There are too many things at stake right now.
My father, libertarian as always, blames the Democratic majority for keeping gas prices still well over $2.50. And I wonder whether or not high gas prices and the taxes derived from them will force people to give up their hummers and Land Rovers.
Al Gore, in An Inconvenient Truth, advocated gasoline stay about $3.50 a gallon for some length of time to essentially force people to use more energy efficient means to power their automobiles.
This is one of these times when what works globally does not work locally. Atlanta, where I live, is a city built on the automobile. Efforts are being made to expand badly needed public transportation but reforms are slow and there are some fighting them tooth and nail.
I do not believe war with Iran would serve any purpose. Despite being a mistake, it would necessitate a draft, which no one in America wants. It would potentially precipitate a major war in the Middle East. If Iran does in fact have a nuclear weapon--this weapon, if detonated would pose a major threat to our supposed allies in the Middle East, namely Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the UAE to name three.
Russia has moved closer and closer back towards an iron curtain mentality, and it recognizes that its number one export is crude oil. If we reduced our dependency on Middle Eastern crude, we would have to find someone else to pick up the slack. Second world powers like China and Russia will have to come on board and develop their economies before we can afford to totally pull our interests away from the Middle East.
And my fear rests with the fundamentalists, who believe that a Holy War is imminent and that it is inevitable that the so-called Christian West will fight the Barbarian scourge over Israel. Whether that passage of scripture is even relevant to today's world, self-fulfilling prophecy is a powerful thing and wars could erupt over perception, rather than reality.
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2 comments:
Now the gas prices are the fault of the democrats? I hope you pointed out that the prices went up over $2, to $3, per gallon when both houses of Congress were dominated by republicans. Plus, I am not 100% sure, but I think the high gas prices here have more to do with the war in the Middle East itself rather than politicians setting gas prices.
As for a possible war with Iran, I agree with you. But, I do not believe in war at all so war is never an option for me unless we are defending ourselves from a REAL imminent threat. I think every person and nation has a right to defend themselves. However, I am more like Able, than Cain. I would rather give up my life rather than harm another human being. But, that is just me.
I wasn't implying it was the Democrats' fault.
I was setting forth an opposing viewpoint, one that I do not share.
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