The Decline of the Petro-Czar

Here is a nice article describing why increasing fuel economy is a good idea.

http://rorabaughsblog.blogspot.com/2009/02/fuel-efficiency-as-national-security.html

well, wasteful use od oil wealth is temporary because that kind of policy just isn't sustainable. without morons like chavez, people would be better off in longer term. what we have now is just an illusion wich will end pretty soon. private oil companies are paying taxes a lot! and they do the job right! national oil companies invest much less cause moron-presidents like chavez are taking money away and results are declining production. even NOC in countries that don''t have moron-presidents are investing less. it seems that you don't see side effects of social measures.

about oligarchs- did putin change anything? well, he did put in jail those oligarchs that confronted him, and those that are loyal to him are more powerful than ever.
and it's not about wealth distribuation, that never did anything good. it's about making system that works. by not stilling from people that have money and giving it to the poor.

I already said I agree with this. I don't support them. The problem is you're not admitting that without these men, this wasteful use of oil wealth .. would be just a dream. Privatized oil doesn't give anything back to the land nor the people who live there, not even Lamborghini's for the Presiden'ts entourage. If you're claiming small taxes are just as good, you haven't seen the destruction these corporations leave behind. That is why they have to be tied to the country they work in.

It's easy for you to speak about diversifying. In reality they did more than you imagine, the problem is that rich people have large stakes in each of these countries, and they care about saving what money they can in a turmoil like this, not making sure the nation stays healthy and viable. For Russia, it is 1998 all over again. They have the oligarchs greed to thank for their problems, otherwise they would be like latin american countries - not nearly as affected by this crisis.

you missed the point there. chavez isn't doing good. he's doing awful. it's pretty stupid to judge someone's presidency out of context. being president of oil exporting country when the price of crude is $10 per barrel and $100 per barrel are two completely different things. last couple of years even a monkey would made same results as chavez or putin did. or not! monkey would probably do better. chavez made two huge mistakes. and he had once in a lifetime oportunity to use oil windfall profits to diversify and to decrease dependence on oil. he didn't do that .even worse, he decreased investing in oil industry and because of that venezuela maximum oil production is shrinking. he was just giving money away. he was buying votes and feeding his ego playing the role of revolutionary saviour.

kenya and oil???

i didn't say that poverty in russia and venezuela didn't decline. it did. but not because of chavez's brilliance, but because of higher price of oil.

nice try Johnny Cockroach. you're saying Chavez is doing good, but not enough good. That's fair, I never disputed that nor said that either him or Putin was the messiah. But you can't dispute that they are better than what would of been (and what was BEFORE they came into power). You only have to look at Kenya, and many other locations to see what the oil industry does to nations.

Get your head out of your ***. Calling Chavez a crook. heh, who isn't a crook?

ooooh, come on...chavez is nothing but a clown and a crook. you cannot sign a deal under one term and than change your mind when oil prices go up. besides, "nation's oil" is worthless if it is underground. somebody has to lift it up. someone with capital and expertise. or should IOC do that for free? besides, i would be more sceptical about poverty rate figures. there is a lot of government manipulation.surely, they dropped because of oil revenue but how much exactly ? should we trust government numbers? and btw. venezuelan government is financing social programa at the same rate as was before chavez. only thing different is bigger budget. cause of higher oil prices.

The most blatantly bias propaganda i have read on this site in a long time.
funny how Chavez is evil because he stopped the privitization of the nation's oil, (kicking out BP, Shell, and god knows who else) and thus made enemies with the US. despite improving his nation (by turning those oil resources into wealth) and his people. It's funny how Putin is evil because he prevented Russia splitting up into many different parts having civil war. And by doing the same as Chavez with the oil.. he changed the 50% poverty rate of the 1990s to the 5-10% it is right now. And yes, it's funny how you even mentioned Ahmadinejad when he HOLDS NO POWER in Iran. No he's not the 3rd Musketeer in that picture, because he is simply a tool of the real power in Iran, to create anti-US sentiments for domestic consumption. And the west loves to make an enemy out of Iran as well... good distraction for what's really going on

All in all a "great" article there Rana, but you forgot to mention the one and only George W.
If the recession would of hit when Sep elevnth happened and oil prices would of fallen even lower than they were back then, would the US even have gone into Iraq?

Perhaps not, perhaps Saddam would still be in power, and would of signed a deal with the chinese and be prospering off the wealth.. only to be included in this same article (taking place in the parallel universe..remember) along side rulers such as chavez who, unlike saddam, never killed anyone.

