I don't think anything rubs me the wrong way more than when Americans complain that gas prices are too high. You have to stoop to low levels of ignorance to arrive at that conclusion. The Oil Drum points to a graph of the price (in US$) of gasoline here in the US and abroad.



For some reason the US sees itself as a major oil producer in ranks with countries in the MENA (Middle East North Africa) and Asia. But the reality is we don't even make the top ten in oil production.


http://lugar.senate.gov/energy/graphs/worldoil.html

Even Canada, with proven reserves second to Saudi Arabia, pays $4/gallon for gas. This puts Americans at odds with reality and stuck in a "city on the hill" view of their greatness. All this despite a lack of the resource needed to keep gas at the "horribly high" price of $3/gallon. Come on people! We have it good...

A rude awakening is coming. Oh, and ANWR won't make the least bit of difference... 5 ANWRs won't either.

BTW - All of the above goes the same for China.

Is America fundementaly conservative? No. According to a new report...

The issues covered in this report include the following:

* The role of government - Americans support an active government that tackles problems, provides services, and aids those in need.

* The economy - Americans support increasing the minimum wage and strong unions, and believe the wealthy and corporations don't pay their fair share of taxes.

* Social issues - Americans support legal abortion and embryonic stem cell research; opinions on equal rights for women and gay Americans have grown dramatically more progressive in recent years.

* Security - Americans support a progressive approach to national security, emphasizing strong alliances and diplomacy over the indiscriminate use of military force. On domestic security issues, progressive approaches to crime and gun control enjoy wide support.

* The environment - By enormous margins, Americans favor strong environmental protections, a core progressive belief.

* Energy - Americans support energy conservation and the development of alternative fuels.

* Health care - Americans clearly favor universal coverage and are more than comfortable with government solutions to the health care problem.

This isn't really a surprise to me nor does it matter when America and her media is fundamentally gullible. Pols know and exploit this. A recent example would be how the Bush administration paved the way for war in Iraq. Hopefully the open-source revolution will allay this cancer. To that end, it is comforting to know that a majority of Americans don't hold conservative views when it comes to the issues listed above. They can call themselves conservatives if it's trendy (a fading trend) as long as they don't actually act like conservatives.