Democrats talk at the Denver convention about creating and keeping American jobs.
Ironically the building that housed the largest research and development division of Arco Oil Company in Texas was sold by British Petroleum to Perot Systems and now serves as its headquarters. Perot Systems was founded by Ross Perot who previously created EDS Electronic Data Systems and who most importantly has been credited with throwing the 1992 Presidential election to Bill Clinton by drawing off many independent voters who would have voted Republican for George Bush senior. Perot Systems derives a significant amount of its business from state and federal contracts. A building that used to house American engineers, geologists, scientists, logistics people and ordinary employees who worked for an American owned oil company that strived to fill the gas tank for the average American now houses a company that focuses on giving computer support on state and the federal government social service contracts. This is the Democratic Party version of a success story. Outsourced government work under Bill Clinton replaces a former American owned world admired jewell of the oil industry that had provided gas for the American gas tank and many good American jobs for many years. So if you need reasonably price gas for your car, contact Bill Clinton and Perot Systems and ask them to give you a gallon of gas. This is the Democratic version of a success story, outsourced government work replacing a real company that produces a real needed product for the average American household.
The second take home point from this comment is that nuclear power is a friend of the environment and does not emit green house gases.
The Truth About Tire Pressure
Motorists could save more than 1 billion gallons of fuel a year, right now. But expanded offshore drilling would eventually produce even more.
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Summary
We are issuing a split decision in the Obama vs. McCain dispute over whether proper tire inflation could save as much oil as expanded offshore drilling is likely to produce.
We find that proper tire inflation could save more than a billion gallons of fuel per year and do it several years sooner than expanded drilling could produce a single drop. McCain has exaggerated by representing Obama's suggestion as a silly notion or implying that it constitutes his entire energy policy.
But we also figure that expanded offshore drilling is projected to produce far more oil eventually than can be saved by proper tire inflation – nearly three times as much even by the conservative estimate of government experts, and more than 10 times as much if an industry-endorsed estimate is correct. And even taking into account additional fuel savings from tune-ups, which Obama also mentioned, he greatly exaggerated.
We've been receiving a steady flow of inquiries about this matter ever since it was touched off by a remark that Sen. Barack Obama made on July 30:
Obama: Making sure your tires are properly inflated, simple thing, but we could save all the oil that they're talking about getting off drilling, if everybody was just inflating their tires and getting regular tune-ups. You could actually save just as much.
Sen. John McCain ridiculed Obama for that remark. His campaign launched a fundraising effort offering tire gauges with the words "Obama's Energy Plan" emblazoned on them. McCain said at a motorcycle rally in Sturgis, S.D., on Aug. 5:
McCain: My opponent doesn't want to drill, he doesn't want nuclear power, he wants you to inflate your tires.
McCain exaggerates. Obama's energy plan calls for much more than conservation measures (and, in fact, doesn't contain any language about tire inflation). It includes a proposal to spend $150 billion over the next decade to, among other things, improve fuel efficiency and develop new fuels and vehicles.
But was Obama exaggerating as well? Others have come up with conflicting answers.
- ABCNews.com tossed off a quick piece quoting a single expert as saying that proper tire inflation could produce savings equal to "a tidy sum and a worthwhile target" but still "not equal" to the added production to be expected from expanded drilling.
- TIME magazine concluded "Obama is right" after quoting a couple of general estimates about fuel savings.
- PolitiFact.com drilled more deeply than either of those and concluded that Obama's statement is "true" even accepting the McCain campaign's preferred estimate for savings attributable to proper tire pressure.
We've continued to explore this subject. We conclude that Obama's statement is by no means as silly as McCain tried to make it sound, but it is a rather large exaggeration nonetheless.
Tire pressure: Wasting 1.2 Billion Gallons
Let's start with tire pressure. Even McCain finally admitted Aug. 5 that keeping tires properly inflated is a good idea and can save fuel:
McCain: Obama said a couple of days ago says we all should inflate our tires. I don't disagree with that. The American Automobile Association strongly recommends it.
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