I was listening yesterday to FOX News’ own Bill O’Reilly comment on his “No-Spin Zone” show (XM Satellite Radio channel 168 FOX News Talk - 12 PM to 2 PM weekdays) about the 2006 State of The Union Speech that was pronounced only two days ago. I tried to call in the toll-free number to voice my opinion but alas I didn’t get through. Therefore, I decided to write my mind right here on KR instead.

O’Reilly started off the two-hour show with his general comments on Bush’s speech. But his main area of interest that afternoon lied in Bush’s description of America’s oil dependence towards the Middle East. The host implied that since the presidency of Richard Nixon, each and every president until today has been driving up the country’s dependence on foreign oil. In order to back his claim, he mentioned some statistics and he said that back when Nixon was in power, America had to import 30% of its oil consumption from other countries. Now under Bush Junior, he says it’s now 60%.

Bill O’Reilly has failed to consider an important factor: the rise of the demand. The population in the United States is much higher nowadays than it was back in the seventies and the needs are not the same either. That, in my opinion, is the main reason behind the staggering failure for America to rely on itself for oil production.

Bill O’Reilly also said that “Americans cannot afford to pay a buck more a gallon for gas.” Wrong again. Unfortunately, Americans CAN afford such a raise in gas prices, because Canadians are currently paying close to “a buck more a gallon for gas” than Americans do and they don’t seem to bitch and moan much more than their neighbors to the South. The price of regular gas here in Québec is roughly a buck a liter ($CAN) which is the equivalent of about $0.87 U.S. Considering there are about 3.79 liters in a gallon, if Americans paid the same price Canadians currently pay for gas, they’d now be paying near $3.30 a gallon instead of the mere $2.50 average they now pay. Eighty cents more, to be exact. That’s ALMOST a buck a gallon more. Back in November 2005 I topped off my tank at a Mobil station in Plattsburgh NY at $2.29 U.S. a gallon while gas in Québec was over a buck a liter ($CAN). My tank wasn’t empty, but I think I saved something like $15 in comparison with the prices in Québec. I would have saved more if I had put more gas in, of course. When the gas station attendant came outside to check if I had any problems, I made the remark that $2.29 a gallon was a hell of a bargain to me. She asked me where I was from, and I told her I was from a small town in rural Québec. And I told her about the gas prices here. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

Americans don’t realize how good they have it. Canada has the same cars than they do yet Canadians pay a LOT more for gas and have to travel greater distances because the “Great White North” is so sparsely populated. Sure, Europe has even higher gas prices, but hey, they have much smaller cars that are a lot more frugal on gas. And the electric car is a credible option over there and has been for about 10 years. So it’s not that bad.

Everytime I visit the United States I make sure that my tank is full of cheap American gas before crossing back into Canada so I can save a little money.

So quit bitching about gas prices down there. You don’t realize how good you have it…