I must respond to Barry Barringer's letter to the editor of April 30. I ask you, where is our moral leadership on energy independence?
The conservative movement (Republicans and some Democrats) has controlled our country since the mid-1990s. The right wing of our country wants to drill everywhere and "grow our way" out of this problem, where as the left wing wants no mega-production facilities in "our backyard."
President Carter started the Synthetic Fuels Corporation to pave the way to energy independence, but President Reagan stopped the program because he felt the marketplace should lead the path of supply and demand.
The right wingers can spin and hiss about the liberals stopping production in the last remaining oil frontiers, but where is this getting ("Average Joe" America) us?
We have a complete lack of foresight in our country. Our leaders react to problems after they arise, not envisioning and acting before.
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The right wing whackos say, "It's all our way or the highway" and the liberal lefties never met a program they didn't like. Middle America is paying for both parties' arrogance, narrow-mindedness and incompetence.
We cannot drill our way out of our dependence on oil. President Bush isn't the cause of higher gas prices; it is an increased global demand, but he is devoid of any visions for our future. We should be spending our national treasure for energy research and not on a misguided foreign war. Our lifestyle, as we now know it, is going to change.
We need to envision the future, how it will encompass our lives and work towards making America a better place for all.
The political polarization of our country is akin to hitting ourselves in the face with our own fists and then saying, "See what you made me do." Get (moving) America, and be the great country we are.
Bill Cornog
Fargo
