In an election between two very different candidates, Barrack Obama and John McCain have managed to find some common ground – loosing our dependence on foreign oil. The problem is how each candidate chooses to free us from our foreign oil chains. The McCain platform heavily emphasizes the drill here drill now idea whereas Obama chooses to support more research of alternative energies and a possibility of short term off shore drilling. Oil hasn’t been this hotly debated since the shortage of the 1970’s. McCain’s running mate Sarah Palin has been around the oil business in Alaska and believes drilling is the only solution to America’s energy problem. Both McCain and Obama agree that drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is out of the question, but Palin thinks otherwise. In an interview with NBC’s Maria Bartoromo, Palin emphasizes that drilling in select parts of ANWR would yield great amounts of oil while not disrupting wildlife. I did some research on ANWR and it is 19 million acres of land on the Northeastern coast of Alaska that is populated by many endangered species some becoming more endangered as a result of global warming. Palin’s stance on this issue is that the oil platforms will only take up about 2,000 acres and therefore will not disturb anything. The issue she forgets is the pipeline that has to be put in to get the oil back to refineries that would cut through ANWR and severely interrupt the natural environment. On the other hand Obama wants to use 15 billion dollars towards developing and refining alternative energies such as wind and solar. He would also impose a profit tax on all oil companies to try to discourage high prices. No matter how hard either candidate tries the reality is that the world will be dependent on oil until it runs out and when that happens unless we perfect our alternative energy sources, there will be huge scramble to do something later. The small-scale equivalent of this problem shows in everyday gas prices; people are more concerned with current gas prices than they are with developing technology that could eliminate the need for gas all together. Many people don’t want to believe it but animals are set up to interact and react with situations happening now not later so it is just instinct for humans to react that way. In the end there will be drilling in the US McCain promises it as our chief source of energy, while Obama uses it as a mode of weaning ourselves off of foreign oil while developing alternative energies at the same time.

I don't know why but the blog wouldn't let me indent anything.