In my column last week, "Congress, get off your gas, and drill," I called upon Americans to sign Newt Gingrich's petition "Drill here, drill now, pay less," mandating Congress to do something now to immediately bring down gas prices. As a result, several hundred thousand people signed the petition. That's a fantastic start, but we need more – lots more. And we can use your help.
Are the rest of the 300 million Americans actually enjoying doling out $50 to $100+ for a fill up? It's time to wake up the remaining Americans who are snoozing in our petroleum nightmare. If we are going to drive down gas prices, we've got to get this country as mad as hell to do it. I got so riled up this past week that I went on Fox News to send out a battle cry to all Americans, and I just filmed a new YouTube bit for Newt, titled "Chuck Norris drills Congress." I think you'll like it.
Our government has done very little as a response to this energy crisis. They've stopped filling our emergency oil reserves with the 70,000 gallons a day, but won't draw from them in order to drive down costs. The Federal Reserve has cut interest rates seven times, but gas prices continue to rise. And while the Energy Department reported it will cut gas prices 3.5 cents per gallon, you'll be saving only a whopping 60 cents off what it now costs you to fill up your tank. To add insult to injury, a congressional subcommittee voted a week ago to continue to prevent drilling off the coasts of America. Are these the best solutions these elected knuckleheads can come up with? Are we done telling them that we don't like their solutions? Are we going to wait until our blood and gas boil to $6 a gallon?
This past weekend, in a great USA Today article on our gas crisis, two dozen energy specialists were asked what could be done to reduce gas prices. There was no one unified answer, but one thing was obvious – doing nothing will only drive costs higher. Some say drill domestic oils. Others say tap into our petroleum reserves. Still others say we must pull all the stops from developing alternative forms of energy. I say do it all, do anything, and do the most obvious, which is drill here and drill now. The solution isn't "either … or" but "both … and." Everything helps when Americans are being chocked at the pump to the tune of $4+ a gallon.
The Energy Policy Research Foundation concludes that aggressive new drilling and development of our oil shale reserves and withdrawing 200 million from the 700 million barrels of oil in our Strategic Petroleum Reserve could in a relatively short time cuts costs 37 cents a gallon. And that doesn't take into consideration the price reductions that would result in the market when oil price controllers realize they don't have an oil monopoly over us.
And if we are even more aggressive with drilling, we can drive down prices like a pile driver. More than 100 billion barrels of oil are available off the Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf coasts and under Alaska, and that's not counting the oil shale reserves across the Midwest that rivals the reservoirs of the Middle East. It alone could satisfy America's need for gas for 13 years! But it's going to take those political pantywaists in Washington to get off their gas, get a little backbone against environmentalists (who now prevent 85 percent of drilling off our coasts), and pass an emergency resolution to drill here and drill now. Even President Bush consented this past week before he left to Europe, saying, domestic drilling will "give this country a chance to help us through this difficult period by finding more supplies of crude oil, which would take the pressure off the price of gasoline."
I was glad to read that President Bush signed legislation this year that ethanol, which presently comprises 10 percent of two-thirds of our gas, will make up 15 percent of gas by 2015 and roughly 25 percent in 2022. It's also great to hear that by 2012, U.S. automotive manufacturers will offer cars that can run off 85 percent ethanol (we still of course have to continue to develop less expensive forms of high-grade ethanol, which presently cost more than unleaded gas). David Friedman of the Union of Concerned Scientists says that creating ethanol from wood chips, switch grass and even municipal solid waste could usher in the return of $2 a gallon fuel. Or as John Felmy, the chief economist for the American Petroleum Institute says, "Turning waste into fuel is really the holy grail," as it lowers prices, is environmentally conscious and, most of all, get us off of our oil dependency of other countries. (Of course hydrogen-fueled and electronic-hybrid automobiles are good alternatives too, but costs are still pricey and hydrogen fuel stations are few and far between).
None of this will happen, however, until we, the people, demand these changes from our government and representatives. That is why I encourage you right here, right now, to write them, share your thoughts and sign Newt's petition to Congress, "Drill here, drill now, pay less." If I can go on Fox & Friends and film a YouTube plug to fight for you, can you fight for Americans by sending an e-mail to five friends with the link to "Drill here, drill now, pay less"? Tell them Chuck Norris asked you to! It is our goal by July 4 to have at least 1,000,000 signatures to bring to Congress.
With another Independence Day fast approaching, let me remind us all that it is "we, the people" who have power over the government, not them over us. They are called by their original intent and design to protect our pursuit of life, liberty and happiness, not vice versa. Well, gas prices are clipping us and our economy at the knees. And we need to demand our representatives do something now or face the consequences defined in the Declaration of Independence to a government that no longer protects its people's pursuit of life, liberty and happiness:
That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. … But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
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(Chuck's column now runs in syndication through Creators Syndicate. Subscriptions can be obtained by contacting Creators Syndicate. To check out some of his non-political articles, see Chuck's WND archives.)