Newspaper Page Text
♦ WEDNESDAY, JULY 9, 2008
4A
OPINION
Energy crisis won't be solved
by playing the blame game
Americans are feeling pain at
the gas pumps. This fact is not
lost on lawmakers at any level.
We are seeing some of the highest pric
es on gasoline and crude oil that we’ve
ever seen in this country and no one is
happy about it. American families are
suffering from these high prices.
But what is truly disappointing
about the current discussion on energy
is that our leaders in Washington, D.C.
have chosen to point fingers rather
than seek solutions; they’ve flirted
with policies that will only cause more
pain at the pump and drive energy
prices even higher.
They are playing the blame game
across the country ... in the media and
in Congress, and American citizens are
suffering for it.
Some want to blame the oil com
panies. And with record high profits,
companies like Exxon-Mobil are an
easy target.
But what many people don’t
acknowledge is that the oil companies
are spending much of this profit on
research. This * includes research in
fuel alternatives and other technolo
gies, such as ethanol from more diverse
feedstock, hydrogen and hybrid tech
nologies.
Congress’ latest efforts to imple
ment windfall profit taxation will only
continue to put upward pressure on
the marketplace. This will lead to the
consumer paying the extra tax on each
gallon he or she buys, and we will still
have a energy crisis in America, only
much worse than today.
Others have been pointing the finger
at the oil futures markets and specula
tors. Futures markets are not the rea
son for high energy prices. These mar-
“Yeah, it's what happens when they don't take time to vote!"
Watermelons, sparklers and Macon County linrs
Me and the boys sure did have
fun this fourth of July. We
was settin’ off cherry bombs
and Roman candles all over Perry,
case you wondered who was doin’ it.
We useta go to the Big Bang Boom,
but now that they ain’t havin’ that no
more, we back to makin’ our own fun.
Nachrully bein’ the fourth, they was
some prollems.
80-Diddley had a little too much
White Lightnin’ was holdin’ two spar
klers ‘tween his teeth an’ runnin’ down
Thomson Road toward the overpass
an’ this armadilla saw him cornin’
and thought he was a car and jumped
straight up like they do and 80-Diddley
swallered one of the sparklers. You
ever swallered a sparkler, you know
that’ll kinda give you a crick in the
neck ‘til it goes on down.
Anyway , we was gon’ cheer him up
so borried a couple dozen watermelons
offa truck an’ had us a melon bustin’ at
the Spec Buildin’,
’Piggette is alius actin’ like she don’t
eat nuthin’ but parsley and keesh, but
we all know she’s stone crazy about
watermelon.
She dint want to wait til we got
em all busted and said a blessin’ so
she rolled one over in the comer an’
bit the end off it and then got her
head stuck inside it, and was runnin’
all arouri’ and rollin’ over and near
bout suffercated and inhaled a whole
Ross
Tolleson
State Senator
ross.tolleson@senate.ga.gov
kets bring order to world markets by
creating liquidity in the marketplace.
It’s true that speculation is part of the
traders’ role - they speculate whether
prices are going up or going down.
So, the policies that the federal gov
ernment puts in place can either put
upward or downward pressure on mar
ket pricing. If we move toward over
regulating the marketplace, the con
sumer will pay the price for the cost of
regulation in the long run.
Our country needs a comprehensive
energy policy that has a time certain
to meeting the energy needs of this
nation. An energy policy of less taxa
tion, less regulation, increasing supply
and lessening demand on oil supply is
the only way to bring prices down.
This comprehensive plan should
include drilling for more supply. State
leaders cannot approve any efforts to
build new oil refineries or to explore
new options for oil and natural gas,
such as making the Outer Continental
Shelf and the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge accessible. This must be done
by Congress.
This new energy policy should
increase nuclear power output, increase
alternative fuel production, use solar
and wind power advancements and
other technologies, and include respon
sible conservation efforts. We need
Porky's
Ponderings
porky@evansnewspapers.com
buncha seeds. Lil Junior had to sit on
her while I busted it open real careful
with our tire iron. Course we was dyin’
laughin.’
She took a real long time getting’ her
breath and sprayin’ watermelon seeds
everwhere and then she had one of her
screamin’ fits, so that was some pretty
good noise too. We was even thinkin’
that the county could use Piggette for
one of them sirens they talkin’ bout.
Anyways, it was a pretty good fourth
of july, hog-wise.
If y’all missed my colyum las’ week,
don’t blame me. Blame Charlotte
Perkins, ‘cause she tol’ me that Danny
Evans was startin’ a boiled peanut
place in the Muse Theatre an’ Larry
Walker (big, not little) was gon’ make
a speech and dedicate it on account
of him havin’ been in the downtown
boiled peanut bidness long time ago,
and they was gon’ give away boiled
peanuts in them little brown paper
bags an’ RC colas, an’ I fell for it, and
Bv fW
a complete energy road map to the
future.
We need to know that by 2030 this
country will have implemented a fully
integrated energy strategy to keep us
self-sufficient, curtailing our depen
dence on unstable countries to supply
our energy needs.
