God continues to bless America despite our repetitive mistakes.  We can go back to the 1970’s to realize that our dependence on foreign oil can be detrimental to our economy and quality of life.  Oil is the key component to energy and energy is the lifeblood of our economy.  It is absolutely essential for us to develop a security strategy for our energy needs.  The longer it takes for us to do this, the more dangerous our future becomes.  While this denial has been going on for over forty years, technology in Canada has positioned a resource we never knew we had.

Lately, scientists and engineers have discovered that our dear friend to the north, Canada, has as much oil in the ground as Saudi Arabia.  This great land mass has little need for that much oil as its population is less than 30 million.  Already the number importer of oil into the United States, Canada can now load it up as NAFTA (North American Free Trade Act) gives it duty free status in trading with the United States.  We don’t need another teaspoon of oil from the Middle East.  Canada, Mexico and Nigeria are already in the top five nations that sell oil to the United States and we just need to concentrate on doing business with them exclusively.

In addition, and more importantly, we need to harvest the great amount of oil stored under our own land and off the shores of our coastlines.  We need to lift the self imposed moratoriums on our own resources and concentrate on doing business with our neighbors and, thereby, become self sufficient.  By doing this we have security for the next one hundred years at least.  Right now our oil reserves amount to about a six month supply.  Brazil, on the other hand, has a reserve level of ten years.  We should manage ourselves more like that; as of right now we are terribly vulnerable.

By lifting the moratorium in the Gulf and our Pacific and Atlantic coastlines plus exploring our vast resources in Alaska we can approach our reserve level in a prudent way like Brazil.  Nations that do not protect themselves will become slaves and victims to oil producers who may not have good intentions for peace and stability.  I envision a big pipeline from Canada to the Gulf, California and East Coast.  Oil will no longer be an issue.  Right now our gasoline prices are approaching $5.00 per gallon and that will have a ripple effect throughout every aspect of our economy.

Rising oil prices will have an instant spike in inflation.  Groceries, clothing, taxes, interest rates, rent, mortgages and everything else about our cost of living will be heavily impacted.  It is time for us to stop being so vulnerable.  A stable and inexpensive oil reserve will have an enormous and positive impact on our daily living and the future of our nation.  It is time to fight the environmental alarmists and let the new pipelines be constructed and share in the precious resources amongst ourselves and our neighbors to the North and South.  We are blessed and let’s take advantage of it.  Protecting our reserves, keeping the cost of living down all the while doing increased business with our neighbors is a prudent way to go.

Don’t worry about our Middle East suppliers.  China and India will buy all the oil they can from them -which is pleasing to us in that they will be forever dependent on outside resources. We are locked tight with our natural resources and solid relationships with our two neighbors.  That is a very secure position for our beloved nation to strive for.  It is funny that we fear the growth of India and China but they have a great problem.  Their population is uncontrollable, their land is not too friendly to agriculture and they are totally dependent on oil.  This is where we can maintain our standing in the world.  We just have to manage it properly.

President Obama’s administration is fighting to have us lose our standing in the world.  They want to transfer our wealth elsewhere and to increase our dependency on oil.  It is very clear with the self imposed moratoriums, diminished pace of permits and regulations at an uncontrollable and illogical rate.  We are in the middle of a recession and now is not the time to enforce increased economic pain on the American people.  They need to wake up and look at all the opportunities before us and start acting affirmatively.  This socialistic largesse has to stop.  Capitalism is what made this nation great and capitalism and good government will sustain us for the future.

Mr. Alford is the co-founder, President/CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce®.  Website: www.nationalbcc.org.  Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . www.twitter.com/nationalbcc