Gallup: 52% say ANWR must remain pristine; Update: McCain’s ANWR “rethink” debunked
posted at 6:51 pm on June 19, 2008 by Allahpundit
Send to a Friend |
Share on Facebook | printer-friendly
Caveat: The data’s a month old. Second caveat: 57% are ready to drill in other off-limits areas, including 56% of independents. Third caveat: Rasmussen’s more recent data is 10 points higher on the subtopic of offshore drilling, which probably means opinion on ANWR has shifted somewhat too. Perhaps, unlike Maverick, America’s willingness to re-examine its position isn’t just lip service?
Oh, fourth caveat: Members of the party that’ll control Congress next year and very possibly the White House oppose drilling in either coastal of wilderness “off-limits” areas by a 20-point margin.
Update: As it happens, Patrick Ishmael of News Buckit was at the event today where McCain was pressed about ANWR and says the whole thing is overblown. From his e-mail:
For what it’s worth, I was at the town hall, and my take was that McCain was mostly restating his opposition to drilling ANWR while deploying some tact toward a direct (but polite) questioner. So, imagine a situation where the government would be willing to drill in the Grand Canyon for oil, and that’s the situation, and presumably the only situation, where McCain would drill in ANWR. Unlikely, but still a (technically) open question. Sort of an “anything can happen but probably won’t” exception.
The questioner, who was allowed to ask the event’s only follow-up a few minutes later, wasn’t especially pleased by the response, but McCain was pretty firm on his position: that off-shore drilling was on the table, but that drilling ANWR really wasn’t.
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Blowback
Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.
Trackbacks/Pings
Trackback URL
Comments
Comment pages: [1] 2 »
Hold on a second! Are you saying the MSM is slanting the story? Are you saying the religion of global warming has false prophets?!? How dare you!!!!!!!
revolution on June 19, 2008 at 6:55 PM
we’re screwed. ANWR, 21 Million Acres of Worthless Refuge. The drilling operations would take a max. of 20K Acres. Other times when industry has gone into these places, it has been the case that Reindeer and other mammals have increased in population.
Enviro-Commies.
kirkill on June 19, 2008 at 6:56 PM
Facts on ANWR
- ANWR: 19.6 million acres. Size of oil production area: 2,000 acres (about the size of an Airport)
- 10.4 Billion barrels of oil are estimated in ANWR (USGS)
- Original Prudhoe Bay estimate: 8 Billion barrels, Actual: 14 Billion barrels (to date)
- The Central Arctic Caribou Herd has grown from 3,000 to 32,000 since Prudhoe Bay production began
- 75% of Alaskans support responsible energy exploration in ANWR
What the ANWR drilling area really looks like
The problem is people do not know the facts.
Poptech on June 19, 2008 at 6:57 PM
52% is probably about the same percentage of Americans that make up their mind on things independent of any logical thinking.
RBMN on June 19, 2008 at 7:01 PM
48% say it is ok? That is very good considering that the public has been purposely misinformed for 30 years on the subject of oil and gas exploration. This is very good. People are learning the topic. Focus more light on the subject.
percysunshine on June 19, 2008 at 7:01 PM
Many hard-core libs have decided that, even if we found the largest oil deposit in the history of the world in Oklahoma tomorrow, and all we had to do was stick a soda straw in the dirt to get it out, we shouldn’t use that oil. Why? Because more oil is just going to make us complacently continue to live our oil-guzzling lifestyle. The more painful it gets and the more quickly it gets to the excruciating, culture- and economy-destroying level, the better. Then, they believe, we’ll finally be forced to find the magic bunnies-and-skittles alternative energy solution that they just know is right around the corner. The only reason we don’t have the solution yet is because we’re just too darn lazy to find it as long as there’s oil to be had.
And besides, they argue, it’ll take 10 years to get it to market and it’ll only be about two months’ worth of oil anyway (never any citations for where they get these figures). Why bother, right?
aero on June 19, 2008 at 7:02 PM
Dude. Don’t link to a huge PDF file without putting a PDF warning in the link.
