Oil and economy hand in hand!

Written by: John Archibald on Jun 11, 2008 1:05 AM EDT

I am a member of the working middle class. I normally vote Democrat because I am concerned with the plight of the working people and their families. I believe in adequate wages sufficient to allow all middle class working Americans to live the American dream. Like most others, I believe medical cost should be affordable to the point where it is not an issue for us or our employers. I believe we should continue to have the decent working conditions provided by our hard won labor laws obtained through the sacrifices of organized labor. I vote Democrat to keep the separation between church and state alive so we can remain free from religious persecution.  I also vote Democrat because I believe in their progressive policies which enable us to be one of the worlds leading innovators in industrial and technological advances. This is good for our economy and our spirits.

I also like and, as long as we can afford to, support taking care of our environment along with all the other creatures who share this planet with us. I am, however, not willing to risk facing the catastrophic consequences which will be brought on by not immediately setting up programs and incentives to utilize our own oil, coal, and natural gas reserves here at home. This should be our biggest concern. Without affordable oil and all it implies we will have nothing. With as much regard for the environment as we can bring to bear we must compromise on our environmental desires, to what ever extent is dictated by our current needs, and immediately begin to exploit our own fossil fuel resources while taking the necessary steps to end our dependence on energy sources derived from fossil fuels. The development of realistic sustainable and dependable alternative fuels and energy sources must be our number one priority both in the immediate and distant future while we, for the time being, survive by promoting the exploration, capturing and utilization of our own national fossil fuel resources.

I have been a supporter of a Democratic candidate from day one for obvious reasons but am gravely concerned with their political approach to this issue. I am not so sure they realize the severity of the consequences of not meeting this challenge head on, right now! The war in Iraq is likely the biggest mistake we’ve every made but it’s not going to shut our nation down if it goes on, heaven forbid, for a little longer. The fossil fuel issue, however, can’t wait, and I believe most people, at least those who are not ‘obsessive compulsive’ will be in favor of applying the common sense to do  what is needed to save us from this looming cloud of doom which is drifting in on us as we sleep. It is the key to solving our current economic woes. It’s currently at the heart of our problem and, if the topic is our economy, must be addressed. Anyone who is not talking about taking such measures is merely pandering to the public and is doing nothing more than what they perceive as necessary to get elected. That is not change!

Please remember, it’s a fact that the world now demands more oil than is being produced. We are entering a crises of monumental proportions which, very soon, will become all too evident. Within the next two years the American way of life may be completely out of reach for all but the very rich. Many of us will be unable to afford the gas to get us to work. Meaningful jobs will disappear. The dependent entitlements from the corresponding investment side of things, such as retirements and medical, will also disappear. There will be anarchy and chaos, and, with our already under staffed local law enforcement, people will be facing horrors right out of fiction. This is part of the reason we are seeing such an energized presidential primary campaign. Some people know we have reached the end with respect to how much political neglect we can endure without a complete collapse of the American middle class. We are desperate to make the necessary changes within the guide lines of our democratic system because the other alternative could rival or surpass our worst nightmares. If we are really thinking green we had better begin to capitalize on  our vast supply of natural gas, coal and our own oil resources including offshore oil deposits to keep our machinery, transportation and petrochemical bi- products going. A global war caused by a hungry world desperate for energy will pose a far greater threat to our planet and its inhabitants than any of our current scenarios of drilling and mining etc. If forced to, I and many others will reluctantly vote for the other party if it offers an immediate solution as described above to this most critical issue.

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