Drill, Baby, Drill

From My Own Little Corner Why aren't we griping loudly about gas prices? Oil prices have dropped drastically in the last few weeks and, yes, gas prices are going down, but why so slowly? When oil prices go up, gas prices go up overnight. It seems to me that when oil prices were this low before (and the price of oil is below $75 a barrel right now, which is about half as much as it was this summer), gas was less than $2.69 a gallon. It stands to reason that if the price of oil is half as much as earlier this summer, then gas should be half as much. That should put gas at about $2 a gallon. Now, I won't pretend to be an economist, but when people have to pay the kind of prices that they are paying to fuel their vehicles, then their expendable income goes down. In plain English, they run out money for the items that aren't absolutely necessary. They will stop going to stores (except for the things that are needed for their survival), going out to eat (and that means even McDonald's, which isn't such a bargain anymore, because they had to raise their prices, just like everybody else), going to the movies, museums, zoos, plays, concerts (and anything else that is just for fun), health care (including prescriptions, doctor visits, dental care, well baby check-ups, pre-natal care), and just about anything else you can think of. You see, the cost of gas touches every facet of our lives, whether we realize it or not. When you are spending more that 33% of your bring home pay for fuel for your vehicles, it doesn't leave much for anything else. And don't forget that winter is on the way. That means that even more of your money will be going into the pockets of the big oil companies. The amount of profit that they are making is obscene. We import most of our oil from other countries, with money borrowed from China. Our country is now importing 60% of all the oil used in this country and 40% of all the energy utilized in this country comes from oil. That makes us very dependent on the rest of the world for our energy needs and puts us at the mercy of these countries. And "Drill, baby, drill" is not the answer. There simply is not enough crude in this country to supply our needs as they stand at this time. We need to start looking at alternate sources of energy. Wind, water, nuclear, electric, and hydrogen just to name a few. We are not a stupid people, our brains are just a bit sluggish from lack of use. We've let the government make our decisions for the last eight years and it's time that we took the reins of our destiny back. Time for all of America to start thinking about the future. And part of what we need to start thinking about are alternate energy sources and how to decrease our energy consumption. We can conquer our energy problem and, in doing so, help to fix our economy, because let's face it, these things are all interwoven. When people can't afford fuel for their vehicles, then all the things associated with driving go down the drain. That includes shopping, entertainment, vacations, gift giving, and even faith and charity based activities. We are Americans. We can overcome. It is just going to take some sacrifice. Cutback, consolidate, conserve, recycle, carpool, use public transportation, turn off the extra lights, lower the thermostat, and most important, THINK about the energy that you are using. You see, if we cut back, then the demand for oil and oil products drops, then the reserves go up, and the prices drop. In the meantime, let your congressmen know that the prices need to come down faster, that we need affordable public transportation, that we need alternate sources of energy, vehicles that get better mileage (and that are made in America), and most of all, that the big oil companies don't need to make the profits that are killing the American way of life. May your God bless, and keep, you and yours. Pray for peace and enlightenment. Don't forget to VOTE on November 4Th.