Michael Blowhard writes:

Dear Blowhards --

• "Since 1999, annual oil revenues for OPEC countries have more than quadrupled, to an estimated $670 billion in 2007."
  Source.

Further: Since 1999, China's oil use has almost doubled. World oil use is up 13%; U.S. oil use is up 7%. "To some extent, we are paying for past shortsightedness," writes Robert J. Samuelson, perhaps understating matters by a tad.

Best,

Michael