Oil spike is a grave threat

To the editor:

While it begs oversimplification, I believe we face a grave threat from the oil spike. It reaches into every corner of the nation and undermines our national fabric. This economic terrorism is reducing our nation to a sense of helplessness. We all see and feel what is happening.

Our federal legislators have gone to Washington to represent and help the American people. Why don't they do something bold in the face of this crisis? They should put aside the partisan issues and speak for the people they went to Washington to help. I have read their statements on the energy issue, but nowhere do I find a long-range or radical program to resolve the problem.

I like the idea of taking tax breaks from oil companies. This would be a good first step. But legislators should go further and create a national program like the Manhattan Project or placing a man on the moon or a spacecraft on Mars. A nation that can do these things can solve the energy issue by moving away from oil to other technologies.

Our legislators should do the right thing and come together for the sake of our future. They can move us out from under the Middle Eastern oil cartels and the stranglehold the U.S. oil companies have on our nation.

ART H. MATTINGLY, Cape Girardeau