My Plan to Escape the Grip of Foreign Oil

In 1973, the year of the infamous oil embargo, the United States imported about 24% of our oil. In 1990, at the start of the first Gulf War, this had climbed to 42%. Today, we import almost 70% of our oil.

This is a staggering number, particularly for a country that consumes oil the way we do. The U.S. uses nearly a quarter of the world's oil, with just 4% of the population and 3% of the world's reserves. This year, we will spend almost $700 billion on imported oil, which is more than four times the annual cost of our current war in Iraq.

T. Boone Pickens has a plan to make us more energy independent. It should be considered by our politicians. They may accept his proposals or they may consider other alternatives. But they should also have a plan. And they should implement it. Immediately. As Charley Reese has said, "Vibrating one's vocal chords does not turn a shovel of dirt or drill a half-inch."