To: ColtonGang who wrote (796 ) 9/21/2000 4:08:12 PM From: Hawkmoon Read Replies (2) | Respond to of 10042 you'd find that their cars are small and get 30+miles to the gallon..... Well, I guess you missed all of those thirsty Mercedes and BMW zipping down the Autobahn at Mach 2+.. And I guess you ignore the cost of transporation for their trucking industry (who, btw, are jamming roadways all over Europe in protest over high fuel prices)... And how do they heat their homes.... Aren't they still heavily dependent on heating oil over there? Gasoline is only one SMALL portion of the economic impact of high or volatile energy prices.... And we can blame it on the Clinton/GORE Administration who UTTERLY BLOCKED the oil industry from exploring for oil in some of the more promising areas of Alaska and off the Pacific Coast, AS WELL AS NATURAL GAS which is direly needed to meet the needs of new gas fired power plants to fuel the internet that Gore invented....... And now they want to meddle in the energy markets because of their mistakes and ineptitude have left us so vulnerable to oil blackmail by a monopoly... And they won't let anyone build Nuclear plants which are still the cleanest source of inexpensive power (light water reactors) out there... You all talk about alternative sources of energy, but you fail to take into account that they are MORE EXPENSIVE than oil. If they were feasible in buld, don't you think oil companies would LOVE to get involved in them?? They're ENERGY COMPANIES FIRST, oil companies second... They just want to make money like any other industry for their shareholders, whether it be from oil, coal, hydrogen, GTL plants, or what have you.... And refineries are ABLE TO PRICE GOUGE because local, state, and Federal govts have prevented US refiners from building any new substantial refining capacity... So when demand suddenly surges (like what happens when the Federal Govt steps in and buys up fuel oil for its winter reserve), the prices rise since supply is still the same and the refineries are refining at 98% capacity... That what you democrats don't understand... The cause and effect of business and economic... for every action (or sometimes every inaction), there is a repercussion. Yes... European economies are under significant stress... and it will only grow more significant over the coming years. Regards, Ron