letter to editors- spurred by We Campaign

To the Editors:

As most Americans struggle to understand the cause, effect, and recent congressional solution (in the form of a 3/4 trillion dollar bailout package) of the current economic crisis, one underlying certitude exists; we continue to want security. We want security on our investments, we want security in our infrastructure, and, with less disparity among Americans than any other time since 9/11, we want real national security.

I want to emphasize this is a a non-expert's opinion here regarding politics and economics. I want to talk from the perspective of "common sense," which occasionally turns up missing among our Washington leaders. Although the writing may be on the wall, the pace at which our delegates read these scribbles may be determined by personal considerations over universal constituent necessities.

I think Al Gore, a fellow Tennessean, stated the issues at hand most clearly: "We're borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian Gulf to burn it in ways that destroy the planet." Now to extrapolate the general idea from this quote, one arrives at some simple questions: Why do we need to borrow money? Why are we buying goods from an unstable region that leads to resentment and anger? Why are we continuing to invest in an energy source that is destroying our children's future?


When I borrowed money in the past it meant I was broke. So I have to assume the United States is not only broke, but I hear we might have incurred some debt (ha) along the way. Now trying to default to "common sense," I look at products -food, clothing, cars- that were manufactured in the U.S. ten to twenty years ago and now they're produced overseas. I drive through Ohio and Pennsylvania and see the shells of dried up industries. I see investments abroad in in Iraq, Afghanistan, Eastern Europe, and soon several countries in Africa; yes, we're employing troops and private contractors, but does this really help the problems at home? An important tangent here is the hazard to our moral standing and perpetuation of a negative perception of America, and it could even be argued the draining of much-needed fund towards our veterans could off-set any progress made.

So hold on to that concept, and you'll be amazed at the mind-numbingly simple correlation I'll draw in a second. We jumped into the 1st Gulf war not just being up in arms about the atrocities committed against Kuwaitis. I hope we can all agree that common sense tells us we were worried on many levels that turmoil in the region could lead to great risks with our energy supply. So our presence increased in the Persian Gulf, and concurrently a negative perception of America grew in the eyes of many more hostile and radical people willing to harm Americans.

This continues to occur. So we exist as both the cause and and effect of so many threats to our national security. Tie this into an underlying theme that regardless of where the oil comes from (drill baby drill), it has also created a threat to our environment and the very foundation of life itself. Carbon emissions seem to be, in one way or another, a very dangerous threat to our future.

Now although I can't quote you any particulars, I've heard that many opportunities exist for alternative energy sources, especially wind and solar. It also appears the demand for hybrid and electric transportation methods are skyrocketing. And common sense tells me that supporting domestic manufacturing in any other capacity, from clothing (American Apparel), to food (Oskri Organics), to home appliances (7th generation) will not only save energy and thereby create less carbon emissions, it will generate more money for the economy and give us more national security by relying less on foreign oil. You see how I'm tying this all together? If you mix green in with red, white, and blue, you get a much safer and prosperous country for our children.

We have been the cause and effect, but we can also be the solution.

Sincerely,
Ryan J. Gordon