I like President Obama. I do, and even though I wasn't old enough to vote for him in the presidential election, I like to think I voted for him in spirit. I sat in front of the TV and heard that he had become the 44th president of the United States, and I did a little victory dance inside. I was positive that Barack Obama would bring about some much-needed change to our country, and that he wouldn't let me or the American people down.
That's why I think most of us all shared a collective "What the hell, man!" at the news of the president's decision to open offshore drilling for the first time.
Little fishies screamed. Environmentalists threw up their tofu. Some Republicans cheered, while others crossed their arms over their chests and muttered stupidly, Damn Obama... stealing our idea... well I don't have to like it... yeah, yeah, I'll fight it just because I don't like him. That'll show 'im. I'll say he hasn't gone far enough. I simply couldn't believe it.
The plan will open areas to drilling in the central and western Gulf of Mexico and in nearly 3 million acres off the Virginia Coast. The administration is also trying to open up areas approximately 125 miles off the coast of Florida, but is pending the reversal of an existing statutory moratorium on drilling in that area. The Interior Department has estimated that drilling off the coast of Florida could boost Gulf production by 100 million barrels in 2030. But there's still one factor I haven't heard the Interior Department or the president himself address.
It's still not enough.
The United States currently imports oil from over 10 countries, and even that's not enough. America has become one giant meth addict. To federal debt, we say "screw the money, I promise I'll pay you back on Saturday when I get it... just gimme the stuff." To the environment, we say "screw the environment, c'mon, just one little taste." We've become a society of paranoid schizophrenics locked inside our homes, dish towels stuffed in keyholes to keep them out, oh but if we could just get a little taste...
This offshore drilling plan is not going to end this. The idea appears to be to gradually wean us off our dependency on the perpetual drug-like obsession with oil. Okay, that sounds like a nice idea, but will it work? And even then, what are the consequences for looking to domestic sites to drill? Does anyone really believe that the real solution here is to further ravage our country by drilling in areas that were banned from doing just that for decades?
Let's spare our country from becoming a dried-up wasteland, and let's spare our oceans and the millions of organisms that reside in it from oil-slicks and polluted waters. I don't know about everyone else, but where I live, we can't afford to have poorer air quality than what we have now. With domestic oil drilling, the pollution is only going to get worse and worse.
The environment is already pissed with us. I mean, just look at the all of the recent earthquakes! It's become a regular flavor of the month. That's Mother Nature's way of shaking her head and saying, "That's not what I meant!" It would be wise not to anger her.
I always find that the answers to tough issues like these always tend to be right in front of us. They're the sort of things that make us go, "A-doi!" as we slap ourselves in the forehead for not seeing them before. I learned that from a fantastic film I saw as a child. Perhaps you've heard of it. It's called Monsters, Inc. The monster world powers their society with the screams of children and there's a huge shortage, until at the end of the movie, they discover the laughter of children is even more effective! Ta-da!
Sounds a lot like the state of America right now. We power our society with oil, gas, electricity. But there's a huge shortage. So all we need to do is find an alternative source of energy, something just as if not more effective than what we already have. We've already explored those options; solar, wind, ethanol ring any bells? For a while, those were all the rage. Then what happened? Too expensive, people said, we can't afford it!
So perhaps the real answer is to cut the cost of solar panels so they're made to be affordable to all Americans. The government could give grants to farmers and businesses to help finance the construction of wind turbines and ethanol plants. Maybe corn could stop being so damn pricey. If you really wanted to piss off the Republicans, call it the "Energy Health Care Reform".
I'm far from taking a giant leap to the right of the political spectrum, but this plan has struck somewhat of a nerve with me. Let's hope we've found our "A-doi!" moment soon. When we do, I'll let Pixar know.