Vote to break oil addiction

Ms. Weese's letter concerning the logic of offshore drilling had logical holes of its own. Albert Einstein said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing again and again and expecting different results. So goes America's relationship with fossil fuels. Never mind that the proposal to drill won't yield any new gas at the pumps for 10 years, or that any miniscule impact on prices the move would have won't be seen until 2030, or that drilling puts America's marine ecosystems and coastal economies at risk for another Exxon Valdez-sized disaster. More drilling diverts us from investing in long-term solutions to our dependence on oil and exacerbates global warming.

Drilling for oil off of the Outer Continental Shelf is in no way like "send[ing] our 6-year-old children to first grade," as Ms. Weese suggests, but like giving an addict another hit rather than showing him the way out of his addiction.

Unless we push our leaders to seize this opportunity to invest in clean renewable energy that never runs out like wind and solar, our cycle of insanity and addiction will continue. Before you vote this fall find out how your congressional candidates intend to deal with energy and the environment.

Adam Smit

Highland Park