Stop reliance on fossil fuels

More socialism being foisted upon us as the government gears up to try and stem the worst environmental disaster in modern history by trying to mount a program to clean up the oil spill. Seriously, though, anyone who continues to argue for offshore drilling needs to have their head examined.

There are alternatives to oil and we should have been vigorously pursuing those options since the 1970s when the Middle East oil emperors first held us hostage during their embargo of 1974. Unfortunately, the oil companies and the many politicians they control have subverted the development of new technology or alternative fuel sources. They have held the citizens of the U.S. hostage and forced us to be slaves to our growing need for fossil fuels. While in the last 10 years Germany has vigorously developed solar fuel cells to provide electricity to their nation the U.S. still sits idly doing little to lessen our dependence upon oil. The magnitude of the current Gulf oil disaster may become global if the oil is sucked into the Atlantic by the Gulf Stream. And imagine there are those who would have us drilling in Lake Michigan. A leak similar to this would destroy the drinking water supply for people in three states.

Of course, the Obama administration will take a hit for their response to this disaster, but we need to really look at the long-term lack of planning that has us enslaved to long-term dependence upon drilling for oil. We need to rapidly develop the alternatives including natural gas, solar and wind. Dependence on oil and nuclear sources of fuel puts us at continuing risk of environmental catastrophes like the one we now face.

Len Lempa

Elgin