Drill, Drill, Drill!

So, couldn't we all hear the din of this spoiled toddler's tantrum growing -- the "Make gas prices go down now!" cry from the pathetic masses? Jim from HC blogged this a couple days ago: MN Rep. Congresswoman Michele Bachman is tickling the giblets of her conservative constituents, while still upholding her decided lack of original, intelligent thought, by stating the U.S. should open all available domestic sources of oil in order to "cut gas prices in half."

Here's a new story covering the Corporate-Puppet-in-Chief's request of Congress to lift the ban on U.S. offshore drilling. Where are the voices of reason? Thankfully, Barack Obama has stated that offshore drilling would not affect gas prices for 5 or more years down the road. Others agree -- and they're, like, actual experts and science types and stuff, too.

I've asked it before: WHO will be the first president to stand up and tell the American people the solution is to stop driving so damn much? Who will state that part of the solution is to pursue vigorously non-petrol-based energy alternatives? Who will have the chutzpah to tell Americans THE solution is a massive shift in our comfortably decadent lifestyles?

Anyone?

Bueller?

But for now it's a prescription to practice environmental rape and pillage of ANWR and our nation's coastlines. It would behoove certain politicians to heed the cry of the gas & energy guzzling masses, I suppose, particularly in an election year. They can at least build ire against anyone who is not of their party.

Here's a telling quote from NM Gov. Bill Richardson (former Clinton energy secretary):
"You know this president, all he wants to do is drill, drill, drill. There is very little on conservation, on fuel efficiency for vehicles. Just last week the Congress failed to pass a solar tax credit — give more incentives to renewable energy, solar and wind. A one track mind — drill drill drill — that's not going to work."

Meanwhile, what is the potential payoff? A supply of oil and gas that won't even last our gluttonous populace 3 years:
"The 574 million acres of federal coastal water that are off-limits are believed to hold nearly 18 billion barrels of undiscovered, recoverable oil and 77 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, according to the Interior Department. The country each year uses about 7.6 billion barrels of oil and 21 trillion cubic feet of natural gas."

If we're willing to let our leaders make decisions like that we deserve to be in the dark -- literally and otherwise. It's a fool's bargain, one that, if it were allowed to go through, would beg the question, "Are the leaders or the constituents the actual fools?"