DaveS on June 19, 2008 at 7:02 PM
No. Nobody ever said that.
DaveS on June 19, 2008 at 7:03 PM
The same 52%, if asked, probably feel the city of new york should be abolished and returned to its natural state circa 1400ad
multiuseless on June 19, 2008 at 7:04 PM
RightWinged: 100% know nothing about ANWR, which is why they’re opposed to drilling. Don’t expect the media to inform them.
RightWinged on June 19, 2008 at 7:07 PM
I think some lefties are screwing with the gallop poll!
This is BS… those who say have never been up to ANWR. Hell in the Summer is smells like a freaking sewer.. Pristine my BUTT!
upinak on June 19, 2008 at 7:07 PM
Ok, so subtract the undecideds. I am surprised that it was over 20.
percysunshine on June 19, 2008 at 7:07 PM
yeah and 90% of people are retarded so this is a good showing
libertytexan on June 19, 2008 at 7:07 PM
This really should be for Alaskans to decide and thats it period. Well actually it should be the property owners but well we live in a world where 70% of Alaskan land is owned by the federal government.
libertytexan on June 19, 2008 at 7:09 PM
Fine.. let people vote on if there should be Drilling in ANWR and Offshore. I am all about the people and them voting for what they want.
upinak on June 19, 2008 at 7:11 PM
Poptech nailed it. People just don’t know the facts. They think ANWR is some sort of pristine paradise with fuzzy chipmunks and rainbows over mountaintops. Actually, it’s a dark, bleak expanse of frozen mud.
brak on June 19, 2008 at 7:14 PM
“This really should be for Alaskans to decide and thats it period. Well actually it should be the property owners but well we live in a world where 70% of Alaskan land is owned by the federal government.”
That brings up a good point. Interstate commerce is the domain of the Fed. What can be more interstate than the access and transportation of oil and gas?
percysunshine on June 19, 2008 at 7:15 PM
When was the last time a poll by this outfit was correct? You can always expect the drive-by parrots to do their part.
ANWR was called Arctic Wasteland before, it still is. It’s dark 8 months out of the year, there are no trees, no brush just a little grass which grows in the summer. It’s swampy in the summer, and the mosquitoes will carry you off if you are not anchored down. The peat bogs came from about 8,000 years ago, when the Boreal Forest grew right up to the shore of the Arctic, must have been warmer then, since it’s too cold for trees now. How do they know? What do you think the peat bogs are made of.
There is a show on the History channel “Ice Road Truckers” where the Canadians are drilling in the Arctic ocean, The trucks drive out on the Arctic Ocean during the winter to deliver drilling supplies. It shows a lot about the terrain and the problems of drilling there.
McCain should go there, it’s summer.
tarpon on June 19, 2008 at 7:16 PM
“When was the last time a poll by this outfit was correct? You can always expect the drive-by parrots to do their part.”
Why is a poll the metric for doing the right thing in this case.
percysunshine on June 19, 2008 at 7:18 PM
How about we encourage the construction of about a dozen refineries and our “company’s “ ,(with no foreign ownership) ,become the middlemen of the oil supply… nah… that makes too much sense…sorry…
jerrytbg on June 19, 2008 at 7:19 PM
Tangentially related, there was a thread over on Fark today about building more nuclear power plants. Apparently, McCain said we should build 45 new nuclear plants. Stunningly, the overwhelmingly liberal commenting crowd over there AGREED, almost to a person, over the course of hundreds of comments. There seems to have been an almost seismic shift among Democrats in favor of nuke power. The inheritors of the “NO NUKES” party is ready to build ‘em and build ‘em fast. I was absolutely stunned. It seems that since France is doing it, we can too. Comical that that’s their reason, but I don’t care as long as they’re ready to stop obstructing nuclear power. Now, if only they’ll tell their representatives in Congress, who don’t seem to have gotten the memo yet…
McCain really needs to take this energy issue and run with it. This will be his winning issue if he’ll aggressively address solutions that seem reasonable to the average voter.
aero on June 19, 2008 at 7:22 PM
I know only that I must trust the MSM and Al Gore. If I start looking at data I’ll get confused. I don’t want to think about it! I just want belong.
revolution on June 19, 2008 at 7:22 PM
Ask again when price hits $5.00 a gallon and $6.00 for diesel.
