My Dear, Dear Congress

I see that you have decided to vote yourselves a vacation instead of working out some resolution for the energy crisis we are facing. Queen, oops, should have said Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi wants to save the "world" while ignoring what as Americans are facing and will be facing. The current high prices of fuel are not just seen at the gas pump. These higher fuel prices are reflected in the prices of goods we purchase. Saving the "world" while looking into options other than fossil fuels is laudable.

However, the green technology has not reached a point in efficiency and cost-effectiveness. As an American, I would love to be able to place solar panels on my home. However, the cost is prohibitive at this point. The lowest prices I've seen start at $25,000. That's a big chunk of change.

I don't a hybrid car nor do I need to purchase fuel with ethanol. See, my little car already gets great gas mileage. It also makes less of an impact on the environment during manufacturing. It will also impact the environment less when it comes time to dispose of it.

President Bush and you in Congress have made food prices skyrocket with the drive toward using corn and other food products to produce ethanol, Other options should have been addressed. Corn husks, weed grasses, and others should have been looked out more closely.

Your acts over the last few months indicate a certain lack or desire to help your constituents. It is all well and good to want to save the "world". You voted no on the issue of oil being extracted from shale. You still refuse to discuss opening ANWR.

And the only solutions you propose to ease the situation are so-called green ones. Wind farms, solar panels, and other methods are great ideas but at this point in time, they cannot meet current needs. Unless something drastic occurs in the next years, these methods are still woefully insufficient to meet the ever increasing demand for fuel and energy.

Until then, ANWR needs to be opened. It will take ten or more years for oil to start flowing from there. In the meantime, other options for fuel and energy can still be researched and developed. Perhaps in those years, solar panels will be developed to have a higher efficiency rating and hopefully the prices will come down.

Nuclear plants must be approved now. It takes many years to build them. The US is woefully behind the rest of the world in building them.

Perhaps while you guys are on your vacations, you'll reflect that many of your constituents can no longer afford to go on vacation. They can no longer afford the fuel to get there. Perhaps you'll realize that your focus should not be on saving the "world" but on actually helping those who voted you into office.

In other words, quit trying to sneak Kyoto through the back door. Both President Clinton and President Bush realized Kyoto was very bad for our country while not really doing much to save the "world".

Thank you,

A Concerned Citizen