Writing by Ear

No doubt you’ve heard about a little thing called “rising gas prices” and unless you raise all your own food, ride a bicycle everywhere you go, and live “off the grid” — and probably even then — you’ve been affected by it.

I’m lucky. Working at home means I don’t have to commute every day, but my mom’s recent health issues have meant frequent 70-mile-or-so roundtrips to visit her or tend to her house. I’m guessing nearly 3 gallons of gas used on every trip — you can do the math.

I’ve also been hearing and reading about the surge in interest in exploiting our own national energy resources, which are extensive. Just this morning I signed a petition at www.americansolutions.com to “Drill Here. Drill Now. Pay Less.” even though I told Mike a couple days ago that I thought the “Pay Less.” message should really be a “Be Secure.” message, and that the focus on money cheapened it.

It’s not that I don’t care about the environment (or don’t care about paying high energy prices) — it’s that I think we are being incredibly foolish not to take advantage of the resources we are blessed to have and the security those resources bring. And I think the technology exists to extract those resources without damaging the environment. And I think other countries are playing in our backyard and kicking dirt in our face as they do. Brazil is gleefully chomping at the bit to exploit its newfound energy reserves, realizing the power and opportunity they provide.

Oh, and let’s not forget nuclear energy. I used to write marketing copy for a supplier of nuclear fuel, so I know a little bit about it. How foolish are we not to have built any new nuclear plants in 30 years? Would I live near one? Maybe, maybe not. I do live in the Three Mile Island state, and visited the site a few years ago. You can’t tell me the circumstances that led to that accident haven’t been corrected. Hey, it’s working for France [80% of its energy comes from nuclear], the rest of the EU, Japan…wake up and smell the coffee you need electricity to make!

I’ve heard that neither presidential candidate is in favor of exploiting our energy resources to the extent I am. So that’s another reason to be in a quandary about the election. Not voting doesn’t seem right; voting “off the ticket” seems like wasting your vote; voting for a candidate you don’t really support leaves a foul taste. As usual, it comes down to choosing the lesser of two evils. So what will the deciding factor be? Energy? Defense? Social issues? Taxes? Economic policies? Health care? Sophie’s Choice anyone?

But tell me, why not use the abundant resources we have, and be a stronger nation for it?

Kilometers are shorter than miles. 
Save gas, take your next trip in kilometers. 
                                  ~ George Carlin