The most blatantly bias propaganda i have read on this site in a long time.
funny how Chavez is evil because he stopped the privitization of the nation's oil, (kicking out BP, Shell, and god knows who else) and thus made enemies with the US. despite improving his nation (by turning those oil resources into wealth) and his people. It's funny how Putin is evil because he prevented Russia splitting up into many different parts having civil war. And by doing the same as Chavez with the oil.. he changed the 50% poverty rate of the 1990s to the 5-10% it is right now. And yes, it's funny how you even mentioned Ahmadinejad when he HOLDS NO POWER in Iran. No he's not the 3rd Musketeer in that picture, because he is simply a tool of the real power in Iran, to create anti-US sentiments for domestic consumption. And the west loves to make an enemy out of Iran as well... good distraction for what's really going on

All in all a "great" article there Rana, but you forgot to mention the one and only George W.
If the recession would of hit when Sep elevnth happened and oil prices would of fallen even lower than they were back then, would the US even have gone into Iraq?

Perhaps not, perhaps Saddam would still be in power, and would of signed a deal with the chinese and be prospering off the wealth.. only to be included in this same article (taking place in the parallel universe..remember) along side rulers such as chavez who, unlike saddam, never killed anyone.

Rana Foroohar has written a very important article. Every member of the U.S. Congress, and every member of the Obama administration should read it! Similar ideas were presented in a paper titled: "Nexus - Oil and al-Qaeda" by Frank H. Denton, PhD, U.S. Foreign Service, published about two years ago on the American Energy Independence website: http://www.AmericanEnergyIndependence.com/nexus.html

When will the leaders of the free world get this concept? The world cannot be free if the world economy is controlled by petroleum dictators. The world needs alternative sources and choices of abundant and cheap energy. Energy Independence is the vision and pursuit of that goal.

Rana Foroohar has written a very important article. Every member of the U.S. Congress, and every member of the Obama administration should read it! Similar ideas were presented in a paper titled: "Nexus - Oil and al-Qaeda" by Frank H. Denton, PhD, U.S. Foreign Service, published about two years ago on the American Energy Independence website: http://www.AmericanEnergyIndependence.com/nexus.html

When will the leaders of the free world get this concept? The world cannot be free if the world economy is controlled by petroleum dictators. The world needs alternative sources and choices of abundant and cheap energy. Energy Independence is the vision and pursuit of that goal.

You are *** morons !! you have *** up yourself now trying to look for a hole!! you *** have nothing to do !!
Just get lost!!

Interviewing Christian Broadcasting Network founder Pat Robertson
recently for a forthcoming piece on the possibility of a Fairness
Doctrine revival, I threw in a couple questions about President Obama. In a CNN appearance just before Christmas,
Robertson surprised a lot of folks when said he was "Remarkably Pleased" with Obama and that he "has the makings of a Great President."

Robertson has changed his tune on Obama, but he's still Rooting for him.

Here's my exchange with him about the President:


You surprised people last year when you said you were impressed with Obama so far. How do you feel about him now, after several weeks in the White House?



He hasn't been as Skillful in a Number of Areas.

I think he's showing Partisanship.

What I said on CNN is that if he's not Partisan and
doesn't swing out at the left, he has the Potential to be a Great President.

But look at his Cabinet Appointments. And the Stimulus Package is a Disaster.

-----------------------------------

He let [House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi write the Bill.

He should have exerted more Leadership about what went into the [[Stimulus Package]].


It's not over, but I still want to give him the [[Benefit of Every Doubt]], and....

[[I Definitely Hope He Succeeds]].

It wouldn't be good for Americans for him not to.


We don't want a President who Fails at Domestic and Foreign Policy.
So you don't subscribe to Rush Limbaugh's "I hope he fails" school of thought?

-----------------------------------------


Pat Roberston: On Rush Limbaugh, Desiring to See Obama's Agenda Fail ....

"That was a Terrible thing to say.

I mean, he's the President of All the Country.

If he Succeeds, the Country Succeeds.

And if he Doesn't, it Hurts us all.

Anybody who would Pull Against our President, is not Exactly Thinking Rationally".

Russia will survive and *** you in your mouth

ffff

What do you actualy mean when you say "Russia will fall"? Russia will of course survive as a country and only oligarhs will fall with their supermoney. Thats it. Most of Russian pepole get used to live in a very difficult situations. People in power may change and property may be re-distributed among others. So what? Russia has recently shown its ability to win in local wars such Gergia. I think eastern part of Ukrain will be also taken by Russia very soon. We will see. Yankees realy stucked in afganistan and Iran will too tough for them now.

I even remember that Putin was building "alternative capitalism". Some Kremlin-funded "economists" were even claiming that economy develops faster under totalitarian-command economy regime, than under free market system.

I even remember that Putin was building "alternative capitalism". Some Kremlin-funded "economists" were even claiming that economy develops faster under totalitarian-command economy regime, than under free market system.

I hope that Russia will fall, and that the brave people of tatarstan can gain their freedom. Every opponent of Russia should watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMuQ9v1-EEs and be aware of the persecution tatars face.