Sarjex on June 19, 2008 at 7:22 PM
This is why polls are complete, hand picked, dog$hit…..
Polls: the Democrat’s best friend and master. And the media’s pry bar…
BigWyo on June 19, 2008 at 7:23 PM
There is no god but Obama and Olberman is his prophet.
revolution on June 19, 2008 at 7:24 PM
Ice Road Truckers is done in Canda but they don’t drive on the arctic ocean. They drive on the Hudson Bay area and surrounding Tundra. As do the Ice Road Truckers do in Alaska…. drive on the tundra. The difference is that the Canadians aren’t nearly as far up as the North Slope, yet are as cold at times.
If you want to learn something about Alaska.. watch Tougher in Alaska on Discovery. Geo is actually a pretty good guy and give true accounts of Alaska. From Coal, Gold, Timber, and he has done one on the North Slope…
upinak on June 19, 2008 at 7:25 PM
This is a little like asking Joe Citizen whether he supports clean water legislation. What’s he going to say?
The devil is always in the details. When Joe Citizen finds out that the Clean Water Act would expand federal jurisdiction to intermittent arroyos in the desert and prevent most uses of private land far from any navigable watercourse, suddenly he’s not so in favor of “clean water legislation.”
Those who understand what ANWR really is and the minimal impact that drilling would have on it are much less likely to oppose its productive use. Asking a bunch of uninformed dolts whether they want to keep Alaskan wilderness “pristine” is hardly a rational basis for policymaking.
Cicero43 on June 19, 2008 at 7:27 PM
If the Repubs can’t sell the public on ANWR, they’re morons. I haven’t heard a single politician mention that the drilling area is a tiny percentage of the land area. I’ll bet 80% of the public would agree to drilling if they understood that.
Unfortunately, McCain is a doofus. He’s not going to be any help in getting the word out. To him, ANWR is equivalent to the Grand Canyon.
Splashman on June 19, 2008 at 7:30 PM
Ahh… the education in this country…gotta love it!
jerrytbg on June 19, 2008 at 7:30 PM
I keep hearing and seeing a few pics on how “pristine” this area of the world is. But, are there any statistics of how many people actually go there for a vacation? Moreover, are there any statistics of how many congress critters have actually had a first hand look?
byteshredder on June 19, 2008 at 7:35 PM
Then let those 52% have pristine gas tanks.
MB4 on June 19, 2008 at 7:38 PM
Being that I am an Alaskan, I get the dumbest questions… lately from “Older” folks. Today actually as I was walking into a Federal Building to do some research… I had an older couple walk up to me and ask where the bears were! I asked them where they were from… and Iowa came up as they are RVing. I looked them square in the eyes and asked these older folks why they wanted to see a bear if they drove all the way up on the Alcan, since bears love to sit on the side of the road coming up. They said not a black or brown bear.. but a polar bear.. a freaking POLAR BEAR!
I then asked them how far they had gone up my State and if they had gone to Fairbanks, which they informed me that Fairbanks was part of Canada and they had had enough of Canada and the gas prices.
I couldn’t help it, I laughed at them. To the point of snorting! They gave me a look as if I had lost my mind.
I then asked them to ask someone, who I knew personally and was a Wildland Fire Fighter, why Fairbanks was in Canada. My friend about busted a gut. This couple had to not been much more then in their 50’s and I explained to them where they were and where to go… but not for Polar Bears. They seemed quite embarrassed.
