An open letter to Senators Obama and Biden:
First, let me commend both Senator Obama and Senator Biden on the terrific campaign that they are running and their successful debates. They both are behaving in a way that is polished, tasteful and above board. This is the kind of campaign EVERYONE should be running, rather than attacking people for what their middle name is, or with whom they may have served on the board of a charity. I serve on several boards of non-profit groups, and I have never once asked the other board members what they were doing in 1969 while I was 8 years old. Good for Senators Obama and Biden for not bowing to use those kinds of tactics!
Secondly, I am a former Republican who is now 100% in favor of Barack Obama. I have donated to his campaign and have volunteered when I have been able. One issue that has popped up a couple of times in the debates makes my blood boil. The Republican candidates have raised the issue of drilling for oil now in the US as if it is some kind of magic bullet that will fix things overnight. We all know that is not the case and they know it too. This drilling to prosperity idea is a lie.
I want to make it clear that I have no associations whatsoever to the energy industry or to Mr. Pickens. I am a concerned citizen and I have common sense. Who says that the government lifting bans on drilling will cause any actual drilling? The oil companies are only going to drill if it is in their best interests to do it. It costs millions of dollars to drill for oil. The oil companies aren't going to do that unless they are convinced that the oil is there. Anything else would be stupid. I have yet to see any conclusive proof of significant, US reserves of oil that can be tapped which will change the status quo now or in the future.
The politicizing of the cost of gasoline is just that—politics as usual. No one wants to pay more for anything than we used to pay for it. Especially something we use a lot of. But consider this--gasoline costs about three times what it did in the early 1990's per gallon. Ironically, milk has had a comparable increase in price per gallon. Both used to be about $1.30 per gallon back then, and they are at or near $4.00 per gallon now. So why is there no outcry over the cost of Milk? Why is there no chant for farmers to beat their cows over the head for that one more drop of milk that could (at least theoretically) lower the price? This is all politics, and mindless politics at that. McCain and Palin are pandering to people who have jumped on a bandwagon that is on the "road to nowhere."
The only concrete, long-term solution to the US energy problem is to change completely over time from oil-based fuel to alternative fuels. I endorse real solutions over bandwagon solutions that really do not get to the bottom of anything but make a group of uninformed citizens feel better. I think it is time that the Obama campaign unmasks this kind of pandering for what it is. At the same time, I would encourage Senators Obama and Biden to think through the proposals of T. Boone Pickens. The propositions offered by Mr. Pickens possess the potential to put our country on the road to an enduring oil-free solution, while at the same time offering a significant interim overhaul to our energy problems by converting significant portions of our current oil-based energy uses over to other types of energy such as wind, solar and clean natural gas—all of which we have an abundance of here in the US.
So, the next time Senator McCain or Governor Palin raise this issue of "drill baby drill," why not unveil this for what it is--pandering to a group of people who have not taken the time to examine the facts that “drill here, drill now” incontrovertibly solves nothing; and then offer a tangible solution. I genuinely maintain that the “Pickens Plan” can furnish this solution. I do not know Mr. Pickens, or what his motives might be for having presented his plan. But I have studied his plan and I believe it will work. I am convinced that Senator Obama and Senator Biden are mindful individuals, and I am positive they can discern that the plan is a much better solution than the phony baloney offered by their opponents.
Again, I thank Senators Obama and Biden for the extraordinary campaign that they are running. I am so enthusiastic about real change. And I honestly trust in their candidacy to bring that kind of change. I just detest seeing this one issue go unanswered or partially answered since I think it is on the forefront to the future of our nation. We don’t just need change for change’ sake, we need changes that are real solutions to real problems facing our country. We need Barack Obama and Joe Biden in the White House!
Very Sincerely, your friend and avid devotee,
Mark Daniel Merritt
Mount Airy, NC
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