And the Topic of the Day IS…

What are the gas prices today? Up to five dollars? No? Back down to three? No, two? Oh my goodness! In the one dollar range?! What’s the price per barrel? Why did the gas prices go up again? Oh, it’s St. Patrick’s Day again, and everyone is out traveling to see their families in Ireland, so they stuck those gas prices to them.

*DATA* 

Seriously though, gas prices have become the hot topic, especially during summer vacation, spring break, and -most of- the holidays. However, gas is not the only essential product that has increased in price in the U.S. Of course, anything that is made from oil has increased as well. The price of milk has gone up. The price of paper products has gone up. The price of any typical services has gone up. So why have all of these prices gone up? OIL PRICES HAVE TOO! That’s why.

 

Our country is so dependent on foreign oil that we have little to no control over the prices of oil-based products in our country.

*CLAIM*

Our country needs to become more self-sufficient when it comes to oil. Our country can become more self-sufficient when it comes to oil if we would just drill offshore.

 *REBUTAL*

Now, many let’s-go-greeners say that “we MUST find an alternative cleaner energy source, and we MUST find it now!” However, let us be more realistic. Yes. We must find an alternative and cleaner energy source, and we do need to find it soon. Wind power, solar power, hydroelectric power, and biodiesel are all going to take time.

*WARRANT*

If we would start now, we might have everything converted where it would run on one or some of those powers in ten to fifteen years.

*QUALIFIER*

But, there is a more obvious and logical solution to our problem — offshore oil drilling.

*BACKING*

The U.S has perfect places for offshore oil drilling. The Outer Continental Shelf (OSC) has a record in the oil industry that is “quite astounding,” according to energy studies’ expert Kenneth B. Medlock. Although the drilling poses some threat to the ocean life, it has beat the challenges of recent hurricanes such as Katrina and Ivan.

 

Much of the OSC is off-limits for drilling (even areas that are not susceptible to extreme hurricanes), but if it could be drilled, then we could produce more of our own oil. In return, this would make the prices of our much-loved oil-based products decrease. So, while our oil prices our down and we aren’t thinking about how high they are, we could probably focus more on finding that alternative energy source that we are in desperate need of. We need to stop wlimiting our abilities that would help us to become more self-sufficient, and we need to grab our opportunities by the horns.

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