U.S. needs energy production, not hot air from environmentalists

The Acorn's Independence Day edition had a great opinion piece reminding us all how fragile our freedoms are.

Ms. Aschenbrenner, your thinking is three decades behind. You offer our growing country no new ideas for production and seemingly don't realize our prosperity, economy, security, etc. are all directly effected by energy.

We've already been using less oil, and prices have only risen.

As people are lifted out of poverty, world demand will continue to increase and speculation of no more drilling- - due to selfimportant people like you- - has played into that.

Conservation is great, but it won't lower prices when demand is increasing. Supply must increase, too.

We've had 30 plus years of oil production restrictions- - along with its demonization- - and alternatives, and still can't handle the massive amount we need daily.

New technologies for oil production and refining capacity, along with existing U.S. laws will help safeguard our environment. Similar things can be said for coal and natural gas.

Other countries are going to drill, even off our own coast, whether we do or not. The difference is we can do it cleaner, safer and keep the money at home.

When you're not feeling sorry for evil gas guzzling SUVs, which have no feelings, you might consider nuclear, too. France generates 90 percent of its electricity from 59 nonpolluting nuclear plants and recycles 99 percent of the spent fuel.

Sound reasonable?

Finally, with the decade reversal of the one-degree temperature increase of the last century, the only thing proven about manmade global warming is that it's a political issue and movement.

Curiously, the solutions always limit our freedoms and raise taxes.

Your compassionless letter proves it when you tell us we should accept your limited transportation choices and stop whining. And as far as taxes, well, at your age and the state of our state, you should know that our tax money is rarely well spent.

We can't conserve our way to prosperity, it will only limit our choices, our lives and liberties. We should again assert our independence and drill at home. Michael Di Fatta Thousand Oaks