By Ken Williamson Gasoline is over $5.00 a gallon in some areas of the US and prices are going higher, much higher. I received an email this morning from Greenpeace protesting the possibility of drilling for oil off the US coast. While I understand their concern and agree with their position in many ways, I see the big picture that Greenpeace is missing. Barack Obama and Congress are also missing the big picture. The United States is in a major crisis and OPEC has us by the gonads. And guess what, they are squeezing harder every day. It’s imperative that the United States take action now to start the process of offshore drilling. Failing to take action now may very well end the American way of life for good.
I am a supporter of many of Barack Obama’s plans, but I believe Obama and Congress are dead wrong in their opposition to drilling off the US coast. If you think $5.00 a gallon gas is bad, wait until the price is $10, $20 or even $30 a gallon. Then what do we do? And guess what, that is exactly what OPEC has in plan the United States. If we allow OPEC to continue controlling our oil supply, $50 a gallon my look cheap in ten years. The United States must become energy independent as soon as possible and drilling off the US coast will help in that quest. That's a no-brainer. John McCain wants to leave the decision to drill up to the individual states involved. But McCain is missing one small point, we have a national emergency on our hands and the decision to drill should be made by the federal government, not the states. Congress should address this issue now and not later. Congress needs to recognize that this problem will never go away. I repeat, this problem will never go away! Alternative fuels offer many possibilities for the future, but we need solutions now, not just in the future. Barack Obama supports alternative fuel sources and I applaud him for that. But alternative fuel sources won’t solve our problems today. Only offshore drilling can solve our problems in the near future. Barack Obama believes that offshore drilling will only make a few cents difference in the price of gasoline five years down the road. I believe he is dead wrong on that issue as well. Once Congress lifts the ban on offshore drilling, OPEC will immediately start lowering prices. That’s how OPEC works. That will immediately lead to lower prices at the pump. Once again, that's how OPEC works. But if that happens, we can’t let OPEC’s dropping prices shift our focus from becoming energy independent. The United States must sever OPEC’s controlling arm over the price of oil. We have no choice; we must become energy independent as soon as possible. And guess what, when we no longer need OPEC’s oil, the OPEC nations will start to wither significantly. And when that happens, OPEC’s control over the world will start to wither as well. And so goes terrorism. So, if you would like to continue driving your vehicles. If $10, $20 or even $50 a gallon gasoline doesn’t sound so good to you. If walking or riding a bicycle to work doesn’t sound like your thing, then take action now. Encourage your Congressperson to end the ban on offshore drilling now. What is your opinion?
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