The Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less campaign, put together by American Solutions (Americansolutions.com), is not only necessary but also a great solution to energy and oil. A recent poll asked people, that due to the rising price for a barrel of oil, would you reduce dependence on foreign oil and move to domestic energy reserves? Republicans, Democrats, and Independents supported using domestic energy resources over 76%. Only 12% opposed the idea. While that means that would require drilling off the coast of Alaska, we would need to take safeguards to protect the environment, but we need to reduce our dependency on foreign oil. By relying on foreign oil, we are putting ourselves in jeopardy of dictatorships, and threatens national security. We need to be dependent on ourselves and not others.

Americans have already taken drastic measure to save money for gas, including skipping meals for families. The oil prices not only effect peoples commute to work but also affects doctors driving to work, food prices, heating costs, airlines, and even the school transportation system. If we do not drill here (in America) and Drill Now (2009), we will continue to see soaring gas prices and will not Pay Less.

High Gas prices are not all because of OPEC. It is because of congress that blocks environmentally sound legislation. Liberals also vote to block domestic production, while Saudi Arabia agrees to increase oil production to lower costs. Why is there a disconnect? Why do we not work together? We cannot continue to ask Saudi Arabia to produce more oil. We need to start becoming dependent on ourselves. Currently in Colorado, we have 1 trillion barrels of oil (three times the amount of oil that Saudi Arabia has in their reserves). If we drill a tenth of that oil we quadruple our reserves and can begin to make progress towards lower gas prices, while we find alternative fuels resources. Corn is not as reliable as we hope. Using corn will drive the food industry up. We need to look into solar, wind, and nuclear. Leave no option un-researched.

This petition is sound. It has safe guards to protect the environment in Alaska and the Rockies, but allows us to drill for oil and start depending on ourselves for a while. Still this cannot be a cure all for energy. The United States needs to look at how much we consume and why we consume so much. We need to look into nuclear energy and other sources of energy to help save the average American a lot of money.

This issue does not need to be a Republican or Democrat issue. We need a lot of cohesiveness to get things passed. Most people may not support the bill because it was not introduced by a Democrat or visa versa. We need to put the political party card away and truly work for the people. If the 477,856 signature do not speak volumes to congress, than we can simply get used to gas being pay 4.00 a gallon at the pump.

We cannot expect oil prices to go down by themselves. If OPEC cannot drop the price for a barrel to where it was pre 9/11, than we need to start looking t ourselves for resources. We need to start looking at our options and do something ourselves. Simply not buying gas on a certain day cannot work. We just need to not buy foreign oil.

Heath care has been expensive, and inefficient in treating patients for many years. Average households are unable to afford basic health care, which could provide preventative treatments for later illnesses. Hospitals are flooded because people do not have health insurance to go to a regular doctor. The average student, worker, and family cannot afford the costs of health care. Even doctors are being affected by the rise of Health Insurance costs. Being a doctor is no longer a lucrative job, unless you are a plastic surgeon.

John McCain proposes a plan for health care that does not mandate that everyone have health care, but allows better access to health care at lower prices. Recently some states have begun to look into mandating that every college student enter with health insurance. The problem is students suffer already with the cost of tuition and textbooks. How can they afford health care?

John McCain's plan allows for competition across state lines for people and health care that is not dependent on how much money someone makes. Not only will this allow people to shop for health insurance that they can afford, but also it will improve the quality of health insurance for customers. The competition will cause insurance companies to have the better price with better benefits. His health insurance also allows them to bring their health insurance with them from job to job. How can we provide lower heath care coverage and still guarantee everyone health care that is affordable and accessible?

Heath care costs are driven by multiple factors such as drug costs, chronic diseases, and technology. We need to lower drug costs. The fact that basic diabetic medication can be a stab in the pocket for retired people is terrible. We nee to lower the drug prices so people can afford the medicine they need, whether insurance covers it or not. Chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart problems make up most of the average American’s heath insurance bill. We need to not only ensure they receive quality care but we need to take steps in preventative measures and treatments. By preventing certain diseases, we can make treating certain chronic disease cheaper and higher in quality care. Convenience and technology in our health care offices is equally as imperative. Having people able to access health care treatment that is convenient, such as walk in clinics, needs to be funded, in order to drive down costs of health care for major office visits. Also, be having better technology in our offices will allow offices and hospitals to work across state lines and ensure the patient is getting proper treatment with the best technology and database systems.  We live in the 21st century and have technology at our fingers. We need to use that when it comes to saving lives and treating patients.

What we really need to do is tort reform, which will drive down costs severely because doctors will not have protect themselves. Doctors are not miracle workers. Lately suing a doctor because they were unable to save a family member has gotten way out of hand. Doctors that follow the safety protocols and do everything in the power should be not subjected to lawsuits. They have become frivolous and over the top. By preventing doctors from being sued by frivolous lawsuits, they will be able to perform their work at a cheaper cost without fear they will be sued.

Taking steps to put health care in the hands of the patients, and not mandating health insurance will provide better insurance for people and the flexibility to choose their health care, at a cost they can afford.