Here's the problem...

You don't know what you are talking about.

OPEC doesn't set the PRICE for anything other than matching turbans and robes for their semi-annual luncheons. OPEC mutually agrees to EXPORT (thus, the name Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) a specific amount of crude oil for the world market. If they want to try and raise the price of a barrel of oil (like they did in 1979), the cut production to cause an artificial "drought" of oil. If they want to try and lower the price of a barrel of oil, they increase production and flood the market, thus lowering the ratio of supply to demand.

Even if the ANWAR and Gulf drilling could DOUBLE our existing domestic production capacity (which it cannot), we would only have decreased the amount we would need to import annually (roughly 4.4 BILLION bbl/year) by 11%... a net reduction of crude imports of 382 million bbls/year. That equals just about 1 month of imports saved. It would also be at LEAST 2 years before we saw the increase in crude to our refineries... which means that for the next 24 months (minimum), NOTHING CHANGES ANYWAY. My sources are HERE.

I have re-read Jambo's posts... and NO WHERE do I see him calling for nationalized fuel production... and I KNOW I didn't suggest it. He wrote an entire post explaining that it wasn't his contention at all... what more can be said here? In fact, I couldn't find any SUGGESTIONS for solutions at all... outside of my rather cynical reference to CONSUMER gas rationing. So, please feel free to explain your assumptions, whenever you get around to it.

It is the prerogative of the Federal Government to REGULATE any industry, product, commodity or resource that it deems VITAL to national security and the general welfare of the nation, and this includes the establishment of PRICING NORMS, EXCHANGE QUOTAS, and COMMERCIAL LIMITS at every level of the economy. Doubt me? HERE is the link, and the Office was founded by none other than Ronald W. Reagan in 1982.

Need examples? Prior to FDR, the price of an ounce of gold was SET by the US Federal Government. This was the national standard until Richard Nixon removed the Federal limits and took us off of the "gold standard" price. To this day... the price of an ounce of uranium is determined by the Federal Government. There is NO market-driven price for this item in the US, as it is considered a resource with "national security" importance. No matter who holds the patents on the cutting-edge technology within the radar, laser, explosives, and aerospace/aeronautical industries... NO product, item, component or idea can be SOLD, EXPORTED, LOANED, LEASED or otherwise DISSEMINATED without the express consent of the proper regulating agencies of the US Federal Government.

Why are these aspects of FREE ENTERPRISE regulated by the Feds with no complaints from the right, but the industry that... more than any other... determines the livelihood of each and every American alive today is beyond the touch of regulation? Why? Why does FREE ENTERPRISE only apply to Big Oil and not Big Tobacco or the auto industry? Why isn't the pharmaceutical industry allowed to simply produce and sell drugs as they see fit?