Thus we support other countries' economies while our own stagnates. Beyond that, these "other countries" (OPEC, Russia) price oil in a predatory range to enrich themselves while damaging all Western economies who remain dependent on their oil.

A few (of many) reasons why you should be concerned:

What if IRAN blocks the Strait if Hormuz?

- What if Venezuela and Nigeria stop exporting oil to the U.S?

- What if Russia cuts off parts of Europe from oil and natural gas?

- Put a more personal way, what if you lose you income and your pension?

If the prior paragraphs don't grab you, then.......keep reading.

We don't produce enough of our own oil and other obvious sources of U.S.-based energy for ONE reason only: the U.S. House of Representatives wont ALLOW us to drill? Who works for whom:

- Drill offshore WHEREVER there is known oil reserve.

- Build non-polluting nuclear generators to fuel our cities.

- Refine our own oil.

- Process coal for clean oil.

- Extract oil from shale.

We have vast reserves of natural gas which can readily be compressed and used to fuel vehicles.

- Lead the world in geothermal harnessing.

- As the market demands, develop wind, solar, hybrids, etc.

It is pathetic to hear a pundit say, "THAT will take 10 years" and use THAT as an excuse for not STARTING now. This derelict action by the House affects you personally ($4/gallon gas), and our Economy (stunted by lost jobs and more costly delivery of goods and services; not to mention the shaky grounds our financial institutions are resting on!).

I'm sure you understand this straightforward logic. If you do:

- Phone your congressman and tell him/her that if they want to be re-elected in November they WILL eliminate ALL obstacles to development of our own energy, without earmarks or any other contingencies. This is the most powerful thing we can do. There are reasons why the House and Senate are reviled by the voting public. (Behind closed doors we're referred to as the Great Unwashed.)

Remember that statistics reveal that for every one phone or e-mail contact our representatives know that there are at least one hundred people who feel the same way but didn't take time to contact them. DO NOT assume that you don't count. YOU DO!

You have it in your control to cut your gas costs in half-today!

Copyright (c) 2008 David P Jensen