Big oil and gas can solve all of our problems

So now big oil and gas shoulder the once prestigious accolade bestowed on our auto industry, surely you remember "How goes General Motors goes the country." Today we hear America's big oil companies, they are titans backed by the much enlightened and informed Republican Senate Minority folks of the Judiciary Committee that if just turned loose to explore and drill at will, will have our energy and high cost of same under control within the next 10 to 20 years; trust us, we have the experience. After all they got the ball rolling back in the early 20th century with the Teapot Dome, some called it a scandal, nowadays it would just be business as usual.

Perhaps if we had listened to President George W. Bush back some seven years ago to his then-proposed open range policy on drilling for oil and gas, we may not even be in Iraq today. George W. would not have to drum up all those reasons to justify the loss of life and treasure as to maintaining stability to keep the oil and gas flowing in the Mideast in our favor. Of course, that condition now depends on if the Iraqis like us and democracy more than their Iranian brotherhood next door.

Just recently I read an article, "Oil executives try to educate Democrats, but Dems appear hopeless." It cited figures offered by the top executives of our five largest oil and gas companies, such as: that they only can compete for 7 percent of the global oil reserves available, whatever that number is. Exxon Mobil, our largest oil and gas company, stated that it accounts for only 2 percent of global energy, 3 percent of global oil production, 6 percent of global oil refining capacity, 1 percent of global petroleum reserves, whatever those numbers represent in global capacity.

Exxon Mobil alone managed $60 billion in profit after taxes last year. Just think what they could do for us, if they had direct access to all of our national reserves? Happy days again in Hummerville.

William T. "Nick" Smith

Pinehurst Drive