Or should we just sit back and watch as China feeds its authoritarian, human-rights-abusing, environmentally disastrous government a big helping of light Iraqi crude? See, as a Libertarian I applaud the right of the Iraqi government to do what the hell it wants to do with the oil that is a sovereign Iraq's property. But as a good American imperialist (in the manner of GHW Bush, Bill Clinton, Dubya, John McCain, and even Barack), damn it, I expect that when my government literally sends in the Marines, Will Rogers-style , that we get to keep the goddamn oil we rightfully stole.

From the latest edition of The Castle Record , which pops up like magic in my mailbox around election year: ... for those of you who will be driving to vacation destinations this summer, remember simple tips like slowing driving speeds and proper tire inflation to make the gas stretch just a bit farther. For all you folks speculating that Senator Obama might cross party lines to pick a GOPer like Chuck Hagel as VP, or that Joe Biden is a lock for Secretary of State, I think we're looking at the next Secretary of Transportation or Energy right here....

According to the latest Public Policy Polling report , Libertarian Chris Cole is pulling down 4% in the North Carolina Senate race with Elizabeth Dole and Kay Hagan. In one sense this is down from the 6% he scored last month, but not really. When you're running in the 4-6% range and the margin of error in a poll is 3.5-4.5%, you have to expect some significant volatility. Nonetheless, two successive polls in the 5% range matches what other Libertarians are currently pulling in North Carolina statewide races, and--as the race between Dole and Hagan has apparently closed to single digits--that 5% again looms larger and larger. So we've now reached the point where--even if his funding is non-existent compared to the millions raised by the Demopublicans--when Chris Cole speaks, there are people out there starting to listen. And when he speaks into one of the obvious controversial gaps [energy and offshore drilling] between Dole and Hagan, it has the potential to . . . well, sha...

It has been a few months since I checked in on the buzz surrounding the imminent production of the world's cheapest car: Tata Motors Nano--a four-person mini- with a two-cylinder engine and a base price around $2,500. Several items of note: 1) Rising prices are also pushing at Tata Motors; while it will still be the cheapest car in the world, the Nano probably won't stay under $2,500 by the time production ramps up. 2) You won't find the Nano available in America any time soon, according to Auto Observer . The vehicle doesn't have air bags, doesn't meet US crash test requirements, and has an emissions profile equivalent to EU III, which places it about 2-3 years behind what it needs to have to be certified in the US. Tata Motors promises to it EU IV pretty soon, but it will need to get to EU V to be considered for US entry. (And the crash test hurdle may also be overcome soon, as well.) 3) Environmentalists are still up in arms about the Nano, because it will en...

Perhaps it's the qualifications : Dr. Munger has a PhD in economics and experience working in regulatory policy at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. He holds a current joint appointment in Duke's Economics Department. He believes that only comprehensive energy reform will work to solve the nation's energy security problems, and help consumers in our state. And as for the plan : "It's an election year, which means that it is silly season for politicians. The supporters of new drilling are promising miracles, and the opponents are predicting disaster. They are both exaggerating for their own political purposes," Dr. Munger said. Dr. Munger's proposed comprehensive solution would require broad cooperation at the federal and state level. The key points are: 1. End tariffs on ethanol imports. 2. Allow drilling and new exploration for high-yield sources of oil and natural gas on Federal lands and offshore in all U.S. waters. 3. End domestic ethanol subsidies, w...

That's the general consensus over at Delwareliberal , where it is fascinating to watch our more progressive friends pile up an ever bigger and longer list of items they want the State to monitor and regulate. But let's do a reality check. Did you know that roughly a dime's worth of the cost of a gallon of over-priced gasoline can be traced to the fact that-wait for it-- our government actually imposes an import tariff on foreign ethanol ? That's right: $.54/gallon on foreign ethanol entering our country. According to CNN : The import tariff of 54-cents a gallon on ethanol - a required component in gasoline - keeps the price of imported ethanol high. Much imported ethanol is made from sugarcane which is cheaper-to-produce than domestic corn-based ethanol. The fact that the government has a tariff on any energy product in these times of high prices is illogical to some. "We don't have a tariff on oil or natural gas or anything like that," said Bill Koetzle...

This from Fausta's Blog : Brazilian state oil company Petrobras is studying a block in deep Cuban waters for possible exploration as part of broader cooperation with the Caribbean island, a top advisor to the company said on Friday. "We are planning to cooperate not only in exploration and production, but lubricants, refining and training," Andre Ghirardi told Reuters in Havana at a one-day meeting of Brazilian and Cuban businessmen.... The US Geological Survey estimated the North Cuba basin could contain 4.6 billion barrels of oil, with a high-end potential of 9.3 billion barrels, and close to 1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. China and Venezuela have already initiated the first stages of drilling in the North Cuba basin. Facts about foreign drilling immediately off our shores: 1) We have no control over the environmental impact of these operations as they take place in international waters. 2) All three nations pursue oil with State-owned companies, which generally ...