I don’t think it is just the “younger” generation who needs some lessons on where things are!
upinak on June 19, 2008 at 7:40 PM
http://www.anwr.org/topten.htm
TOP 10 REASONS TO SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT IN ANWR
1. Only 8% of ANWR Would Be Considered for Exploration
2. Revenues to the State and Federal Treasury
3. Jobs To Be Created Between 250,000 and 735,000 ANWR jobs
4. Economic Impact Between 1977 and 2004, North Slope oil field development and production activity contributed over $50 billion to the nations economy, directly impacting each state in the union.
5. America’s Best Chance for a Major Discovery The Coastal Plain of ANWR is America’s best possibility for the discovery of another giant “Prudhoe Bay-sized” oil and gas discovery in North America. U.S. Department of Interior estimates range from 9 to 16 billion barrels of recoverable oil.
6. North Slope Production in Decline
7. Imported Oil Too Costly
8. No Negative Impact on Animals Oil and gas development and wildlife are successfully coexisting in Alaska ’s arctic. For example, the Central Arctic Caribou Herd (CACH) which migrates through Prudhoe Bay has grown from 3000 animals to its current level of 32,000 animals. The arctic oil fields have very healthy brown bear, fox and bird populations equal to their surrounding areas.
9. Arctic Technology Advanced technology has greatly reduced the ‘footprint” of arctic oil development. If Prudhoe Bay were built today, the footprint would be 1,526 acres, 64% smaller.
10. Alaskans Support More than 75% of Alaskans favor exploration and production in ANWR. The democratically elected Alaska State Legislatures, congressional delegations, and Governors elected over the past 25 years have unanimously supported opening the Coastal Plain of ANWR. The Inupiat Eskimos who live in and near ANWR support onshore oil development on the Coastal Plain.
Chakra Hammer on June 19, 2008 at 7:42 PM
11. Reduce our dependence on foreign oil.
Chakra Hammer on June 19, 2008 at 7:43 PM
Pristine dump. There is crap all over the place. When it is not in total darkness all you see is dirt and snow and garbage. No one but elitist environmental whackos go up there. They need to air tape of this hell hole so people can see for themselves.
Blake on June 19, 2008 at 7:47 PM
Enough!
The vast majority of these media polls are mathematical garbage and are designed to influence not inform. To hell with this polling garbage it’s time for all thinking people to demand action.
rplat on June 19, 2008 at 7:49 PM
So I just went to the huffington post and must of read well over 100 comments…just trying to find a sane thought on their…could not find one…just total and complete anger…it was really really really sad…they were all blaming bush for absolutely every little problem…now, I am not bush’s biggest fan, alot of times I dont like him but I think he had to make harder decisions than any other president ever has had to and he had a house and senate to deal with that were less than cooperative for the majority of the time. But after reading the huffington post I am compltely sick to my stomach…What the heck is going on
SoCalInfidel on June 19, 2008 at 7:49 PM
This alone should be enough to open up the tiny section that they want..
Chakra Hammer on June 19, 2008 at 7:51 PM
That’s why we want and need leaders. McCain has an obligation to make all this clear. Otherwise, he ought to piss off.
JiangxiDad on June 19, 2008 at 7:52 PM
You don’t suppose a certain number of those people just got confused and meant they thought the oil rigs should be well-maintained, do you?
Frankly, I find that poll result unlikely. I don’t think I know more than two people opposed to drilling in ANWR, and I live in frakking Austin.
Blacklake on June 19, 2008 at 7:52 PM
They don’t like the truth!
http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs-0028-01/fs-0028-01.htm
upinak on June 19, 2008 at 7:53 PM
With the ANWR site, who doyou think they are going for? the People of Alaska as a whole or the Inupiat at Kaktovik?
upinak on June 19, 2008 at 7:54 PM
Don’t hold your breath. Last time I checked, McCain was one of the uninformed dolts.
Cicero43 on June 19, 2008 at 7:55 PM
It’s a virus. Some parts of the country have an epidemic. They discuss it at places like Kos and HuffPo. It’s extremely dangerous, but takes prolonged personal contact to get infected, so have no fear about visiting their ward electronically.
JiangxiDad on June 19, 2008 at 7:55 PM
Don’t I know it. But he’s our dolt.
