wbtravis wrote:
> People make the price of all commodities...taxes and local policies are irrelevant.

You keep saying that, but I just don't get where you get the irrelevant part. The cheapest ain't always the best.

It is in our (and our government's) best interests to maximize the production of non-fossil-fuel energy sources, especially renewable sources. Erlich may have been off the mark by a number of decades, but he was not wrong. ...unless you align yourself with the "anti-science" people who claim the earth somehow keeps "making" oil.

> Our military spending has been going down for a long time...it's now about 4.5% of GDP.

Yet it is still more than the sum of the 5 next highest spenders:

from List of countries by military expenditures
The world's top 6 military spenders in 2012.


If this country were spending on research, education and infrastructure investment like we do on the military, there would be NO jobs problem.

> if we do not buy 17% oil, which comes form OPEC nations, it is going to stay in the ground, right?

No, the cash stays (and more jobs stay) in this country.