Dear Editor,
I would like to comment on a national issue. I know that this must seem unusual to the regular readers of the Opinion page, but I’ll do it anyway.
I am a republican, and I am very happy to have President Bush as our president. However, I disagree with some of his energy policies.
President Bush has said that we should expand our country’s domestic oil production. This has serious national security implications.
According to data supplied by BP (one of the world’s biggest oil companies), if the United States relied solely on its own oil, America would be completely out of oil in less than ten years. See http://www.bp.com/worldenergy/oil/index.htm.
If that were to occur, OPEC and other oil suppliers could charge whatever they want for their oil. They will not run out for at least a few more decades.
Right now, our transportation system and military power absolutely depend on cheap oil. If we were completely dependent on foreign oil, our whole economy would practically grind to a halt with a simple embargo.
Why should we give this power to countries that may or may not be friendly in 20 years?
Carl Sorenson
Naperville, Ill.
