Keystone, and oil prices, and other myths.

A battle cry of every President in recent memory is the old worn-out "we need to reduce our dependence on foreign oil."

My question is simply this: Why? What difference will that make?

When most people think of foreign oil they think of those dreaded brown middle-eastern people. If Americans don't like Arabs there are better reasons than the fact they've got us over a barrel. (And the barrel has "Oil" printed on the side.)

But the fact is, only about 4% of our oil is imported from the middle east. Four percent. So what are we really get so worked up about? We import most our oil from Canada, and a great deal from Russia (ever wonder why we are being so cautious about the Ukranian take-back?)

And as far as foreign dependence, oil companies are pumping more oil out of the ground than they have in 20 plus years. In fact, in roughly 2011 the cry "Drill, Baby, Drill" was replaced by "Fracking For The Future." Oil and natural gas are currently hitting mighty healthy levels (never-mind those living near fracking sights.)

Just two years ago 5% of the oil being refined into gasoline at east coast refineries was from domestic oil. Today 50%, yes 50% is coming from domestic oil. Along the Gulf Coast? Their use of foreign oil has dropped by 25% from what it was a couple days ago. So this begs a couple of obvious questions.

If we are obtaining so much of our own oil, why haven't prices dropped? The answer is simple. It isn't about where the oil comes from. Whether it comes from the middle east or east Texas, it's all about whose hands it falls into. And it falls into the hands of about 5 major oil companies. And although these folks keep bringing in record net profits every quarter off the backs of the middle class primarily, our Republican friends in Congress still believe we must maintain the subsidies these companies enjoy....yeah we actually pay them to rape us.

To quote the Detroit Free Press/News from May 26th, 2014: "Reducing the reliance on foreign sources of energy has not led to lower prices though." It's NOT about where the oil comes from folks. It's about the evil, greedy hands it falls into.

Perhaps it isn't generally realized, but Canada is totally oil independent. One hundred percent. And guess what? The Canadians pay as much or more for their gasoline than we do. So what is the advantage of being "energy independent?" There is none. None. So who cares where we get the oil from?

Even though the oil is under our feet the price is out of our hands. The rapist?....I only got the first name. It's Exxon.

And can we stop all the blubbering about the Keystone Pipeline? Seriously in exchange for a few summer jobs, Americans are willing let Canada run a pipeline through our country for us to trip over forever? By the way, NONE of the oil would benefit the USA in any way. All the oil would be shipped out of New Orleans bound for Europe and Asia. So we can we get off the President's ass about this? Bush wouldn't have stood for this. Reagan would have laughed at them. Nixon would have told them to go screw themselves. So folks, stop with the nonsense about this stupid pipeline. It ain't gonna happen. Not with a Democrat in the White House, or a Republican in the White House. It's a bad idea that will never be realized.

Let Canada run the Keystone Pipeline across their country, not ours. And let's stop worrying about where the oil comes from and instead worry about the ways American Corporations are dreaming up to screw us.

If we were totally energy independent tonight, you'd be paying $4.95 at the pump.