I think we can agree that we don’t want our democracy thwarted by dictators from foreign lands meddling in our affairs. OPEC’s recent move to drive up oil prices, in alignment with Russia right before a midterm election in the United States, is just that. Their actions remind us that we must reduce our dependence on foreign oil in order to thwart the ability of thugs like Putin to use oil as leverage to affect U.S. policy.
We are being punished by OPEC/Russia for supporting Ukraine’s fight to keep their democracy, and until we eliminate oil dependency, Russia and their friends can continue to mess with our democracy. OPEC controls 44 percent of the world’s oil, and if you add Russia, that percentage goes up to 55 percent. We should use our vote to send a message that we will not be held hostage by dictators like Vladimir Putin who would like to see our democracy fail.
The New Hampshire GOP and Gov. Chris Sununu are deep in the pockets of Big Oil, and have actively worked to ensure the state is dependent on fossil fuels. In 2022, House Republicans prevented debate on 13 bills introduced to combat climate change. Republicans will not combat the threat of climate change.
In contrast, President Joe Biden just signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), investing in clean energy, which will send about $2.6 billion to New Hampshire, creating 4,400 new jobs in New Hampshire and helping small businesses save money. It is imperative that we elect people we can trust to work in our best interests, and that means electing Democrats up and down the ballot. We need to elect Tom Sherman, and Democrats at every level of government.
Cathy Lanigan
Peterborough