More oil won't solve the problem

Readers' letters: July 4, 2008

More oil won't solve the problem

Americans today face the vivid reality of skyrocketing fuel costs. We must look for long-term solutions to this dilemma rather than apparent panaceas that only exacerbate the problem.

Last week, Sens. Lindsey Graham and Jim DeMint supported the new Gas Price Reduction Act of 2008, which seeks to lower gas prices by increasing offshore oil drilling and enabling fuel production from dirty oil sands on federal property. Instead of feeding our insatiable addiction to dirty and finite fuel sources, Congress should prioritize conservation and efficiency while renewable alternatives are developed.

Offshore oil drilling is slow, dirty and expensive. According to the Energy Information Administration, America's offshore oil resources could not significantly affect oil production until 2030. Even then, any impact on oil prices would be minimal.

The solution to high gas prices lies in our ability to be increasingly efficient in our fuel use while we develop sustainable alternatives. Better fuel economy and increased access to mass transit can help us substantially reduce our dependence on oil and the cost this dependency exerts on us.

At a time when Congress is finally beginning to consider legislation to reduce our nation's global warming pollution, increasing our use of dirty fuel will take us in the wrong direction. Personally, I look forward to adding "oil independence" to the reasons we celebrate July Fourth.

Colin Hagan, Travelers Rest

Time is now for mass transit

As gas prices meet and exceed $4 per gallon, I was hopeful that Greenville County would finally jump on the mass transit bandwagon to provide adequate public transit for all of the citizens within the county, not just low-income areas. I have been disappointed.

Since moving to the northern part of the county almost 20 years ago, we have been told to be patient, mass transit was coming. I am tired of being patient. The northern part of the county is growing by leaps and bounds, but we must drive into Greenville to attend the wonderful events the city provides. We must drive to the market, to the doctor, to all necessary, and unnecessary, resources. We are also home to several higher education facilities, including Furman University, not serviced by mass transit.

We need public transit now, not some unforeseen time in the future, if and when light rail ever comes to Travelers Rest. I believe that increased bus routes and decreased wait times would encourage more riders -- and more income for the bus system -- not to mention the gas saved, the dollars saved, and associated environmental factors.

I beg the county to find a way to extend public transit service to us -- and soon.

Janie Ray, Greenville

Thanks to all who love the U.S.

After reading letters commenting on our military forces, I would like to reflect. While I am not in favor of all of the actions we as a nation have ventured into in my lifetime, and highly opposed to some -- especially recently, I claim no absolutes to our modern problems.

Yes, I am one of those boomers whose draft number was too high to send me to Vietnam. However, I can vividly remember the biggest fear I had in high school -- ending up face-down in a rice field, drafted and dead.

I should say some of the people today whom I most respect are folks like my father-in-law who was on a halftrack fighting his way over Germany liberating small towns, and my 90-year-old friend from Greer who was shot down and spent 15 months in a POW camp. These men have stories of bravery and heroism I cannot even fathom.

Today, some of my best friends have children entering the service to go to a war with which they may not agree, or whose children are opposed to the war their cousins will fight. This letter is in favor of no candidate or party, and respects and honors those who adamantly seek peace.

On a weekend dedicated to freedom, I seek to pay honor to people who serve. I have never known any veteran who ever came home who was not dedicated to the country he or she served. Thank you to those who love our country and strive at home for peace. And thank you to those who serve to protect it.

T. Van Matthews, Simpsonville

Military letter was demeaning

A letter published in the June 16 issue of The Greenville News states, without citing a source, that most of the United States military joined because "they could not find a job in the civilian sector, were criminals, or both." The writer continues, again without giving a source, that the United States military "has a higher number of criminals than ever before."

These statements are demeaning to every person who has served his or her country in the military and to their families. I wonder whether The Greenville News did any research into the underlying facts before publishing such a broad condemnation of our military forces.

For the record, all branches of the United States military have screening procedures in place for "moral qualifications" (criminal history) for all applicants. According to the screening protocols, some criminal offenses can be waived, but others cannot.

My son is a captain in the United States Air Force, a former Air Force instructor pilot, and now a trainee on the C-130J aircraft. He is a graduate of Riverside High School, Furman University and Emory University. Prior to his being admitted into the Air Force and to the pilot training program, he was subjected to rigorous screening requirements, including a thorough background check. He and his fellow pilots are the finest examples of the young adults of this country, and letters such as this do nothing to support them.

Dianne S. Riley, Greenville