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Going For The Oil
by Dale Brown, 2008

ARTICLE ORIGINALLY APPEARED AT TheBigFiveOh.com Blog @ Yahoo.Com, July 14, 2008

Amidst all the talk lately about expanding domestic exploration for oil and the recent suggestion that the government take over some oil companies, I had a thought: why doesn't the U.S. government drill for oil?

It's not that I think the government is the best at running things--look at Social Security, the federal budget, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the Postal Service, the list goes on.

But some charge the oil companies with reducing output and not drilling on land they've already leased so as to artificially keep prices high. Instead of a windfall profits tax that the oil companies would just pass along to consumers, why doesn't the U.S. government contract with an oil drilling company to drill for oil in the U.S.?

The U.S. Petroleum Corps (USPC) would employ thousands of workers, so a huge job-training program would be needed (for all LEGAL workers, please). Working in USPC would be a national service, like AmeriCorps or the military. The oil would belong to the American people and the profits from its sale would go into the American treasury.

The added supply would eventually drive the price of oil down, so when it wouldn't be profitable enough the government would just shut down their operation and let the oil companies pump oil. All of those trained workers could go to the oil companies, or to other energy sector jobs.

As I said before, I don't think having the government meddling in private industry is the best answer. But with oil prices this high and threatening to climb higher as known production decreases and global demand increases, maybe it's time for the U.S. government to get into the oil business itself to ensure that domestic demand is met, prices fall and remain stable, and we start relying less on foreign oil.

Sure, it would take maybe 10 years to see any profits from newly-drilled wells, but like David Letterman said, that's what critics said TEN YEARS AGO!

Let's start a letter-writing campaign to get the USPC off and running!

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