Copyright (c) 2008 David P Jensen
Gas prices,political agendas,the overall economy,oil imports,..It's al clearly linked and related in this article.
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.
There are many reasons why you should be concerned,but having no power needn't be one of them:
What if IRAN blocks the Strait if Hormuz?
Think about if rogue countries abruptly stopped shipping oil to the U.S.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 will not allow the American people to do any, much less ALL, of the following:
- 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.
- Lead the world in CNG for autos as determined by the market.
- 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. We can take a strong position. The House and Senate have a 12% approval rating.Could that be because they forgot who put them there. (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!
Meanwhile, take a minor action and reduce your gas or diesel costs BY HALF today!
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Dr.David Jensen (Economics/engineering) addresses a topic near to our wallet- the price of gas;why it's so high;and, importantly,what YOU can do about it.See his recommended site:
http://www.h2o4-gas.com/gassaving3.asp
