I have a particular (and somewhat unique) relationship to this number: I grew up in Alberta Canada and remember I heard that extracting oil from the oils sands

I have a particular (and somewhat unique) relationship to this number: I grew up in Alberta Canada and remember I heard that extracting oil from the oils sands became profitable at $16/barrel. I was very relieved that oil typically hovered around $10/barrel. Even then I knew the oil sands were a nightmare. Of course, eventually two things happened: someone in the government subsidized the oil companies and price jumped high enough. Both of those facts quickly turned Canada from “that place with all the polite people” to “The giant pimple on Earth’s face”. I do not like this oil number. It reminds me of too much that’s wrong with this country.