Posted by Leonard Steinberg on March 19, 2011

As we witness fighter jets over Libya, again we are asked why are we so horribly dependent on foreign oil? What forces exist that bind us to this commodity that allows monster-thugs like Gaddafi to affect the welfare of the entire globe? Lets face it, if Gaddafi did not have oil, no-one, least of all the French or British would care about their domestic squabbles.

I have regrettably concluded that individually we will never be able to change the world, but we can certainly start by looking into our own back yards. In New York City, far too many buildings use oil to provide energy to heat. Not only is our oil supply heavily reliant on the atrocities of foreign thug governments/countries, but it is extremely dirty too. Have you ever noticed those thick plumes of dark black smoke billowing out of the roofs of New york buildings? It is alarming that more buildings do not use natural gas, a resource with seemingly limitless supply in our very own country. Add to the mix solar, wind, geothermal, etc, and one has to conclude that some ‘evil organization’ has to be behind this ridiculous addiction to oil. Nuclear energy has a history of being very safe, although when safety lapses, the price seems to far outweigh the benefits as we are witnessing in Japan right now.

Instead of trying to figure out the players (it is obvious who the beneficiaries of this system are), why not start in our back yards by eliminating as much oil usage as possible by replacing systems. Lets convert our cars and trucks to electric, hybrid and even diesel to reduce oil consumption. Sooner or later market forces will go to where the demand (and money) is, and hopefully OPEC will not take charge of the distribution. Speaking of OPEC: Does anyone who reads this blog have an organization such as OPEC protecting their industry, controlling pricing, supply, distribution, etc  all at the mercy of the planet….. legally?

I know in the real estate industry, if brokers were to have an ‘OPEC’, controlling what properties are brought to market and when, what commission will be paid by all, pricing, etc, all brokers would be in jail. There are laws protecting us from this kind of collusion and price fixing. Not for the oil industry. Hmmmmmm……..