Republicans lie about drilling
September 17, 2008
"Drill Baby Drill" is the new Republican catch phrase. Don't you just love it? Well, maybe not.
Republicans are so used to lying to naïve Americans, as most live, believe and hang on their every word. Well, they're at it again. Didn't we learn anything in the last eight years of Republican leadership as they lied us into a war for oil?
We can't drill our way into energy independence and both parties know this. The United States production output reached its peak in 1972. It is believed that we reached peak oil in 2005. Production output has not increased since.
It is possible that worldwide production could possibly increase but the fact is we are near or have passed peak oil.
It does not matter where we drill or how much we drill, we cannot drill or pray ourselves out of the energy dependence that grips us today. The carneys know that, yet they will stand there and lie, pushing policies that will benefit only the oil and gas industry, one of which I have been a part of since 1979.
Do we really want to turn our precious pristine federal lands and shores over to the oil and gas companies to do with as they please? The whole time knowing that the difference in price of a quarter or two, if that, is the only benefit we will realize and short lived at that. America needs to break its addiction to oil, develop clean alternatives and do it now!
War for oil is not a valid energy policy and neither is trying to squeeze the last drop out of the ground before we move on.
If America had used the money and manpower sacrificed in the Iraq quagmire on research for alternative energy sources, you have to wonder where we would be now on the road to energy independence and reduced Co2 levels. We need tax breaks and incentives for green energy, not more poison from the ground.
The 25 percent windfall profits tax the Democrats are drooling over is not the answer either. That would do nothing but increase our energy cost with the only beneficiary being the U.S. Treasury.
William E. Wallace
Hattiesburg
