Most of the millions of jobs president-elect Obama is promising are green jobs to promote costly green energy and vehicles. There is a major problem with that. The need for alternative and renewable energy notwithstanding, we still have an immediate fuel and energy crisis that has been ignored by Congress. Have we learned nothing from dependence on foreign oil and high gas prices?
We have, but our so-called leaders have not. They have given in to unreasonable environmental laws and regulations, and the zealots who are responsible for what would otherwise be a much lower cost of living. If we don't utilize existing domestic oil, gas and energy resources to bridge the gap to more alternative energy and less dependence on foreign oil, the economy will certainly go from bad to much worse.
The immediate need is not for alternative energy jobs, which would increase the cost of electricity. The need is for jobs created by drilling for offshore and Alaska oil and natural gas, oil shale -- and more nuclear, natural gas and coal-powered energy plants. That, in turn, would lessen our dependence on foreign oil, and bring down the rising cost of electricity. Regardless, we will still be dependent on oil for many years to come.
Lest we forget, we send millions of dollars per day for oil to countries who don't like us. About $50 million per day to Russia, $190 million to Saudi Arabia, and $150 million to Venezuela. Russia would like nothing more than to crush our economy over oil, and Valenzuela's dictator Hugo Chavez could cut us off in a heartbeat, which would devastate our economy even more. If voters sit on their hands about this, we will surely end-up economically empty-handed.