I posed the question in the 535 Club:

"If you were a member of Congress (the “elite” 535) what issues would be your priorities?

The following is how I answered my question:

1. The Need for a Definitive and Workable Energy Policy

I have thought long and hard about what would be the top priority of “my” 535 Club and decided that almost every important issue is in some way tied to the oil.

a.) The high price of oil is a result of supply and demand. OPEC controls a lot of the supply and China and India, and other emerging industrial nations, are demanding more and more oil.

b.) The conservationists have created a stranglehold, which Congress has allowed through their voting, on energy avenues available in the US.

i. Limited/no new drilling in the coastal areas.
ii. Limited/no new drilling on Federal Land.
iii. No new refineries since the late 70s.
iv. Limited/no new nuclear energy.
v. Limited/no new coal mining.
vi. The list goes on and on as to what we cannot do to protect ourselves from foreign influence in the energy area.

c.) The economy. Whether or not we want to admit it, we are an economy that runs on oil. As long as the price of oil remains high, we are screwed. Many of the food products that need corn are skyrocketing. Why? Ethanol production. And why is ethanol production so “sexy” right now? Because oil is so expensive.

d.) Think about this one. Is it possible that OPEC countries have, in reality, declared war on the US and are using oil as a weapon to destroy our economy and as a result remove the US as a world leader? Not so far-fetched in my book.

I watch the news and the pundits keep saying that drilling won’t help today; it’ll take ten years. Yep and ten years ago they said the same damned thing. Had they started then…well, even a caveman can do the math. (I would have said Congressman; but as we know, even a caveman is smarter than a Congressman…)

2. Cut Federal Spending. Most responsible families have a budget and have to stay within the budget to make their house run smoothly. It’s time we get rid of the drunken sailors who are throwing our money away.

3. Keep taxes low. I even believe that all corporate taxes should be eliminated. If they were, corporations could pass the savings on to the consumer – everybody wins…except the drunken sailors in Congress.

4. Secure our borders.