Can you explain this?

[grammafreddy]

1. The US uses a lot of oil.
2. The US imports a lot of oil.
3. The US has vast oil reserves - some it has never been touched and some they have frozen production on.
4. The US has lots of oil companies who can get that oil and who are available NOW to start drilling for it.
5. The US has massive unemployment.
6. The US could employ a lot of American people if they would open up their own oil reserves.
7. Those newly employed American people would pay taxes to the American government, which helps the US economy.
8. Those newly employed American people would spend their incomes in the US stores and businesses, which also helps the US economy.

However ...........

1. The US has just loaned $2B to Argentina to drill for off-shore oil in their country using their workers.
2. The US has just loaned another $2B to Brazil to do the same. One of these countries also will have the US oil companies training the foreign oil companies and their workers HOW to drill for oil.
3. The US has guaranteed these countries the US will be the biggest purchaser of this foreign oil.
4. The American people (who are needing jobs) will have to buy imported oil from those countries. Obama has said they will pay those countries the going rate for the oil.
5. The people who do not have jobs will not be buying as much oil.
6. The $4B the US government is lending will not provide any US jobs to its own citizens. This will not help the US economy.
7.The US is already broke. They have to borrow that money in order to "lend" it. Borrowing money also means debt servicing costs, which the US citizens will also be responsible for and will have to pay back.

Okay ... what am I missing? Where's the logic in this whole scene?

[Born_again]

Hmmm ....perhaps about 40 years of U.S. politico-economic history? In real terms, that is. "Go figure"; to use a well hackneyed phrase from our dearest "cous's"! Clout; 'tis all you need to know.

[Captain Awesome]

I think you're making a mistake by assuming that US goes after oil because they need oil. They don't.

[sooperphreek]

use up everyone elses oil and then when they are all dried up they will have all the oil......sounds simple to. and econimists and governments rely on unemployment numbers and want that.

[grammafreddy]

I think you're making a mistake by assuming that US goes after oil because they need oil. They don't.

Obviously they don't need jobs or economic stability, either.

I already know it's not about the oil ... and there's a Third World country in the making here - with Canada hard on their heels if we don't mind our Ps and Qs.

[Captain Awesome]

Obviously they don't need jobs or economic stability, either.

I already know it's not about the oil ...

No, they need jobs and economic stability, just like any other country in the world.

United States really doesn't need all that oil for its own consumption - I believe all they need they get from Canada and their own oil wells. But oil is a great asset to control, and that's exactly what they do - they spread their control over the rest of the world, their influence. They don't need oil from Middle East, but other countries do. Once you establish yourself as a dominant player on the offensive, you prosper. And sometimes you have to do it at the expense of other priorities.

If it was just about their consumption of oil, they wouldn't need a giant military budget. But their priority is maintaining the superpower status they have, and power and prosperity that comes with it. Just like Great Britain few years ago when they controlled half the planet with their fleet - it wasn't about food or spices for them, they had more then enough being made for them at home.