were not living like we should

theres a lot of hubub about the price of oil and gas lately. no one should be surprised. but in looking for a solution, ive heard everything from absurd pandering to actual plans. the one thing that should be evident here is that we need to reduce our dependance on oil. not just foreign oil, but oil in general. its harming the economy and the environment.

there is a myth that there lies a wealth of US owned oil in US coastal areas that envirnomentalits have padlocked. thing is, most of the domestic oil is open to drilling. in Aleska, the Gulf of Mexico, and beneath the Rockies. and many of these places have existing leases that oil companies are not even using. they are attempting to grab as many leases and permits as possible before the oild friendly bush admin leaves office.

the reality is that even if we opened up the small amounts of oil reserves on the coasts and began developing them, they wouldnt impact the market for 20 years. and its wholly unrealistic to think that the US, with 3% of the worlds oil, can increase production to a point where it has any significant effect on global prices. the reality is that we control a minority interest in a asset that we consume 50% of. the way to change for the better is to lessen our dependence on oil through research in to biofuels, fuel cells, plug in cars, hybrids and other technology we havent even thought of.

McCain's backing of absurd plans to have a gas tax holiday, open up coastal drilling, and open 30 nes nuclear reactors shows that hes interested in now, and not protecting our future. more and more it seems like he will do anything to get in the whitehouse. whether its good policy or an obvious blunder, whatever garners a vote, and really, dont we, and future Americans deserve better. it becomes more and more clear to me that McCain realizes that he wont be around much longer and wont have to suffer tha consiquences of his own actions. just about every day the idea of President McCain makes me ever more sick.

Obama is not perfect, but he realizes that our problems cant be solved by quick fixes. at some point you have to face the music. we cant keep passing the buck. we need a president, a government, who will tackle these tough issues. someone to look at the reality and the options and make the tough decision to do the right thing, not the patch.

a stitch in time saves nine. had we come up with a viable energy policy after the 70's crisis, the current fossil fuel pinch would be much less acute. maybe we can learn this time around that a quick fix isnt the right way to go. maybe we can elect a government that will help America become the great country it once was. it wont happen over night. i cant happen overnight. it will take time, but it can happen if we all open our eyes and make the right choices.

NYTimes