JiangxiDad on June 19, 2008 at 7:56 PM
ANWR is one thing, The part of the huffington post I read was that it said that 80% of American Citizens do not feel this country is on the right track…and I can totally see the number being that high….but in the comments section it was pure hate and evil, and no logical thinking…it just hurts me to read it its so bad…yet no good ideas coming out of it….people saying its all bushs fault when its the congress and senate who are the real movers and shakers….pisses me off
SoCalInfidel on June 19, 2008 at 7:57 PM
So what do you think we should do? Bring them up to ANWR and leave them on the tundra for a week?
It might work but then I have a feeling people would be eating the tundra due to stupidity!
upinak on June 19, 2008 at 7:57 PM
If the Democrats refuse to drill or do anything other than nationalize or tax their way to nirvana, they’ll be broomed from power either this year or in 2010.
Just think how well $10 a gallon prices will go over two years from now.
JammieWearingFool on June 19, 2008 at 7:57 PM
Here is the chart of ANWR if the PDF is to large or if anyone couldn’t open it..
http://i26.tinypic.com/29zynwx.jpg
Chakra Hammer on June 19, 2008 at 7:58 PM
That would completely shut down the economy…and its a real possibility…especially with the socialists on the loose
SoCalInfidel on June 19, 2008 at 7:59 PM
Yeah I feel ya. I won’t go and read Huff or Kos. The people in there make me ill… in more ways then one. I would love for them to go up there and show me how it will hurt it anymore then anywhere else? The fact that there is wood (drift) all over the place, dead animals being eaten all the time and thru out that area. The fact that we have Wells there! The fact you can’t live on the land there and have to ship every God forsaken thing in and out.. including sewage and water. No one understands it and I doubt they ever will.
upinak on June 19, 2008 at 8:00 PM
if something doesn’t happen, I give it a year.
upinak on June 19, 2008 at 8:02 PM
The question itself is too ambiguous:
Do I think the whole thing should be opened up, carte blanche, to oil exploration? No, I don’t. Do I think the 2000 acres of known oil-bearing area should be opened up? You better believe it.
Answering no to that question does not necessarily mean Americans support keeping ANWR pristine. A simple followup question (e.g. “Does the fact that only 1/10 of 1 percent of ANWR would be opened up change your answer?”) would significantly change the polls results, I think.
spmat on June 19, 2008 at 8:03 PM
Dude, that thumbs up ain’t gonna win you any election. You better start impressing some people and soon.
johnnyU on June 19, 2008 at 8:04 PM
here is a better map…. and it shows where the wells are in or near ANWR.
http://www.sciencemaster.com/jump/images/earth/anwr_image2.gif
upinak on June 19, 2008 at 8:04 PM
Bullshit polling… Just wait another 90 days or so; then, and only then, will this polling data reflect the true feelings of Americans. A large portion of America is just now getting the truth as to exactly how we got in this situation, and just who is to blame.
Big oil has been the scape goat for politicians; most of which hang out with hookers and radical lefties. The middle class, as well as all Americans living below middle class standards, are suffering the most. With no end in sight, and the Obama camp telling Americans to “suck it up” and live with it, the suffering will only get worse. At some point in time, even Liberals are going to be demanding action by our worthless government.
Let’s see how this poll pans out in 90 days…
Keemo on June 19, 2008 at 8:06 PM
I keep seeing this so-called “fact” and I wonder what game is being played. Does it exclude tundra under an oil well, because the plants there aren’t directly being killed? The “1002 area” of ANWR where the drilling is take place is vastly bigger than 2000 acres as a cursory look at a map will reveal.
thuja on June 19, 2008 at 8:07 PM
They act like they whole thing would be opened up.. LOL
Chakra Hammer on June 19, 2008 at 8:07 PM
Oops, make that 1/100 of 1 percent of ANWR.
