I will try to make this short, but be warned , I am not known for short comments.

I liked the format the writter chose to use, but It is too bad that he sees thing the way he does. I don't think equal weight can be given to the democrats in this situation, but neither should we simply concede the republican point.We must start drilling now, because short term issues are every bit as important as long term goals. In the short term, the housing market crash is causing several people (including myself) to lose our homes.I run a handyman business in Arizona, and the housing depression has caused less work, and increased competition for the few jobs that can be found. This competition coupled with the rising cost of fuel , food, and just about everything else that We must buy; means that even when we find work, our wage is not enough to pay the bills. This said, we must act now in order to save a generation from severe hardships that will only get worse without immediate action. I have kids, and they will not stop aging so the world can play catch up! they need the best education , the best health care, healthy food, a safe and secure home, and freedom from worry if they are to be able to focus on becoming the fine young Americans that they will hopefully become.

The solution is to allow drilling contingent upon investment in alternative fuels/energy sources complete with pre set timetable for compliance.We must fix the short term issue, which is why the democrats are wrong to block relief efforts.But If they truly wish to take the lead in reforming this country, I suggest that they drop all of the Leftist issues such as gun control and gay marriage, etc and focus on nationalism and authoring legislation that will create a focus on immediate short tern relief and an responsible development of future products/fuels. One suggestion that should actually do both, would be to mandate changes to the building code to require all new buildings generate at least a percentage of its own power.There are products on the market now, such as solar roof tiles, and wind generators that are already available as after market installed devices. Why not mandate that we use them as standard on all buildings? Even the oldest cars on the road can be retro fit for alternative fuel use . We do have answers. We simply need to stop bickering and "Just Do It"! P.S Why should Our generation lose in order to give our kids a future, after all , we were once kids that were promised more success than our parents weren't we? Why is it wrong for us to expect the same level of freedom , security and lifestyle as our parents. Sure we want to give our kids a better world than we had., in fact I want the better world we were promised, and I also think we owe our kids A BETTER WORLD, AND EACH NEW GENERATION DESERVES BETTER THAN THE LAST(AS LONG AS THEY EARN IT)!