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closeThumbs down to The Bellingham Herald's choice of political cartoons on the Opinion page. Several recent cartoons (e.g., Monday, Aug. 18) blame Democrats for letting the country sink because they oppose off-shore drilling.
Unfortunately, neither science nor economics nor political reality match up to these cartoons. First, the Department of Energy estimates the amounts of offshore oil are too small to make a dent in global consumption and wouldn't be available for about 20 years.
Second, oil is globally traded: oil drilled here doesn't necessarily stay here, nor is U.S. production the main determinant of price.
Third, opposition to offshore drilling has not caused high gas prices, and many prominent Republicans (including John McCain before his recent reversal) also oppose it.
Thumbs down to The Herald for promulgating false hope to economically-pinched Americans. Thumbs down to The Herald for supporting the cynicism of Big Oil, who are using their high gas prices (think "record profits") to argue for access to environmentally sensitive areas.
Thumbs down to The Herald for inaccurate political finger-pointing. Thumbs down to The Herald for apparently forgetting that burning more oil worsens global warming.
Let's focus our efforts on finding real solutions to the energy problem.
David Hooper
Bellingham
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