Feeling pain at the pump? Been grocery shopping lately? Expect our government to do something?

We can’t wait that long. We are in serious trouble and we are just starting to see the tip of the iceberg. We can turn things around, but nobody running for president has a clue how to do it.

One candidate wants to knock off the federal tax on gasoline for the summer. Another just laments that the rise in prices wasn’t slower. Congress is hiding under their desks and hoping they can get the heck out of Dodge before their constituents come calling and burn them out.

The Energy Department has gone into the witness protection program, and GW wants you to believe everything is fine. So, we obviously have a big lack of real leadership by all our high-priced federal nobility.

Various factions are demanding “drill here, drill now!” Build more refineries. Convert to wind, solar, tidal, geothermal, hydrogen, nuclear, fuel cells, fusion, natural gas and biofuels. Buy smaller cars. Lower speed limits. Car pool. Ride mass transit. Each faction argues that they – and only they – are right.

Well, I say they’re all dead wrong. There is one and only one clear, concise, and simple way to fix this mess. Do it all and start now!

Here’s the deal. The world’s population is growing by huge numbers. That’s what’s causing the increased demand for oil. That demand will only get worse. Heck, in the U.S. we’ve added about 100 million people to our own population in the last 40 years and we’re growing at an alarming rate.

But, demand is not just increasing at a steady rate, it’s increasing faster and faster all the time because not only is population growing, more and more countries are industrializing which means people are getting cars. Meanwhile, OPEC is not letting the supply of oil increase. So, prices are rising. OPEC is not stupid.

Well, we can sit around all day and point fingers and blame oil companies for making profits, blame government for being impotent and blame drivers of big SUVs for using too much gas. Or, we can resolve to become energy independent using resources known to exist right here in our own country, so let’s knock off the partisan rhetoric and get to work.

We need to take the pressure off petroleum by switching to natural gas to heat our homes and run our electrical generation plants. Wind energy won’t be able to make enough electricity to supply everyone, but it can supply some, so we should build all the wind farms we can. Solar energy won’t supply everyone either, but it can supply some so we should build solar farms too.

Maybe you don’t think it’s smart to use corn to make biofuel. Neither do I. But it is smart to use switchgrass or sugar cane. Brazil has become 100 percent energy independent by using sugar cane to make biofuel. In fact, they’re even exporting it now. Brazil, by the way, has a population approaching 200 million, which is where the USA was back in 1967.

Some people are terrified by nuclear power, but there’s never been a death in the U.S. from an accident at a nuclear plant. But drunk drivers kill around 16,000 of us every year. How much of the spent nuclear fuel isn’t converted to some other harmless use? Answer: About 15 percent. That’s all we have to store — 15 percent.

The time for politicking the subject of energy is long gone. It’s time to go on a crash program of building wind, solar, and nuclear power generation facilities all over the place. We need to increase our refining capacity and drill enough of our own oil to eliminate any dependence on foreign oil. And we need to get it done ASAP, starting now. No arguments, no compromising, no delays. Just get ‘er done! The sooner we start, the sooner the problems will start to decrease.

It can happen. It really, really can. But you’re gonna have to find some new leaders for your government and there are none in sight. You’d better start looking for some, and start demanding those leaders you elected and are now stuck with to do something and do it now.

Columnist Terry Christiansen, a former Anacortes City Council member, welcomes comments and suggestions. Contact him at