2000/19600000 ~= 0.0001 == 0.01%
spmat on June 19, 2008 at 8:08 PM
lol! gone for the nite.
jerrytbg on June 19, 2008 at 8:09 PM
Saw a whole bunch of dipshits being interviewed on TV in midtown Manhattan. Nobody ever heard of ANWR, but when told where it was, they were totally against drilling in Alaska. Only one guy thought it was OK.
The rest wanted “investments” in alternatives. These demented asshats are going to be paying double and triple for energy, and they want the government to take even more taxpayer money and throw it away on stupid ethanol subsidies and wind farms etc. They don’t even want private enterprise to take the risks of the investment and reap the rewards.
IMO, just shut off the elec. to NYC,DC, LA and SF for a month or so and let everyone there rot.
JiangxiDad on June 19, 2008 at 8:09 PM
look
http://i26.tinypic.com/29zynwx.jpg
Chakra Hammer on June 19, 2008 at 8:09 PM
I agree. And I fully expect the libs to somehow spin it into a matter of moral superiority to pay that much, just like they’ve managed to convince at least half the population that it’s noble and right and good to pay higher taxes. You’re a selfish, greedy, thoughtless idiot for wanting affordable gasoline and lower taxes. Dems will look down their noses at us for complaining about $10/gal and remind us that it’s our fondness for SUVs that got us there. If we had just arranged to live half a mile from where we work, like all liberals apparently do, we wouldn’t be worried about it, now would we? But CFL lightbulbs will solve everything. That, and purple Skittles.
aero on June 19, 2008 at 8:10 PM
So it’ll take 10 years to pull crude out of ANWR? That means that if we had started developing it when it first came up, in 1995, we would have been seeing that crude flow for 3 years now. What will we be saying in another 10 years if we don’t begin preparations to tap it now?
Salamantis on June 19, 2008 at 8:10 PM
They are Asking for opening of the entire Coastal Plain.. just one little section..
Chakra Hammer on June 19, 2008 at 8:11 PM
They are NOT Asking for opening of the entire Coastal Plain.. just one little section..
Chakra Hammer on June 19, 2008 at 8:11 PM
Please don’t use Wiki!
Check this link…
USGS Petro Assesment, 1998 which includes economic Analysis!
upinak on June 19, 2008 at 8:11 PM
Where are you hearing this? I want a freaking LINK@! It should take 2-3 years at MOST to get a pipeline out to the wells… AT MOST!
upinak on June 19, 2008 at 8:12 PM
Thuja:
I posted this on a diff. thread:
JiangxiDad on June 19, 2008 at 8:13 PM
Can you see my posts?
A “pad” is no more then 4 acres, unless they are working directional. Then it is about the size of 2 football fields depending on the equipement used.
If they are like Alpine Field, or The Kuparuk start (called Deadhorse), then it would be about that big. But there are doing massive directional up there at this moment.
upinak on June 19, 2008 at 8:15 PM
Here’s a link they put up on Fark today supporting the 10 years thing, but it’s about offshore drilling, not ANWR.
aero on June 19, 2008 at 8:16 PM
Thank you Aero!
upinak on June 19, 2008 at 8:17 PM
Gah.. that’ll teach me to believe commenters without doing my own research. Via anwr.org:
It’s 8% or 1.5 million acres that will be opened up for exploration, as thuja above correctly intimates. Only 2000 acres will be affected by actual production activity, though (an estimate, obviously). This makes sense. Still, my above-mentioned point about the change to the polling question stands.
spmat on June 19, 2008 at 8:18 PM
52% have no idea what they are talking about re: ANWR.
WisCon on June 19, 2008 at 8:22 PM
The Liberals don’t want us to get the oil. It wouldn’t matter if there wasn’t a living thing within 1,000 miles of it. They don’t want us getting it. They don’t want us burning it. They don’t want prices to drop. That’s the bottom line. All the rest is smoke filled coffee house crap.
