1 Sorry to spoil the silver lining...but not all that much electricity comes from oil. In the US, the starring roles are held by coal and natural gas, with hydropower and nuclear playing the supporting roles. So the Saudis hardly lost any dimes at all...

2 David -- Aw, rats. Well, the joke was funny anyway

3 an hour???not here.....every time I call in a power outage(we live in SDAK, and the 1-800- number for excel energy is in Wisconsin) the computerized message tells us not to even expect the ''return of power, for at least 4 hours''. yes, we own a gas powered generator...for winter/ice outtages, that have left friends, neighbors and family without power for as long as 22 days(Nov.2005, my In-Laws)

4 The joke does work. Like debey says, there are gas-powered generators. But you also didn't drive anywhere to seek power, heat, internet, etc. – or flashlight batteries, like we did.

5 Yeah, if lots of people run home generators, it will help out the Saudis and other oil producers. Which raises an interesting point: The "progressive" wing of the Democratic Party is hostile to energy, and to the extent it gains power is likely to bring the nation's electrical system to a condition which combines very high prices with frequent outgages in many locations. Should this happen, the John Edwards of the world will be happily running their large home generators, which are far less efficient than central-station power. Other people and businesses will do the same to the extent they can afford it, resulting in a significant increase in demand for imported oil.