I support rising gas prices

In response to: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110514/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama

Obama has recently announced that he will expand US oil production in order to combat rising gas prices and reduce dependency on foreign oil. However, the sad truth is that even if we drain the US oil reserves completely (I believe we have around 20 billion barrels in reserves), this will just put a tiny dent on oil prices. Even if we double the amount of oil we produce from 2 billion barrels a year to say 4, this would maybe lower gas prices by a whopping 4 cents on a global market level.

Let's face it Americans, gas prices will keep going up whether you like it or not. Unless the US government is willing to heavily subsidize gas prices, we are not going to see a significant reduction in prices any time soon. This is not a supply issue as it is a demand issue. It's not that we are running out oil, but that the demand worldwide is going up much faster than supply is. With the rapid developments in countries like China, the demand for oil will be going up faster than ever, and this is what drives up the prices!

We produce 2 billion barrels a year as Americans but consume more than 3 times that amount... 7 billion barrels. Do you really think you can continue to consume this much indefinitely without facing higher prices? Unless you want to curb development efforts in pretty much every 2nd and 3rd world country in the world, you will have to deal with it.

There's a reason why cities in other countries are so densely packed compared to those in the US. People simply drive less and live closer to the central city. Suburban life is truly an American phenomenon... what is so attractive about driving 2 or more hours to and from work every day... all for the sake of a backyard, a white picket fence and a 3000 square foot home? This type of life style, aka the American Dream, is not sustainable. Rather than trying to fight the upward pressure on gas prices, why not let the market do its magic? Higher and higher gas prices will lead people to substitute -away- from the suburban life, move closer to the central city, and actually make them more productive citizens since they do not burn as much resources and time commuting each day. For a country that so heavily promotes the ideals of the free market, we are intent on subsidizing an inefficient lifestyle.

Please, curb your consumption levels today, and perhaps your children and grandchildren will have -something- left to consume in the future. Yes, I support rising gas prices.