The Impact of Oil Prices

"Riding the Oil Boom" [June 16] likely captured the attention of many readers.

The attractions and developments detailed led me to fantasize about a visit to Dubai—albeit, one day in the far-off future. There was one element I resented and with which I heartily disagree: "The city's secret is a unique combination of marketing acumen that would make P. T. Barnum proud, an unusually tolerant society that has thrown its doors open to foreigners, and an attitude that is all about making money." Additionally, property developer Frank Khoie is quoted as saying: "They can leave their countries, which are not clean, organized, and safe, and come to a new America—the uae. Then you take away taxes and high regulations and combine it with relatively little prejudice." Though American citizens with an Israeli stamp on their passport now can enter the uae with very little difficulty, the uae and Dubai's current regulations state: "Nationals of 'Israel' may not enter the uae." Barring entry to Israeli nationals is neither a sign of tolerance noropenness.

Rabbi Avi S. Olitzky
St. Louis Park, Minn.

While the article was informative, your cover headline was misleading—"Where Your Gas Money Goes: Record oil prices fuel the ambitions of the United Arab Emirates." Actually, only 16 percent of our oil comes from the Persian Gulf. Non-opec countries send us 55 percent, including Canada and Mexico, with Canada sending us 18 percent and Mexico 11 percent.

Ken Moyes
Tucson, Ariz.

The article on Dubai was enlightening. My questions, however, address the lack of American interest in building new refineries; we have not had one built in more than 30 years. Why does this country refrain from drilling off Florida or getting resources from Wyoming and Utah or Alaska? Our congressional leadership appears to want the average citizen to suffer by not exploring these avenues and attacking the success of oil businesses.

John Brett
Albuquerque, N.M.

The way to stop these oil barons is to get alternative fuels or find ways to use less. We have buses and public vehicles that run on natural gas and propane. Why not mandate that all vehicles throughout our nation use these fuels instead of oil? Not only would it be cheaper, but it would clean up our atmosphere.

Frank Camera
Amherst, Ohio

Why are we paying more than $140 a barrel for oil pumped right here in the good old U.S.A.? We have given the petroleum industry just about everything it has asked for in the past two or three decades, and yet it continues to charge the same price for our own oil as we are forced to pay the "ambitious United Arab Emirates." That doesn't sound quite right to me. And we certainly can't blame Saudi Arabia for the price of the oil surging through American pipelines. How about some expository journalism on the cost of "American" oil?

Lester E. Miller
Thomasville, Ga.

Perhaps a more relevant article would be one that explains how the money is distributed among the various businesses along the supply chain and the profits made at each business. An explanation of what causes and who profits most from the sharp upward and downward shifts in crude prices would be most interesting, too.

Tony Kobatake
Hampton, S.C.