U.S. addicted to oil and vehicular speed

Daniel B. McElwain Jr. / How I See It
Published: March 14, 2008

In April, I wrote letters to various political officials and newspapers strongly urging that the speed limit be lowered to 55 mph to combat the rising price of oil. The responses were totally unacceptable.

The price of oil, imported and domestic, has now reached $109 a barrel. Will you stand by, voiceless, as it goes higher-
I again appeal to politicians' good sense to take appropriate action in the print and talking-head media, with editorials and the legislatures calling for and establishing a permanent reduction in the speed limit, except for the military and police, fire and rescue departments.

The speculators and traders are shooting craps with our standard of living, making obscene profits and giving capitalism a very bad name! No action on your part makes you part of the problem.

To date, nothing has been done, by you or anyone, to relive that painful drain from our local and national economies. The costs of gasoline and heating oil/kerosene are especially hard on labor, the low income part (15 to 30 percent) of our society, as well as corporate America.

News reports have the price of gasoline at the pump to be approaching $4 a gallon. What does that do to the discretionary funds available to the people who cannot afford medical care and even food, and those who labor at that most obscene minimum wage-

The full belly doesn't understand, or care about, the empty one. Where are you for them- Nowhere. They're the people who vote the officials into office, and who buy newspapers and TV products.

Worse than being addicted to oil, we and much of the world are addicted to vehicular speed. Where's the fire- We all need gasoline to get around. We do not want to see "revolt" in the streets.

It's time for all of us to grow up and assume responsibility for one another. Such respect can never be called socialism. Let it be in your heart to do the right thing, now.