It's about time.

wow Rene, I don't think I expected this response from you. I guess I thought your whole reason for existance was to oppose everything I write:-)

Interestingly, Bush is berrating congress for not passing legislation now to allow drilling offshore and in ANWR. Most are not aware however the Bush senior has executive orders banning this which must be lifted first. Why doesn't Bush do this first???

"but the money is going into stockholders or royal families pockets. "

got an IRA, 401k? Then most likely you are one of those "stock holders" since oil companies are publically owned. The cost to drill has become enormous, it requires companies with billions of dollars to bring us the affordable energy we have been enjoying for so long. I agree that we need to stop lining the pockets of our sworn enemies and need to drill here, in the USA.

>>"obscene oil company profit"<<

I would have to say that moreso than in any other industry, oil company profits are fully aligned with to best aspects of capitalism- companies take on enormous risk for potentially large rewards. The rewards in recent years have often not justified the risks and as a result exploration has suffered. This could be part of the reason oil supply seems to be falling behind demand. If you really think oil company profits are "obscene" you can get your part- buy oil company stocks, but historically these stocks have not performed any better or worse than most industries, so your complaint has no merit. As far as oil money going into "royal families pockets" there is nothing anyone can do about this, other than invade and take over these countries, as they control the oil in their countries... is this what you are proposing?

>>"Take that money and put in in renewable energy development "<<

The idea that you should take money from one industry to support another is absurd. Why not take the profits from Microsoft and invest it in renewable energy. Why not take the profits from the latest hit movie or entertainment star which are far out of line with what they contribute to society? The money going to these people truly is wasted. In contrast, the oil industry has always reinvested their profits to keep the stream of cheap oil going strong. What you really don't seem to understand is that oil is an incredibly cheap source of energy even at $200 or $300 a barrel. If you consider that alternative energy sources are a worthy goal for our society and nation, then you need to be willing to pay for it yourself. It should be done fairly and no industry should pay more than any other industry. I happen to think it is a worthy goal to pursue alternative energy. It would set America up to continue to be the world's leading nation for many centuries to come. Here is how I would do it; stop wasting money on fruitless wars- cut the military budget in half and put that half to work building and developing new technology to alter the energy use and consumption in this country. This would allow us to have a smooth transition from fossil fuels to the energy sources of the future. The time to start is now.