enthalpy

Saturday, June 02, 2007


The middle east is such a mess, but we have to "fix" it because all our oil is in their desert, right? Well, no. Turns out we only import a fifth of our oil from Persian Gulf States, and while I hate drawing such obtuse conclusions, most everyone could cut their gas usage by at least that much if we checked our tires and bought a new air filter. So what would that buy us? We could stop using that bullshit line of "democracy spreading" over there and let those people do whatever the hell they wanted.
The middle east was once the world's most advanced region, but these days its biggest industries are extravagant consumption and the venting of resentment. According to the UN's 2004 Arab human development report, the region boasts the second lowest adult literacy rate in the world (after sub-Saharan Africa) at just 63 per cent. Its dependence on oil means that manufactured goods account for just 17 per cent of exports, compared to a global average of 78 per cent. Moreover, despite its oil wealth, the entire middle east generated under 4 per cent of global GDP in 2006—less than Germany.
Cheap gas isn't the answer. Hell, at $3 a gallon, it's not even the question. But to think that that area is somehow holding us hostage because they have cheap oil that we desperately need is utter horse shit.



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