It’s time to stop playing the blame
game, because in truth, all of our lead
ers are to blame for $4 a gallon gaso
line and high energy prices.
In Georgia, we have talked about
energy for the last four years. We have
spoken many times about the need to
explore and expand our capabilities for
nuclear energy.
We have worked to make E-85 alter
native fuel available to the consumer
on the street. We have paved the way
for companies like Range Fuels, a cel
lulosic biofuel manufacturer, to set up
shop here.
Georgia is now a leading state when
it comes to alternative fuel produc
tion. It is now time for our leaders
in Washington, D.C. to step up and
lead this nation out of the darkness
on energy policy. We need strong lead
ers to guide us through this period of
turmoil. They must be open to all ideas
and potential solutions to our energy
woes and not rooted in the politics of
the issue.
Sen. Ross Tolleson serves as chairman
of the Senate Natural Resources and
the Environment Committee. He rep
resents the 20th Senate District which
includes Bleckley, Dodge, Johnson,
Laurens, Pulaski, and Telfair coun
ties and, parts of Houston and Wilcox
counties. He may be reached by phone
at 404-656-0081 or via e-mail at ross.
tolleson@senate.ga.gov.
went runnin’ oyer there, and she got
my space while I was gone.
She was lyin’ ‘bout the boiled pea
nuts, which just goes to show you that
a hog can’t trust nobody bom in Macon
County. I shoulda knowed.
Anyways, I’m getting’ this in afor
she tries sumpn’ else this week.
I gotta buncha stuff to catch up
with.
Like how bout them impack fees
goin’ through? Who woulda thunk it?
An how ‘bout ol’ David Overton
givin’ that thousand dollars for a party
for the firemen and the Police? You
gotta like somebody for thinkin’ of
that. Me an’ the boys ain’t never been
to no thousan dollar party, so I gotta
fine out when it is and where it is an’
do we need to buy neckties.
Now, I got some sad news, so sit
down.
If you been wundrin why I ain’t
go no signs up, it’s cause I done sus
pended my campaign for city council.
My reason is that I foun’ out how much
they get paid, which I don’t think the
other three know.
This has got my late kinfolks down
in Dodge County rollin’ over in they
graves, cause they was all countin’ on
votin’ for me.
I ain’t decide who I’m gon’ endorse
yet.
"One voice can make a difference"
Tears in their honor
Once again we can’t help but say “thank you,"
“thank you," “thank you” to the Warner Robins
Civitan Club and all those wonderful, wonderful
sponsors who made Thursday's Independence
Day celebration in Warner Robins the best ever
... at least until next year.
The atmosphere was great. The fireworks were
great. The music was great.
It was an evening set aside for us to celebrate
our independence and no doubt we did that in
spectacular fashion. Mission accomplished.
At the same time we had to feel so much sad
ness for the troops who will view this - probably
already have - on the Armed Forces Network.
Can you imagine the impact the lyrics to
“Home”, one of the songs sung by one of the
Band of the U.S. Air Force Reserve members,
will have on them?
Another summer day
Has come and gone away
In Paris and Rome
But I wanna go home
May he surrounded by
A million people I
Still feel all alone
See HONOR, page $A
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Suspend gassing operations now
While studying for a FEMA certification exam deal
ing with Animals In Disasters, I had a startling yet
comforting revelation: Animals lost or abandoned during a
disaster would be much better treated than they are now at
the Warner Robins Animal “Shelter”.
The FEMA training manual for IS-011, which teaches
Community Planning proclaims: “The care of animals
in disasters is consistent with the American Veterinary
Medical Association policy on animal welfare which states:
‘Animal welfare is a human responsibility that encompasses
all aspects of animal well-being, including proper housing,
management, nutrition, disease prevention and treatment,
responsible care, humane handling, and when necessary,
humane euthanasia.’”
The “AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia” published in June
2007 details many methods of euthanasia, making impor
tant observations and giving recommended practices for
each.
From the section on the use of carbon monoxide, the
method employed by Warner Robins and Macon, one eas
ily realizes how out of compliance the operation of both gas
chambers is.
See LETTER, page izA
Taking exception to siren editorial
I have been a fairly frequent contributor to the Letters
to the Editor section, writing about several local issues
and problems. I am grateful to the Home Journal for pub
lishing my letters and allowing me to express my opinion.
That said, I felt obligated to write again, and unfortunately
my criticism is aimed at the Home Journal. More specifi
cally the Editor.
The criticism is about a “From the Editor” article that was
published in the July 5, 2008 issue of the paper. The prob
lem is not with the subject discussed (emergency sirens),
but with the way it was presented and the lack of objectivity
on the editors part.
First, the editor sounded like he had a personal dislike for
the author of the other article. Although the author is never
named, the editor becomes almost enraged when speak
ing of him and how dare he express a different opinion
than I. The Home Journal Editor attacked the credibility of
See LETTER i, page fA
Prnne Kmtrnal
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