Ain’t buyin’ that evil oil

| April 8, 2024 | 56 Comments

Well, it’s eclipse day. As this is written, I am squarely in the zone of the total eclipse…with overcast skies forecast. By Monday? Who knows.

Top of the stack: We have written multiple times previously of the administration’s gutting withdrawals from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. That’s the stockpile of oil that helps shield us from massive price shocks or shortfalls if the world goes mad.

The administration withdrew a record 180 million barrels in 2022 to counter supply issues created by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — but Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said in March that the strategic oil reserve would be replenished by the end of the year.

The SPR currently holds about 363 million barrels, according to Energy Department data — down from nearly 600 million at the beginning of 2022.

Sounds to me like we should be putting around 240 million barrels back in. Gonna cost some, right?

The DOE has said it’s aiming to buy back oil for the SPR at $79 per barrel or below, less than the average of about $95 it received for the 2022 sales.

However, amid increasing prices — currently hovering at around $85 per barrel — the DOE has decided to pull back on further purchases until market conditions improve.

Bob McNally, president of consultant Rapidan Energy Group, who served as an adviser to former President George W. Bush, told Bloomberg he believes domestic crude prices will likely remain high for the rest of the year, which means the refill program could remain paused for a while.  MoneyWise

So let’s be sure we understand: we sold it off at $95 a barrel. Current market price is $85 a barrel. So effectively we are pocketing $2,400,0000 profit and it ain’t enough? Or is this another way to pressure us all to buy EVs?
In other news:
The Biden administration is preparing new proposals aiming to reduce or cancel student loan debt for millions of borrowers, two sources familiar with the plans told CNN, another attempt to address buying votes a key issue facing voters before November’s election.

Through the expected new proposals, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, the administration is aiming to ease student loan debt for borrowers experiencing hardship in their daily lives that would prevent them from being able to pay back their loans, one of the sources said. It will also help ease the burden on borrowers who have seen their interest significantly accrue over time, that source said.

Target groups include:

  • Currently have balances bigger than what they originally borrowed. (Does no one understand what a balloon payment or high interest means?)
  • Entered repayment at least 25 years ago.
  • Attended career-training programs that created “unreasonable debt loads or provided insufficient earnings for graduates” or that have an “unacceptably high student loan default rate.”  (translated: picked majors stupidly)
  • Are eligible for existing student loan forgiveness programs but have not applied. (ah, the LAZY who picked stupidly)
  • Are experiencing financial hardship. (because they chose…well, you’ve already heard it)  CNN

Well, I guess we know where about a quarter billion dollars of this will come from…see above.

 

Category: "Your Tax Dollars At Work"

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26Limabeans

“it’s eclipse day”

It is also a New Moon. If there is no moon how does it cast a shadow?

jeff LPH 3 63-66

Theres A Moon Out Tonight by the NYC Capris 1958 on the Planet record label. Got a silk screen tee shirt with a 58 Chevy and a full moon. It’s Boss

26Limabeans

“mooning” was a fun prank back in the day.

https://youtu.be/nVAZ5O0WXYA

Sapper3307

Perhaps?

R-38
Odie

Can be seen with or without cloud cover.

5JC

Still mad about 2020 when they could have filled the whole thing (then about 60%) for practically free and Nancy Pelosi said they wouldn’t do it because it was a gift to the oil companies to sell at a loss.

Grunt

My blood still boils remembering that. It was a common-sense move that Nancy “Wall Street Riches” Pelosi and the rest of the inside-trading congressional fucks should have understood: buy low, sell high.

Fuck America, we have to oppose Trump, was the mindset.

Odie

Those trying to get Trump will do so at any cost, even if it means trampling we the people.

For all of Trump’s faults, real or perceived, he did wake a lot of people up who only saw a democrat/ republican 2 party system, myself included. But alot of folks, monied people, got royally pissed when he started touting main street over Wall Street.

Border security. We didn’t have 5 billion for a wall, but we have a few billion for Ukraine.

Border walls don’t work, but who put a fence up around the capital building.

He will start WWIII,. See current administration.

The big one for me, and I suspect for a lot of you as well, Trump started no new wars. He inherited one, but didn’t start one. He did drop a bomb on one who dared poke his head up, but after that, everybody shut up except for OUR politicians who almost made him out to be a misunderstood martyr.

I could go on, but I’m tired of typing.

Forest Bondurant

I suspect that if FJB is not re-elected, he’s not going to replenish the SPR and do more damage before he leaves office – akin to trashing a hotel room and skipping out on the bill.

