I think that we should allow offshore drilling for two reasons 1. That it could help with our current problem of gas prices and 2. It would provide a huge amount of jobs.
If we could drill for more oil then it would obviously help lower gas prices. I know that studies have shown that it is possible that there could not be as much oil in the outer continental shelf that people have previously estimated, but even if there is enough out there to solve the problem long enough so that we can come up with a way to solve the enrgy crisis.
I know for a fact that in areas of the deep South, especially in southern Louisana, Alabama, and Missippi, as well as many parts of Texas, many people go work in the off-shore oil industry. Where I lived in South Louisana it was extremely commmon for the men to go work off-shore right out off high school. Although it is a dangerous job, many men will do it because the pay is very good and there is are great opportunities for advancement.

It's all fine and dandy to focus on alternative resources, but meanwhile why not drill off-shore on our way to becoming less dependent on foreign oil?

We are going to have to be dependent on somebody's oil in the time it will take us to convert to a alternative method, so why depend on foreign oil from the middle east? Why not depend on our own oil, and give our country more of a say in the high prices of oil-based products?

If we would just drill off-shore, we could spend our time and effort into discovering new and more renewable resources that we could be dependent upon. More U.S jobs for U.S. citizens could be provided if we would just drill off-shore. Our country's unemployment rate could drop dramatically if we would just drill off-shore. We could spend less time worrying about whether we could go places in our much loved gas guzzling cars if we would just drill off-shore.

So why not be dependent on OUR oil instead of FOREIGN oil for the decade or so it will take for us to switch to a more renewable resource?

We are obviously already very addicted to oil. This can be easily spotted when the topic of the day is "Did you see those gas prices?!"

Like Medlock said if we make a smooth transition from oil to a new resource, everything will be fine. We Americans need to slowly ween ourselves off of our addiction, just as smokers do with all those patches and pieces of gum.

What is going to make the difference in offshore drilling is all in how we approach it. We can in no way approach it as the only solution. We need to approach it as something that will get us by while we slowly become less dependent on oil.

No one ever said that it was going to be easy to become independent from oil. Actually, it is bound to be quite difficult, but we are going to have to find the determination to do it. It will have to be done one day, so why not go for it now?

You can't always just think about yourself and your generation. Shouldn't you think about what is best for your country as a whole in the future? It is pretty obvious that there is no immediate solution to our oil problem or our where-are-our-renewable-resources-because-we-need-them-now problem. I think that people really just enjoy sitting back and complaining about it rather than actually trying to make a difference. Yes, we need renewable resources. Yes, we need to become independent from oil. However, I think that people have forgotten that you have to work hard for the things that will really make a difference. Plus, in order to help yourself, sometimes you need to help others as well. So, why not put some hard work into making the next generation's lives a little bit better? They will know what you did for them, and they will be willing to do the same for the generations after them.

So, go drill!

We already know how to drill. However, we don't know what our next major resource that is going to take the place of oil is yet. So, it is pretty obvious what the logical thing to do here is. DRILL!

Why are food costs at an all time high? Oh, it is because of high oil prices that could be reduced if we would just do what we know how to do, and just drill! It makes sense; I promise. The food products have to be transported from place to place by cars, trucks, airplanes, and boats that all rely on an oil-based product. Food prices are raised due to oil prices. The food products are, most of the time, packaged in plastic containers and/or wraps, and plastic is an oil-based product. Once again, food prices are raised due to oil prices. Do you see the pattern here?

So when you say "offshore drilling threatens our fish stocks and ocean resources," the actual wildlife of the ocean is not your major concern. It is how it could possible effect the prices of food IF there was an oil spill. That is a pretty big "if."

Honestly, if you all really think about it, the effects of BOTH drilling offshore and the alternative -whatever that may be- will take about a decade or so in order to see more of a change. Everyone is so caught up in "How are we going to fix it, NOW!?" To be quite serious, I am not sure that there is a solution that would fix our problem now. However, we do have to start somewhere, and that somewhere should be with offshore drilling (option A) AND finding alternative resources (option B). Option C (doing both) would allow most everyone to be happy, and it would create almost two times the jobs that just doing one alone would.

McCain and Palin did not just focus on the need for offshore oil drilling. They also very clearly indicated that we did indeed need to find better solutions to our oil addiction, but I guess some people failed to hear that.

Sure some oil was spilled during Katrina and other hurricanes, and I know it seems like a lot. However, if you were to think more on the positive side, you could ask yourself questions like these: What if more oil had spilled? Weren't we lucky that more oil didn't spill?

Anytime oil is involved, there are always chances that it will spill, but does that mean that we should just stop trying? I think not. We need to get back up on the bike and try again, but with a little more caution. We don't have to stop doing something in order to start finding an alternative. We really need to realize that we can multitask a little more, and we can be a little more open to new, and old, ideas.

OUR CARS WON'T RUN ON WIND OR SOLAR POWER YET!!!

Actually, what got us into being so dependent on oil started long before the government had anything to do with it. The steam engine that ran on coal was more of a beginning to our oil and other not so renewable fossil fuel problem. When Henry Ford's assembly line started up making the new hot item on the market, we got hooked on the much loved and addictive oil. Thomas Edison, among others, were trying to invent an electric car at the time when cars were just catching on. However, by the time Edison got his electric car perfected (for the time), it was already about five years into our addiction. Edison's electric car did not catch on because Americans were not willing to sacrifice their faster combustion engines for Edison's slightly slower, more economically friendly electric engine. If Edison had just perfected his electric car a few years sooner, then we might not be struggling to live a more oil-free life today.

However, we still don't want to have our worlds completely rocked by having to change our pace of life to fit our slower energy source. It would change everything. So, that is why we must stick with finding more oil until we can find a cleaner energy source that is just as efficient.

Not only does "Big Oil" provide jobs for hard working Americans, but it also does help "Big Oil." However, "Big Oil" does not just benefit "Big Oil." "Big Oil" must benefit itself because we have an economic system based on capitalism, and capitalism is all about profit. If they have put the money into the oil business, then they should be in the right when getting money out of it.

Everyone is just so wrapped up in how much big oil businesses benefit, but it is probably simply because people wish that they would be able to benefit from it as well. However, they fail to recognize that they do indeed benefit from the success of big oil companies. We rely on oil to fill our cars, keep us safe, and keep us going. When oil companies have success, our gas prices go down, and it is able to make our day a little brighter because we didn't have to spend all of our paycheck on buying gas.

So really, "Big Oil" benefits everyone in our nation in some form or fashion.