Oil and gas in America

[ses]

Residents of Alaska get about $900 per month for every man woman and child from the gov to live up there. This money comes from oil income only. It's to help offset the extra cost associated with living there. I assume that's what Glowplug is talking about.

[glowplug]

What I'm talking about is the disconnect between the taxpayer and the benefits (oil, minerals) that come from public lands.

If Joe Public were to PERSONALLY realize a portion of the wealth created, he would be more favorable to drilling and mining. Instead, the royalties disappear into govt. general fund largess. Then Joe and Josephine Lunchbucket get bent over at the gas pump and believe the "evil" oil companies are ripping them off. Of course the govt. makes more off a gallon of fuel than the oil company does. But the public doesn't see their share of the wealth created.

[Ghost Ryder]

Residents of Alaska get about $900 per month for every man woman and child from the gov to live up there. This money comes from oil income only. It's to help offset the extra cost associated with living there. I assume that's what Glowplug is talking about.

I suppose that the oil leases on public lands could get divided up by the number of people in the country and get mailed directly to each of us instead of the lease payments going into the Treasury. Be a whale of a deal for the poorest folks and a beating on the rich. The shortfall at the Treasury presumably would come from somewhere....

[Ghost Ryder]

What I'm talking about is the disconnect between the taxpayer and the benefits (oil, minerals) that come from public lands.

If Joe Public were to PERSONALLY realize a portion of the wealth created, he would be more favorable to drilling and mining. Instead, the royalties disappear into govt. general fund largess. Then Joe and Josephine Lunchbucket get bent over at the gas pump and believe the "evil" oil companies are ripping them off. Of course the govt. makes more off a gallon of fuel than the oil company does. But the public doesn't see their share of the wealth created.

Poor folks who never pay taxes would love it.

[glowplug]

My point is that more people would favor drilling and mining public lands if we actually got a piece of the pie. For now, you apparently believe that all money belongs to govt, not to those of us who own the country???? (I pose that as a question, Ghost, not placing words in your mouth).

[Ghost Ryder]

My point is that more people would favor drilling and mining public lands if we actually got a piece of the pie. For now, you apparently believe that all money belongs to govt, not to those of us who own the country???? (I pose that as a question, Ghost, not placing words in your mouth).

It would work to send $$ to citizens from O&G leases if the lease income exceeded government spending. Some counties in WY are like that. If you send lease dividends to citizens when that income is 1% of government spending, all you did was redistribute wealth from rich to the poor.

I'm surprised the Dem party doesn't run with your idea the way it does with your tariff ideas. The lease check would be another. Ice gift to the single mother. It would be another obligation for small business and investors who would get taxed with making up the lost treasury revenue.

Glowplug = social engineer.

[glowplug]

Actually, since public lands belong to the public, why not send the entire piece of the profit pie to the public? The govt. gets nothing.

Then let's have govt. shrink to the size we can afford, on way less tax revenues.

My point still is, that if the public actually experienced a personal benefit from energy development on public lands, the enviromental lobby would be laughed out of Washington. Right now, the govt. takes more revenue out of each gallong of gas and diesel sold than the oil companies do. But consumers end up hating the oil companies instead of hating the govt.