[Editor’s note: This is the first face-off style column in an occasional series aimed at giving the College Democrats and College Republicans a chance to weigh in on issues in this year’s election.]
Rapidly increasing energy costs are undoubtedly among the most important issues to the American people as this year’s presidential election approaches. The recent financial crisis and the ensuing mortgage crisis make Americans even more desperate for immediate relief from the high cost of gas. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is extremely receptive of the financial burden soaring gas prices impose on American families, and this seasoned veteran also understands the importance of eliminating the United States’ dependence on foreign oil.
McCain has stated that the energy challenge “concerns America’s most fundamental interests and, above all, the safety of our citizens from the violence of the world.” Leaders such as Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez, who acquire immeasurable wealth because of America’s dependence on their oil, often manipulate oil prices, to the detriment of the American people. The main goal of McCain’s energy policy is ending the United States’ vulnerability to the malicious decisions of foreign leaders while also relieving prices at the pump.
If elected, McCain will achieve oil independence and greatly reduce our trade deficit before 2025 by removing the legal restriction on off-shore drilling. This plan has multiple benefits because it creates an enormous domestic source of oil for the United States, thus dramatically increasing supply, which would substantially lower prices for consumers. Moreover, McCain supports nuclear energy more than Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and favors the construction of new nuclear power plants, which are not only environmentally sound but will further decrease our reliance on foreign oil. Additionally, building new nuclear plants will ensure that the United States maintains its civilian nuclear technological advantage over other sophisticated countries such as Japan, France and Germany, which also use nuclear power. McCain’s energy plan also calls for research into affordable, green-energy technologies; however, unlike Obama and the left, he favors phasing in these technologies over time. To encourage cleaner energy in the car industry, McCain has proposed a positive incentive in the form of a $5,000 tax credit for anyone who buys a zero-carbon-emission car.
McCain’s plan not only includes cleaner energy but also paints a clear path to finally ending America’s dependence on foreign oil. He recognizes that the only way to guarantee affordable energy is by expanding off-shore drilling within the United States. This is an aspect of McCain’s plan that Obama fervently opposed but now belatedly claims to support (since August).
Clearly, the energy crisis needs to be addressed immediately. Unless the bold, effective solutions proposed by McCain and the Republicans are rapidly implemented, the United States will be virtually held hostage by oil-rich dictators, and soaring gasoline prices will devastate our economy, our small businesses and the financial security of American families.
We as Americans have the ability to solve the energy crisis and secure our nation’s future, if we unite in support of effective long-term solutions. As Abraham Lincoln said so truly, if Americans are determined to persevere, we will outlast any crisis and emerge even stronger, for “if [destruction] ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.”
Christopher Banerjee, Leigh Ryan and Nicholas Cravotta are the president, vice president and secretary of the College Republicans, respectively. They can be reached at chrispat@umd.edu.
