Iraq and Oil Prices

Let's start the weekend with one simple fact...

In January of this year... 2014... the United States imported a grand friggin' total of 7,728 barrels of oil from Iraq.

Not seven hundred million barrels...

Not seventy million barrels...

Not seven million barrels...

Nope - not seven hundred thousand and change... nor even seventy thousand and change...

SEVEN THOUSAND, SEVEN HUNDRED, AND TWENTY-EIGHT BARRELS...

According to the latest figures, in February we imported 8,106 barrels; in March 9,006.

Folks, if the current "trends" and "analysis" are correct and gas prices are about to shoot up, up, up... that's a sign that we're being scammed... ripped off... played for fools.

Do you wanna know how much oil America imports all together? In March of this year... 2014... total U.S. oil (and petroleum products) imports were 286,437 barrels.

Oh... and our domestic production...??? 253,935 barrels.

Do the math, folks. Follow the logic, folks.

Should less than 10,000 barrels of Iraq oil imports per month being lost (let alone simple being "at risk") out of a total supply of 540,372 barrels per month send gas at U.S. pumps skyrocketing...? Does that make any sense to you?

Oh, yeah... I know... all the buzz words! It's not just Iraq and the U.S., it's "world markets."

I say bullshit!

It's only "world markets" in the sense of the oligarchs and their pet speculators on the commodities trading desks jacking up prices (and then eventually selling short and allowing prices to fall, therefore racking up gains on both ends of the transactions - plus fees) while their media cronies try to "explain" to us how this is all "normal" and unavoidable.

Again... bullshit!

Imagine me as president. (Now stop laughing!) Seriously...

Don't you believe a President Barker would be doing everything to ensure that American oil prices at the pump and energy prices in general were as low and stable as they could be? 

Question: Do any of you... even democrats... even Obama "fans"... truly believe that Barack Hussein Obama would rather have oil prices at $2/gal. than $4/gal? (Or perhaps $3.50/gal. ... even a low-ball $3/gal.?)

Folks... it's bad enough that first Bush and later Obama (doubling down on one of Bush's worst policies) followed (and continue to follow) low dollar policies, spurring inflation and chipping away at American's standards of living, but at least Bush was (generally) pro-growth and pro-domestic energy development. Com'on, folks... even the most "loyal" democrat amongst you must admit that the Obama Administration does everything in their power to retard U.S. oil, coal, and fracking development! (Hell... Obama still refuses to sign off on the Keystone Pipeline!)

Anyway, folks... we're all about to get screwed. How far and for how long is up for grabs. But don't count on Obama doing anything besides add fuel to the fire... making things worse. And as for the GOP... hmm... I don't trust "our" Wall Streeters anymore than I trust "their" Wall Streeters. (The Oligarchy knows no ideology other than self-enrichment...)