Energy and the New America – all of it.
Isn't it time to break out of this old box?
Why not build NAFTA around energy independence for the Americas?
OK. I’m talking out of my ass. I know little of NAFTA. Nevertheless, Jim Cramer’s recent rant about oil has ignited my tangentially-driven imagination.
For instance, the US has natural gas, deep oil drilling experience, and consumer demand. South America has deep oil and lithium. Mexico and Canada have oil.
Maybe it’s time to rethink America beyond just the US?
Why not rebuild America as an energy independent America? Let’s stop being so US-centric. Besides, isn’t a healthy Mexico good for the US?
Inevitably, we all have resources and knowledge. Can’t fair trade be established that benefits all sides?
Why are we getting involved in Middle East issues that are rooted in history thousands of years older than that of the US?
Seriously, how many billions does the US spend on the Middle East for oil?
The oil expenditures alone are 100’s of billions every year. Then there are military costs, cost guard costs, environmental costs, political costs, etc. Why not keep those expenditures closer to home?
Isn’t it time to leave the Middle East and OPEC behind? Let China manage the region for a while. China and India et al can more than offset our lack of demand for oil.
Then again, I’m just on an out-of-my-ass rant. But, if out-of-the-box solutions are the only real way to achieve change. Then it’s time to start thinking outside the box.
Its value is far less than what the Pentagon spends on American fleets and bases in the region even excluding the costs of war in Iraq and Afghanistan.
I don’t disagree, KP. I think we should focus on US energy independence using every resource available as part of a long term plan focused not just on energy independence, but cleaner and cheaper energy moving forward.
Still, South America could use our natural gas – if the resource as plentiful as some suggest. Could we trade natural gas for lithium?
But the big point is the point you made. We have to stop being such greedy energy hogs, forcing the rest of the world to go along with our plans because we need cheap gas. We are the problem and we’re the solution.
Um, have you noticed how we’ve treated Latin America over the past century plus? We’ve treated them like colonies, not neighbors. The reason the US needs to be self-sufficient is because we’re surrounded by the ash of former bridges. We need to swallow a lot of pride and put on a different attitude if we want cooperation from potentially resource-rich South America. We can’t hog all of the resources until it starts getting tough and then want to share them equally. Yet another reason why controlling our own consumption is the only first step towards resolving the problem. It is 80% of the problem in the first place.