If I were president of US, I would attack our country's number one problem: dependence on foreign energy resources. I would set a timetable for our country's becoming totally self-sufficient in meeting all our energy needs. That timetable would also include a plan for total disengagement from the Middle East along with a prepositioned message to Saudi Arabian oligarchs and Venezuelan wise guys that would include: "We don't want your oil. Sell it elsewhere if you can." Lastly, that timetable would include a plan for a nearly total phaseout of oil-burning technology in this country.

I would make the foregoing the cornerstone of my administration's policies and goals. The goal of energy independence could emerge as one the truly non-partisan and uniting efforts that our country desperately needs in these times of partisan bickering and animosity. This goal would have the effect of galvanizing the diverse business, government, and public interest groups in the US, each of whom have their own stake in this effort.

If I were president, I would use all the power and prestige of my office to convince Americans that it is madness to deny our own resources in an environment of growing expense and scarcity of energy. I would inject some sanity by immediately urging the use of our oil in Alaska as well as off shore as a short-term method of controlling crippling energy costs. At the same time, I would direct the Atomic Energy Commission to develop a ten-year plan for phasing out oil-burning energy plants in favor of nuclear power. I would accompany that plan with a public relations blitz that provides bottom-line cost benefits, safety measures and safeguards as well as highlighting the experience of countries like France, who have been enormously successful in harnessing nuclear power for many years.

If I were president, I would encourage interim fuel conservation measures that would include incentives for local authorities to develop and expand their public transportation systems as well as to find fuel savings for energy production. I would also accompany these measures with a public relations plan that would likewise equate energy conservation with public service.

Lastly, if I were president, I would use my moral influence to convince Americans that driving vehicles the size of dump trucks is wasteful and selfish. I would shame our Hollywood elites into recognizing that spending $400 a month to heat their swimming pools is a selfish and wasteful use of energy. I would discourage the use of private jets as a means for transportation by other political elites attending conferences on global warming. I would encourage Americans to support for public officials who recognize and support the need for US to work towards the goals energy independence and vote for candidates whose vision includes all the things - including personal example - that accomplish that goal.

It is time for our country to develop a plan that will wean us from imported oil. We have the technical wherewithal and a historic can-do attitude that could lead to energy independence. If I were president I would use every ounce of prestige and influence to lead - and if necessary to force or shame - those divergent elements of our body politic and economy to shift gears now before America becomes just another supplicant subject to the whims of people who do not have our interests at heart. Besides, if the president cannot lead us in this direction, who can?

Learn more about this author, Jerry Curtis.
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