TheBigOldDog on June 19, 2008 at 8:23 PM
how about these mark twain quotes:
SoCalInfidel on June 19, 2008 at 8:25 PM
Wow that is a pitiful article. And he never gave an explanation as to why! Good Lord!
upinak on June 19, 2008 at 8:25 PM
Agreed. But that’s the first time I’ve even seen anything posted to support the 10-years-to-see-results claim, which I swear I’ve read/heard a hundred times in the last week alone.
aero on June 19, 2008 at 8:27 PM
I’ve been hanging out at Fark lately because I’m trying to get a feel for what “normal” liberals think about issues. Though there are some extreme left/progressive nutcases, there are quite a few Dems who can occasionally admit that Republicans aren’t Satan’s spawn and that Bush is not really the root of all evil. They lean hard to the left, but it’s no DKos or HuffPo. Though they use heavy and insulting sarcasm and are among the snarkiest of internet dwellers, I have gained some insight over there, particularly on energy issues. Like I said above, they’re surprisingly in favor of nuclear power, but they oppose drilling of any kind and would be just as happy if the last drop of oil dried up tomorrow if that would force us to figure out how to run our cars on cow farts.
aero on June 19, 2008 at 8:35 PM
McCain doesn’t need to revisit ANWR, he needs to visit it. NOW. Pack yourself some mosquito gear and muck boots, Johnny.
BTW, I heard on the news tonight that the state owned Nepalese oil company raised prices 25% and people are rioting as a result.
What a joyous day this must be for Maxine Waters.
Buy Danish on June 19, 2008 at 8:39 PM
So far, I agree with Ace. I’m voting for him, but unless he stops being so “Mavericky”, he’s going down hard in November.
AUINSC on June 19, 2008 at 8:40 PM
Right. I swear, I honestly think I could stand in front of my polling place with a placard saying “Vote NO to the Monroe Doctrine” and half of the people would be pissed cause they can’t find it on the ballot.
BacaDog on June 19, 2008 at 8:40 PM
Recast the poll question:
Should Oil companies be banned by our government from drilling in an American sector, half a world away, that less than 1% of Americans will ever visit, and that is so cold, that nothing really lives there?
Yes or No
The term ANWR is deceptive. It is simply drilling in Alaska. Who cares. Just go get the oil so that my kids have an economy.
Dpet on June 19, 2008 at 8:41 PM
Because they are completely clueless. For example:
“wecansolveit.org” just ran an ad on O’Reilly that said, basically, if enough of us demand clean energy we can’t be ignore. See the mindset here? These people think it’s all magic. They think it’s possible to replace fossil fuels in the near future. They are totally clueless. They have no idea there are no real alternatives and may not be for decades. They have no idea how pervasive oil is. They have no idea its in everything from plastics to food.
At one time most American made something for a living. They actually had to build something and therefore had a sense of how difficult doing something tangible is. They had a better sense of the world and understood there is no magic, just a lot of hard work.
TheBigOldDog on June 19, 2008 at 8:41 PM
aero - in other words, reality be damned, they’d rather strangle our civilization that do something mildly distasteful.
They’re insane. It’s like people who are perfectly willing to work, so long as they don’t have to wake up.
Merovign on June 19, 2008 at 8:42 PM
TBOD - well-described. They think that you can have anything you want if you want it hard enough.
They seriously believe, in their hearts, that their desires override physics, or time, or anything else.
It’s beyond a learning disability.
We’re talking about people that learned from their parents that if you scream loud enough, you can get anything you want, and they’ve transferred that idea onto the rest of the world, apparently not getting past the bit where it doesn’t work.
Merovign on June 19, 2008 at 8:45 PM
Unfortunately $4 a gallon isn’t high enough to wake people up. It’s going to take more suffering unfortunately. The tipping point will come. Maybe at $6 or $8 but it will come when the pain becomes completely unbearable. Poll people in the cold climates around Dec 1 and see how many people would be willing to drill virtually anywhere there may be oil…
TheBigOldDog on June 19, 2008 at 8:46 PM
Bingo. You said it better than I did. Problem is, too many people either don’t know how to do something tangible and/or are liberal arts majors and don’t understand anything about science and engineering. Couple that with the whiner factor you rightly describe and your are left with the dysfunctional society we have.
