THE CAUSE OF FUEL INCREASE

[Graeme]

Let it not be forgotten that the USA has truly enormous reserves of oil sloshing around beneath the ocean off their eastern coast, but are presently not allowed to access it because of environmental legislation. But let the USA be backed into a corner and the environmental legislation will be overturned right smartly. Let it not be forgotten either that the shortage in the USA is really one of distillates, not crude. They havn't built a new refinery in the USA since 1970!

[Margaret D]

I get the America World Domination Theory... I wonder if Obama will make a difference??

[Dave A]

I suppose we could foil their dastardly plot by using less fuel

But then they'll probably go for plan B

[meakin]

Dave A, there is a serious suggestion doing the land tax rounds that in exceptional times [as now with oil prices] the UN should be empowered to collect royalties from all unused oil deposits so that owners cannot hoard reserves. I cannot remember the source of this. I find it difficult to imagine that tax collectors will get very far into Saudi Arabia! Regards, Peter

[duncan drennan]

.. the UN should be empowered to collect royalties from all unused oil deposits so that owners cannot hoard reserves.

I think that they should be able to hoard reserves. If there were no reserves the oil price would be 10x more than it currently it. Yes, controlling the flow can artificially increase (or decrease) the price, but suddenly being in a situation where all the available oil is in the ground is also bad news - ala Eskom and the coal debacle.

[Dave A]

there is a serious suggestion doing the land tax rounds that in exceptional times [as now with oil prices] the UN should be empowered to collect royalties from all unused oil deposits so that owners cannot hoard reserves.

It would certainly save on leading out with boycotts and then manufacturing reports on weapons of mass destruction

What should we tax to sort out the food price problem? Maybe Japan's reserves of rice that they've set aside for the lean times?

[young]

.........imagine South Africa was invaded be the US for some reason (say regime change) . The entire cities of Durban an Gauteng destroyed - all the popular buildings that you know and hundreds of others.

HOW MUCH OF MONEY WILL IT TAKE TO REBUILD CITIES. - the part rebuilding and redestroying of Iraq is mega bucks. Where will so much come from? ...................

we paying for funerals of US soldiers
we paying for weapons
we paying for rebuilding
we paying towards US world domination

[Dave A]

American taxpayers are footing the bill, it seems. I see there is an enquiry into the megabucks some of the top US politicos are making out of the reconstruction effort in Iraq.

At the moment, I'm more interested in why they wouldn't flatten Capetown, though

[Chatmaster]

It makes me think of the movie Zeitgeist.

[Chatmaster]

I get the America World Domination Theory... I wonder if Obama will make a difference??

the way the US are run by bu$ine$$, I actually do not think it matters who the president is. IMO the election process in the US is very commercial. The candidate with the most money to swing public opinion is normally the winner. The amount of favors you owe other people just for having the backing to stand for president is also a factor. Personally I feel the whole design of the US election process is far from democratic but rather capitalistic in design.