Last of Our Kind

I am officially disgusted with Congressional Democrats.

Recently, in case you didn’t hear, congress passed legislation that allows offshore drilling. That’s right, the majority crumbled to the minority. To the crazy people who chant "DRILL BABY DRILL.” The party in power succumbed to the powerless. When they should have showed strength and stood for something they believe in, they buckled at the knees and showed how weak they are.

I'm mad because they tried to sugar coat this legislation with rules surrounding the drilling. One rule states that all drilling has to be beyond 50 miles of the shore. I suppose this won’t harm the ocean and sea life and everything else in the water because after 50 miles, there is nothing to harm…?

Another rule says the each state has to approve their want to drill. This sounds like a great idea. Suppose a drill project, let’s say done by Florida causes pollution and/or damage to the environment around Florida. What happens when that damage and or pollution moves towards Georgia, who doesn’t want offshore drilling? Who fixes that problem?

Congress also included in this bill the repealing of oil companies’ tax breaks, in order to use that money for renewable energy resources. That’s great, but couldn’t this have been the focus of the law without allowing off shore drilling?

I am angry because I truly believe that drilling is not the answer. It is the problem. For years now we (including President Bush) have talked about our addiction to oil. I know Bush doesn’t care about this (since he in fact wants more drilling) but I thought that the Democrats (including Obama, who is even for drilling now) were against drilling as a part of their platform. I thought they truly wanted to break our addiction and FOCUS on more important, renewable energies.

And are we supposed to just forget the fact that the oil companies already have acres and acres of land both offshore and on land that they are free to drill, but don’t. They want MORE because they truly believe they will be able to get enough out of our shores to make a difference.

They won’t.

Drilling will not lower the price of gas. Drilling will not lower the cost of a barrel of oil, and everyone knows that. Not using oil will lower the price of gas and the price of a barrel of oil. What drilling does do is affect the environment. Offshore drilling will also waste money that (if the oil companies are right in their commercials I see) should be spent on solar, wind, and other renewable energies.

If we want to build energy rigs in the ocean why not use the power of the waves. Where is that in this legislation? Where is the opposition against a party that is in the pocket of big oil? Where is the stand that opposes the raping of the earth, the stand that I thought my party stood for?

Remember this day as the day the crazies started winning.

Somehow the leaders I have rooted for have let me down.