Fuel Prices: A National Emergency

The price of gasoline is hitting all time highs. Worse yet, these high prices are not just spikes due to supply issues - they are sustained prices that will not drop anytime soon. Why? Demand. India and China are growing, industrial, consumer societies that have populations that increase exponentially. The price of gas drives up the prices of every commodity in our society, from hair cuts to groceries. Everything is pegged to fuel prices. How can we reduce fuel prices in America? This is not a simple process. Neither the Republicans nor the Democrats have it correct. The solution is not - GO GREEN! The process of green technology needs to be incremental. There is no device to install on cars that is cheap, reliable, mass produceable and ready for immediate deployment. As a result, the Obama initiatives on hybrid cars are not affordable to a vast majority of the population. While celebrities tout their Prius, the average worker cannot afford the hybrid price tag. Most of us are stuck with our older model gas guzzlers, simply because we don't have the credit to get a new car. While Obama pushes expensive green solutions, the majority of us are stuck with regular cars. His callous disregard of the crisis of fuel prices on the average American is disturbing and out of touch. The Republican strategy of "Drill Here, Drill Now" is also ignorantly short sighted. Oil is a commodity sold on the world market to the highest bidder. Therefore, no matter how much oil we produce domestically, it all still ends up in India and China. Domestic energy production has no bearing on domestic energy costs. What, then, is the solution? Congress must mandate that oil produced in the United States must remain, in large quantity, IN the United States. In order for oil companies to receive a permit to drill, explore, pump or in any way extract oil from our nation, they should be required to keep 90% of that oil here for sale. Also, Congress should mandate the construction of more energy efficient and safe refineries if oil companies want to produce oil here. By mandating that oil drilled here must be refined here and also be sold here, that would significantly drop our dependance on foreign exploitation, and shield our nation from the volatile world oil market. Considering that we have some of the largest deposits of oil in the world, there is no reason that our energy costs should be exorbitant. Another solution, less popular of course, would be to nationalize our oil industry. By creating a United States Oil Corporation (Public), we could produce, refine and sell American oil to pay down our national debt and balance our budget. We have resources. It is about time that our nation wake up and make our society prosperous again. Our economy will be in shambles until our basic needs are addressed, and the one that needs first attention is our energy crisis.

Why DACA is Good Law

Seldom will you hear me praise President Obama. I did it when he eliminated "stop-loss" from the military - as a Constitutional Law professor, President Obama understood that contracts, even military enlistment contracts, were subject to breaches by BOTH sides, and eliminated that hateful policy. Again, I applauded the President when he ordered the Bin Laden mission. Now, I must congratulate him on using Executive Order to cut through red tape and help tens of thousands of illegal immigrants who simply want to one thing - to live and work without fear. The Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals Executive Order, signed by the President last month, provides an extraordinary opportunity to forestall the risk of deportation if the applicant meets several specific criteria. Individuals must have arrived in the United States prior to their 16th birthday, resided continuously here for at least 5 years, possess a GED or high school diploma or have served honorably in the military, have no felony or serious misdemeanor convictions or three minor misdemeanors, pose no national or public security risk, and be willing to submit proof and fees. Do you qualify for DACA? Do you have friends who may qualify? Please contact a DACA specialist, such as the Immigration Assistance Paralegal Agency in Allentown, PA for assistance.

Build the Bridge - Crossing Hamilton Boulevard from Dorney Park

Dorney Park is a major attraction here in Allentown, Pennsylvania. However, it is also a danger to the hundreds of pedestrians who try to run across it during the dark hours after the park closes – and also during broad daylight. As Pennsylvania roads attest, deer and other animals adorn our highways as roadkill. How long until Hamilton Boulevard becomes a slaughterhouse for park visitors? Many Dorney visitors are attracted to businesses on the south side of Hamilton Boulevard. These include the ever popular summer destination Ice Cream World, Perkin’s Restaurant and the various hotels that provide accommodation to visitors from out of town. As a result, hundreds of visitors cross Hamilton Boulevard – with no crosswalks to guide their travels – and are nearly hit each year. This is a clear danger to visitors, and an unnecessary one at that. What is it going to take to bring South Whitehall Township (jurisdiction of Dorney Park) and Cedar Fair (owner of Dorney Park) together to build a proper pedestrian bridge over the Boulevard? I propose that Dorney Park and South Whitehall Township collaborate on a bridge, sooner rather than later. One life is not worth the money spent to protect our visitors and motorists. Let’s get together and build that bridge – it is a necessary expense.