FJB doesn’t have authority to forgive student loan debt, but anyone paying attention already knows that.

Fyrfighter

The clintoons trashed / looted the place on the way out the door, why wouldn’t this old fool do the same??

HT3

Refill the SPR? We’ll leave that for Trump…
Never mind that Pedo Joe used it political reasons when his stupid fucking policies drove the price to $5 plus a gallon. Anyone surprised the DOJ is after the woman that found Ashley Biden’s “fake diary”? Look at what is going on in Brazil now, and you see the Dems salivating.

Hack Stone

Who knew that the primary mission of the FBI was to look for lost diaries? Remember back in February of 1970 when they cracked the case of Marcia Brady’s diary? Maybe Hoe Biden’s daughter had a secret crush on Desi Arnez Jr, and she would just die of embarrassment if it got out.

Hack Stone

Hack made it to 61 years before he accrued any student loan debt. He should have planned better.

5JC

I Accumulated $1,600 worth. Which I paid off by my first year out of college back in the ’90s. But I didn’t get a degree in women’s studies. I foolishly took a BBA in finance. Now my biggest money problem is my tax bill. But I pay every damn penny cuz if I don’t they will lock me up, cuz I am not a fortunate son.

Hack Stone

Your own damn fault for not saving those receipts from the escort service like Hunter Biden did.

Odie

Who knew hookers were a business expense. Can you depreciate them?

MarineDad61

Eclipse music…. from 1965.
The Sunrays – I Live for the Sun.

jeff LPH 3 63-66

I was aboard the USS Okinawa when the song came out.

MarineDad61

jeff LPH 3 63-66,
If you’re interested,
here is the website of Sunrays guitarist Eddy Medora,
who put up band history, photos, and more,
until he passed away in 2006.

RIP EM
RIP SO
RIP VH

https://sunrays718.tripod.com/

SFC D

Let’s crank it up just a wee bit this morning…

KoB

Every time Hack Stone gets outa bed, nekkid, his bride, Rosetta Stone, starts humming this old tune…

Eggs

“There’s a bathroom on the right”

SFC D

I heard a live version where John Fogarty actually sang that line, and then completely cracked up. I think it was on Pandora, never been able to find it since.

11B-Mailclerk

“…Catch the spirit. Catch the fish….”
Rush, one-time concert version of Tom Sawyer

SFC D

“I want a new truck… one with 4 on the floor”… Huey Lewis, SLC, 1982 IIRC.

Eggs

“Ho Ho Ho it’s my dick, you know…”

Pilot 1974

Odie

Lol. Well played.

Odie

Kinda sounds like what you may have heard on KMET, back in the day. Anybody else here stationed in Southern California late 70s, early 80s?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uFnk__zGowU

KoB

Anyone that thinks the destruction of America is not a planned, calculated movement is just flat not paying attention. Mrs. Gump was spot on when she said “Stupid is as stupid does.” No, it’s not incompetence…it is planned. Prepare

FJB has not canceled any debt, he has transferred debt. I put this bullsh*t right up there with the talk of “reparations” and “free sh*t” for illegal invaders.

jeff LPH 3 63-66

Am glad that I got up Oily in the morning to read this post.
Buying oil when we have the same product beneath our feet.
Amazing how Herr biden thinks. I love it, and this shit can’t get any better.

Sapper3307

In Vermont news, we have been invaded for the eclipse, its worse than Fall foliage season.

R-38
Odie

So, are you saying leaf peepers are an odd lot? Good thing they only stick around for a few days, huh?

SFC D

Only slightly off topic, but I kept seeing Shell Oil ads on how they’re now providing “renewable fuel” for Indy cars. I was curious, so I applied some google-fu. It’s ethanol based fuel, mainly derived from sugar cane. So essentially, Indy cars run on rum. And Indy cars have been running on ethanol since 1965. Well played, Shell. Apply a little deceptive marketing to the woke masses.

26Limabeans

I remember when you could get Sunoco 110 octane at the pump.
And you could advance the timing until it just started to ping
then back of a bit. Simple. Loosen the distributer bolt and
rotate the thing a few degrees. Five minute job.

SFC D

My local Circle K has 100 octane and ethanol free regular. The carb on my 3B prefers ethanol free gas (it eats up the seals), but it’s a lot cheaper to rebuild the carb every couple years.

26Limabeans

Add a bit of Marvel Mystery Oil to the fuel.

