The Upcoming Oil Issue...

Right now, people are very concerned about prices at the pump.

Those prices are hurting low-income people quite badly, while our politicians wring their hands publicly yet do nothing.

But the real crunch is coming this winter. See, gas prices affect us in a slow, gradual leeching of our budget; a tiny bit at a time. But the cost of heating oil comes in huge chunks - and this year those chunks are likely to be bigger than a heck of a lot of people can afford.

$850 a fill-up? That's up $350 from last year; I personally know quite a few families that aren't going to be able to afford it.

The interesting thing here, of course, is how many of those families are going to come from the north-eastern, solidly "blue" states that the Democrats count on for support in the Presidential elections; I wonder how many of those voters are going to be questioning the sanity of stopping domestic drilling, when they have to choose between food and heat this winter?