 2008

'Big Oil' Is Overseas

Regarding "Floridians Should Not Be Panicked Into Sacrificing Their Coast" (Our Opinion, July 10):

Your editorial was right out of the elite environmentalists' playbook, replete with scary fables and specious "facts" - quoted from equally biased media sources, not official government or industry sources - about how dangerous it is to explore for and produce oil offshore or anywhere else in the United States. The villain in all these horror stories is, of course, "Big Oil," whom I presume you mean ExxonMobil, Shell, ChevronTexaco and the other producers, refiners and distributors of petroleum products to the general public. But are they really "Big Oil'? I think not.

The real "Big Oil" is OPEC, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, with members like Iran, Iraq, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi-Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela who control over 80 percent of the world's proven reserves of petroleum. This year the real Big Oil will receive $700 billion from the United States for the oil we import from them because, in large part, we have not kept our domestic production of petroleum sufficient to meet our current demand for this commodity.

MICHAEL N. CANTWELL

Tampa

Little Gas-Price Effect

You've hit the nail on the head with this editorial. There are a host of reasons to avoid offshore drilling and no valid reason to pursue it. Even supporters will concede that the additional oil will bring down the price of gas by a few cents at most and, arguably, it won't even do that.
Offshore drilling will not noticeably reduce gas prices, now or later. The only way that we can reliably bring gas prices down is to reduce demand. We can do this by finally committing to establishing expansive mass transit systems nationwide and to pursuing alternative fuels more aggressively than ever before.

Our elected officials would best serve their constituencies by focusing on these transportation policies instead of on a shortsighted "quick fix" that does much more harm than good. These aren't quick or easy solutions, but continuing to delay will lead to more pain at the pump.

SEAN KRUMMERICH

Largo

Start Drilling Soon

Your editorial on offshore drilling was a major disappointment. All of your arguments for not drilling are tired and lies of the environmental movement that would have us walking in the Florida summer heat, sitting in dark houses without power and starve to death all in the name of their god, the environment. Interestingly, the Apostle Paul wrote about this very thing 2,000 years ago in Romans 1:25: "They exchanged the truth of God for a lie: and worshiped the created things rather than the Creator..." Welcome to the big lie.

The truth is that the moment we commit to drilling in proven reserves, the futures price of oil will drop, as it has in the last few days. Reports of oil to the pumps within two years seem on target and even the Bloomberg Reports forecasts oil at $90 a barrel by January 2009.

DAVE STANTON

Clearwater

New Revenue Source

Regarding "Glass Half-Full Or Half-Empty" (front page, July 15):

What a great opportunity for the state of Florida to step in and offer to buy the entertainment parks that InBev wishes to get rid of. Income would fill the sagging state coffers and someone might actually initiate parking at the parks with the SunPass.

I wonder if Speaker of the House Marco Rubio would agree.

DAVID LUBIN

Tampa

No Longer No. 1

Regarding "The Republican Language Problem" (Other Views, July 15):

Tom Teepen's article reminded me of why I cringe whenever the United States describes itself as "the leader of the free world," or "the most powerful nation on earth." These statements reflect not a national pride, but rather a silly and embarrassing self-regard.

Other nations know this; know that we are lagging badly in education, health care, leadership and ethics, and that our economy is in shambles. They have been buying up our assets for years. In many cases, our first year of college is like their last year of high school. Let's face it: we are not No. 1, nor should we be trumpeting that grandiosity, even if it were to seem true. "Work hard; be honest; mind your own business; learn humility; and don't try to tell the rest of the world what to do" is still good advice.

NANCY E. MOORE

Riverview

World Prefers English

Tom Teepen not only skirted language classes but must have dodged logic and ignored journalistic and intellectual integrity.

Obama didn't just quip that it would be good learning a second language, but that all Americans should be required to specifically learn Spanish! Honestly though, this was just Obama pandering to his constituents, but it's also hypocritical and illogical. Higher educated and possible president Obama only knows English himself (hypocritical) and isn't a European traveler, just like the vast majority of Americans.

Spanish isn't even Europe's or the world's primary language, English is! Spanish isn't the most valuable language in the world market, English is. Ironically, we struggle with English! To require, by law, any second language is not only impeding our freedoms, hypocritical (since we don't even require English anymore) and even less beneficial, but is just another Orwellian ideal of Obama, ignorantly or just foolishly welcomed with open arms.

MICHAEL MEANS

Tampa

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