Sapper3307

The invisible flames are real.
JribVbv6CV4

Sapper3307

And for real.
Ku7TdLeEGsQ

SFC D

I saw a similar situation at a drag boat race in Augusta GA in 2004. Engine blew, driver got out and was splashing water on the the engine. Then starts splashing water on himself. You could see the heat radiating but no flames. He finally gives up, stands up, salutes the crowd, and belly-flops into the river. Crash boat hooks up to the stern and drags it upstream, submerging the boat. It pops back up, no more fire, but the graphics are all burned off. He was racing it again the next day. Awesome weekend.

Reddawg_03

My dad used to run a BBQ fundraiser stand during those events. Sold up-the-butt chickens too. My brothers and I used to assist. You are right SFC D, those were great times.

Last edited 24 days ago by Reddawg_03
ninja

Eclipse Day.

Taken from our AO about 15 minutes ago.

Our God Is An Awesome God.

1000007069
KoB

Indeed He is, ninja! So awesome that He was willing to send His Only Begotten Son, to train as a Carpenter, then become a Radical Shepard/Fisher Of Men, standing up to The Powers That Be even unto the threat and carrying out of His death. An Un-Reconstructed Rebel…indeed.

Odie

Not in the path of totality here, but more of a sun shining with really good sunglasses on. Still pretty cool I guess, but meh.

KoB

Big nothing burger here in Central Jawga. Was supposed to be 80% coverage…nope. Not a cloud in the sky and it just got a little dim for a bit. Did hear birds chirping like they were gonna bed down so there was that. Some the feral kitty kats came up looking for an early supper and gave me an eff you look when I didn’t top of the outside food bowls I leave for them.

In re the oil thing…and the ongoing destruction of America, I watched at a “War in Color” episode on Story TV about WWII, mainly in the Pacific, and primarily about our “Industrial Might”. Coupla #s that stuck with me. The US produced some 120 Carriers to the Japanese producing around 70. 7 months from keel laying to sailing off to war for ours. In aircraft we produced north of 300,000, while the Japanese did way less than 80K. Wouldn’t have mattered if the Js had made more, they didn’t have the fuel to run ’em. We could never duplicate that kinda effort now. Not only do we not have the steel mills or shipyards we don’t have the skilled workforce…or the National Leadership.

Odie

Or anybody willing to get out of bed for work. Pass a pre employment drug screen? Not likely to happen. 30 to 40 bucks an hour? Some won’t give up their weed for no amount of money.

KoB

Interesting read here on how far behind Big Navy is on the Constellation Class of Frigates. Basically 6 years…it’ll be 2029 before the deployment begins…Ordered in 2014. Inside the article is Ship builder’s comment on the lack of worker bees.

https://news.yahoo.com/us-navy-lack-frigates-means-123447806.html

Army-Air Force Guy

There’s not other shipyards that can do the work? Bath Iron Works for example? Oh well, guess the LCS can do escort duty ’till the first new FFG’s are done with their shakedown cruise, unless they’ve all been decommissioned by then. /sarc/

KoB

Nope. “Del Toro’s review found that several of the naval shipbuilding sector’s seven major shipyards – Bath Iron Works in Maine, Electric Boat in Connecticut, Newport News in Virginia, Austal in Alabama, Huntington Ingalls in Mississippi, NASSCO in California and Fincantieri – are years behind schedule on major ship programs. It’s not just the frigates.” That whole “skilled labor” thing. And not just “skilled labor” but ANY kinda of labor.

e.conboy

My aunt was a ‘Rosie’ at Hayes Aircraft in Bham.

KoB

Aunt J was Rosie @ the Naval Ordnance Plant in Macon GA. Sadly, I doubt if we would be able to get many Rosies today.

Daisy Cutter

I am not in, nor do I intend to travel to, the cone of certainty, path of totality, etc. I will just have to sit in the corner and suck my thumb while everyone else has a huge ‘Eclipse Party,’ hugs each other Democrat and Republican alike, etc. SIGH

RGR 4-78

I ate a grilled burger with my grandkids in your honor.

Anonymous

Apropos with things as insane as they are today… Gen Z can’t miss stuff the “woke”-sters won’t let them have or even know about:
comment image

Last edited 24 days ago by Anonymous
Sapper3307

yup

745363ce55
Odie

Time for bed, have a little of this to help you sleep.

e.conboy

Wrong thumb! Sorry! Can adm please correct my mistake?