The front page of the Cincinnati Enquirer yesterday screamed “Gas Watchers Fear $5 a Gallon.” I paid $3.29 a gallon to fill up at a BP on North Bend Road near St. Ignatius School yesterday. I hated spending that much, but I was on my way to a meeting, and had to do it. It hurt.
The experts lay the blame for the latest surge in gas prices on the turmoil in the Middle East, most recently in Libya. For the record, I hope and pray that the people of Libya can successfully show their bizarre and brutal dictator, Moammar Gadhafi, the door. Gadhafi has terrorized his own people, unleashing gunfire, tanks, and in some cases even air power on unarmed civilian protestors, reportedly killed hundreds.
Although the U.S. has considerable influence in the Middle East, we cannot control the evolving situation there. The tumultuous uprisings have spread from country to country, and it’s anyone’s guess how it will all end, and what the region will look like when it does.
Stability in the Middle East, or the lack thereof, always has an impact on the gas prices in the United States. Where I am particularly critical of the Obama Administration is that their policies have resulted in the U.S. remaining so dependent on foreign oil. For example, their reaction to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico last year was to put a moratorium on drilling in the Gulf which resulted in many of the oil rigs being pulled out of the Gulf and sent to other countries. The Administration has also continued to restrict drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf, and in Alaska’s Anwar region. And even though President Obama talked about reversing his long term opposition to nuclear power, he’s taken virtually no action to get the ball rolling.
So if we want to keep the Enquirer’s $5 per gallon headline from becoming a reality, we better get started on making America less reliant on foreign oil – immediately!