Time to stop all risky offshore drilling, improve safety measures

I read with interest a letter on your editorial page entitled "This economy runs on oil." Although I agree with some of the author's statements, I believe there were many things left out.

It is true that the government has looked the other way when it comes to BP. The current administration has yet to end the corruption of the previous administration and they have also grossly mishandled this crisis from the very beginning. Top officials have so totally under-estimated the size of this horrific event saying time and time again that he estimate was 12,000 to 25,000 barrels per day. The reality is that these very same officials feared that the spill might produce over 64,000 barrels a day.

Also, the federal agency, MMS, set up to monitor offshore drilling still rubber-stamp these dangerous drilling operations and do not take the proper steps to protect the workers on these rigs, our waters and the precious wildlife that inhabit them. I also understand that since the current "spill" the government has approved bids for at least 90 more tracts in the gulf and two of these are for BP.

I believe these acts should cease immediately until proper safety measures can be presented and then carried out. By this, I mean that if BP can continue to cut and paste safety plans and present them to the government, they should at least get the names of the wildlife correct. To my knowledge, there no polar bears on the shores of the Louisiana gulf.

I believe the time is now to stop all risky off shore drilling. We, the American people, have had enough. We want to protect our shores and our wildlife and preserve these treasures for the generations to come.

Linda L. Linford

Warrenville