Energy independence and other fairy tales

For years, politicians and energy industry spokespeople have been touting the idea of energy independence for America. If only we'd drill here, there, and everywhere, we could lower gas prices and rid ourselves of all those nasty alliances. To put it bluntly, this is almost completely a load of bull.

While developing more of our own energy resources -- which, by the way, the Obama administration is doing -- will lessen the need to align ourselves with countries with which we would otherwise have no natural connection, it will do little to lower fuel prices.

Oil, the resource most often spoken about in this manner, is a commodity traded worldwide on open markets. Virtually all oil is bought and sold this way, and the prices paid affect what you and I pay when we stop at the local Exxon, Shell, or Wawa station. Whether those prices are due to actual supply and demand, or to wild speculation on future market trends, matters little. The price is the price.

Those who claim oil companies will harvest oil in North Dakota, refine it, and sell it to American gas stations at some discounted price out of patriotic zeal are either fools or liars. Corporations will do what makes the most sense for their profit margin and their investors. This is neither good nor bad, necessarily, but it is the fact. To do otherwise would be a violation of the trust of those investors, who would show little hesitation installing corporate leadership more attuned to their financial interests.

The main benefit to increasing our own energy independence is lessening our national reliance on states such as Saudi Arabia, which share little with us culturally or politically. Indeed, the way the Saudis treat women repels all Americans who value that half of our population, and the Saudi's religious intolerance disgusts anyone with a conscience. The only reason we are so close to Saudi Arabia, and the only reason we care so much about the Middle East, is directly linked to our reliance on oil.

For our country to stand on its own metaphorical two feet, we must develop alternatives to oil power, not increase our dependence on it. With no help from Republicans, President Obama is at least trying to broaden our energy options. It will not be an easy or rapid transition, and oil will be with us for decades, especially in the transportation field. But we must invest in other energy-generation ideas, even suffering the occasional failure. If we persist, and if we're smart about it, we will find the answers. Despite all our troubles, America is still capable of great things, especially if we are being led by greatness. The current Republican field of presidential candidates contains none of that.

And the next time someone promises you $2.50 a gallon gas, know that's it's a lie.