by Bob Schmidt

Created on: February 15, 2007   Last Updated: March 19, 2008

Hillary's plan for ending our oil dependency will only add to the price that we pay to feed our energy hunger. Anyone who thinks that big oil interests will not simply raise prices to cover additional costs is not thinking clearly.

The only effective way to reduce oil dependency is to reduce our waste, starting with you and me. We drive our cars more than necessary, we heat and air condition rooms not in use, and we demand conveniences that are wasteful of energy resources. The government should, meanwhile, provide incentives to the private sector to develope totally new energy sources. The private sector produces products, the government produces no products whatsoever!

My criticism of all politicians is that they propose plans that will not upset their political voting bases. No one wants to tell the American people, the voters, that reducing oil dependency begins with each of us individually. I don't blame them, they are part of the political monster that we call our government.

My hope is that one day some inspired leader will appear, and tell us the truth, each of us is the problem. Until we change our wasteful habits, political solutions will only be a game of smoke and mirrors. If we don't get it right, one of the days we are liable to comment to one another, "Do you remember when we used to drive our cars when and where we wanted? Gee, how I miss the good old days!"

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