How much oil do we have?

How much oil does the U.S. have in the ground?

“ A short flash video that shows you where the oil has come from, over time. It is a graphic reminder that we put money in the pocket of downright evil people -- dictators of the worse sort -- every time we buy a gallon of gasoline. This is one of the world's many complex moral choices that we elide rather than resolve. That evasion used to trouble me, until I decided that it is the only way that a thoughtful person can get through the day. [Tiger Hawk] ”

Tiger Hawks has this exactly right. Because of  very misguided policy (at best), or an intentional "leveling of tables" (my choice), we're verging on third world status.  We have in the process " put money in the pocket of downright evil people."  In the 1960s we were producing 8,979,000 barrels of oil.  Today, with an economy vastly larger ... ... we're doing 5,510,000 barrels.  Why? Because we've used our oil resources?  Not even close.  The answer to "How much oil does the U.S. have in the ground?" is “more than all the Middle East put together.”   We can supply 100% of our oil, and export to the rest of the world for at least 500 years.  But guess what?  Long before that, fossil fuels will have gone the way of  whale oil.  Some of you saw this in yesterday's TOP GEAR video. Coming soon to a dealer near you The latent boffin hiding inside James bursts forth when he gets his hands on GM’s futuristic oxygen and hydrogen powered Hywire – the only one in existence. Watch this segment on GM's Hywire concept car, fueled by sea water (click, select video segment 2, and go to about the 3:50 mark).  This isn't pie-in-the-sky.  This car was drivable in 2002 (when the video was made).  The estimate then was GM was about 20 years away from production.  Granted, since Obama nationalized GM, and has his people running it, GM is prolly about 200 years away, but there are others working on it as well.  So, all of this anguish, suffering, inflation and job loss today was preventable. We did it to ourselves, by electing, and I must say it, Democrats.  For what it's worth.