energy policy

Is anyone else frustrated that we are paying over $4 a gallon on gas and our Congress can't be bipartisan enough to pass a minor energy bill, let alone a comprehensive one?

Both parties have come to a forest fire of a problem with water pistols. The Dems talk about releasing oil from the Strategic Reserve. But this is a plan that will make us less safe in a crisis and won't put enough oil out on the market to affect the current price. Not only will this plan not really do anything in the short-term, but it hurts us in the long-term.

And the Republicans aren't doing any better. All they keep talking about is drilling off-shore and in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve (ANWR). Statistics show that opening up ANWR would give us up to one million barrels of oil. To the general public this sounds like a lot, but globally this is a drop in the bucket.

The oil wouldn't be able to hit the market until 10 years down the road and even then it would only decrease the oil we import by 2%. So for a 2% reduction in imports 10 years from now, the Republicans want us to take a chunk of the beautiful wildlife reserve the size of Delaware and turn it into ugly, polluting oil fields and refineries.

The Presidential candidates seem to have more comprehensive energy plans that include solar, wind and nuclear. But they will need a Congress who is ready to get past their little "drop in the bucket" plans. Both Presidential candidates will need a Congress who is ready to put down their little water pistols and think differently about oil.