Every day, without fail, I speak with those very concerned and angry over the ridiculous cost of gasoline. I, too, am angry, and I have my reasons for being so.

It is very easy to point fingers and play politics, but my reasons are out there and obvious to the world. One has to look no further than our current congressman John Barrow to see what the main problem is.

It has been known for years that more refineries are needed, as is more drilling into the massive U.S. oil deposits. Democrats have fought to prevent this for a long time siding with radical environmentalists and tree-huggers. Apparently we have more oil deposits, quantity-wise, than Saudi Arabia, but we cannot touch it without congressional approval, and even if we start today it will take several years to actually start enjoying this resource.

Naturally we should continue to pursue energy alternatives and environmentally friendly associated activities, but in the meantime our current situation is devastating for most of the people in this country who must drive/carpool to work and, in some cases, draw a wage that indicates it would be cheaper to just stay home.

The same is true for businesses; they rely on truck delivery, and the cost of diesel is more outrageous than gasoline. This could be partially remedied immediately if our government would dump half of our oil reserves on the market, and break the speculators that are driving the market.

Recently Mr. Barrow voted to block new oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and offshore, and against building new refineries. Mr. Barrow has voted this way since 2004.

If you vote for Mr. Barrow, don't cry on my shoulder, because everyone is either part of the problem or part of the solution. A vote for Mr. Barrow is part of the problem.

Robert L. Clements, Louisville