TheBigOldDog on June 19, 2008 at 8:49 PM
What a joyous day this must be for Maxine Waters.
Buy Danish on June 19, 2008 at 8:39 PM
Good point. Can you imagine what it must be like to wake up every day knowing that no matter how fancy the clothes you dress up in, no matter how much bright red lipstick you cake on those lips, no matter what you do with your hair; you’re still stuck with the brain of Maxine Waters.
Keemo on June 19, 2008 at 8:51 PM
People here in the NE are freaking out about the home heating oil prices for next winter. It makes the gasoline problem look like a cakewalk.
Most home oil tanks are 250 gallons. Right now it’s over $5/gal. That’s $1250 per tank, which lasts about 4-5 weeks for an average home. And it seems poised to go higher. That is a huge problem for many people. Too add insult to injury, our elec. power is generated using oil instead of domestic coal, and food prices are as bad as anywhere.
I think there will be tremendous problems here.
JiangxiDad on June 19, 2008 at 8:53 PM
The really sad part is, you can patiently spoon-feed them facts, statistics, examples from history, quotes from experts, and on and on, and their response will usually be to call you a “partisan shill” or a “Bush-loving Repugnican” or something similar. You can be as reasonable, logical, and well-informed as it is possible to be, and they just shove their fingers in their ears and shout, “Nyah, nyah, nyah! Not listening!!!!”
aero on June 19, 2008 at 8:54 PM
I’m in Boston so I know what you mean.
TheBigOldDog on June 19, 2008 at 8:57 PM
Pain clears the mind. They are in for some serious self-inflicted pain.
TheBigOldDog on June 19, 2008 at 8:58 PM
I thought Joe and Hugo solved that problem for you guys.
JiangxiDad on June 19, 2008 at 9:00 PM
ROFLMAO! That only goes to reliable votes…
TheBigOldDog on June 19, 2008 at 9:02 PM
I have my doubts. Many people just don’t understand nature. They seem incapable of seeing a plant for itself. People tell me they don’t see the point of my yard of ecological restoration in the spring time. They just see it as an ugly bunch of weeds. Admittedly, come summer and fall when the weeds bloom, they get the point. It’s my understanding that the ANWR “barrenness” does blossom for a few weeks. I’ve seen the photos. If this an appearance game, us environmentalists may well win. (I’m not sure it should be such a game.)
And I still desire some better explanation of the size of the drill site. I’m somewhat handicapped in my game of being a right-wing environmentalists since I trust neither the right-wing nor environmentalists in what they have to say about the environment. I just have to make decisions for myself as there isn’t a large community telling me what I should think. I’m fine with that, but it does mean that I could wonder down blind alleys for longer than people with larger supportive communities. Thus, my need for facts and raw data is fairly intense.
thuja on June 19, 2008 at 9:04 PM
By cursing you for spreading weed seeds onto their property they spend a small fortune and countless hours trying to keep weed free?
TheBigOldDog on June 19, 2008 at 9:07 PM
I think Thuja may be one of my neighbors.
Buy Danish on June 19, 2008 at 9:11 PM
byteshredder — I read that less than 100 people visited ANWR last year. It’s on the Arctic Ocean, no roads, only ship or plane in and out. Two months are suitable for tourists, June and July. The peak was way back when about 600 people in one year went there. I did some research on the solar wind out of Canada above the Arctic circle, it’s a terrible place to go. The bugs are terrible in the summer and you freeze in the winter. People are scarce up there for good reason.
tarpon on June 19, 2008 at 9:11 PM
I live in San Antonio, and I get people all the time that seem to think that if you drill in ANWR, you’re going to kill the Polar Bears. They’re shocked when I show them pictures of the Polar Bears walking the pipeline to get around. They are amazed when I tell them about the number of animals that have flourished in the area since drilling began.
These are the same idiots who complain about how much it costs to fill up their Volvo.
john1schn on June 19, 2008 at 9:14 PM
Comment pages: [1] 2 »