Democracies procrastinate, always have and probably always will. Free market and capitalism don't require a company to lose money producing oil when it costs more to find it and get it out of the ground than what it can be sold for. That is why new oil drilling was scarce from 1996 to 2005. The price of gas was too low, briefly below $1 a gallon in 1998 and below $1.75 most of the time until 2004.

In today's world of record oil company profits, high gas pump prices, and for the first time in most people's memory, actual insufficient supply worldwide to meet demand, it's easy to forget that gas was $1.50 a gallon 18 months ago. At that price oil companies had some renewed interest in exploring and drilling new wells. With supplies lacking because of increased demand, oil companies and oil producing nations will now go full-tilt towards drilling new wells, but adding enough supply to make a short term difference is unlikely. It will be at least 2 years before gasoline prices can be sustainable below $2.25 per gallon again. The sustainable below $2 per gallon is probably gone forever unless we have major new oil reserves discovered in the United States. Procrastination has caught up with us.

We dabble with alternative energy sources, ones that produce less results for usually a higher cost than oil, but neglect the most glaring crucial facts. Our nation can't operate without importing over 40% of its energy needs. We are captive to others wanting to sell to us and today fewer countries want to do that, while China and India are requiring a larger share of the oil pie. We are closing in on a time of critical mass and we must take control once and for all with an energy independence plan. Paying more for energy over the next 10 years to reach energy independence is acceptable.

Energy independence should finally be considered by Congress and the White House as an economic and national security issue. It has needed to be that for nearly 40 years, but procrastinators that we Democracies are, we have waited until the brink to seriously address it.

We must dramatically reduce the oil quotient in our future energy plans with a higher percentage of ethanol in the short term and either hydrogen, solar or electric power as the primary source or shared sources for automobiles 5-10 years from now. Cars and trucks are not the majority of our energy needs, however; the federal government must continue to lessen the restrictions on building new nuclear power plants, and expanding others. Solar power is the newer energy option that should be most pursued for homes and businesses.

Congress should pass "Race to Energy Independence" legislation making very large expenditures available to companies that will rapidly advance the scientific end of new energy research. Every incentive possible should be made available to the business community. This is one of the few things that federal government spending can do well: increase the rate of new discovery. It was done in the 1960's for the space program and this is more important and affects more Americans.

With energy independence we can stop sending more young Americans to die in the deserts of the Middle East to protect the supply of oil and the dictatorships they prop up. We have the talent and resources to bring about true energy independence much faster than most think with a committment from all. The greatest inventions of the 21st century will deal with medical advancement and energy independence. Will America lead the way again?

www.leadersreport.com
Moderate & conservative political discourse