When was the last time you went to fill up and almost had to take out a loan from the bank to pay for it?

President George W. Bush promised to lessen foreign oil dependence, but what exactly has he done?

After the Enron debacle, how can we trust someone who made his fortune in the oil industry to choose what is best for America?

Should we ignore the various lobbyists who would have us do nothing to stop not only OPEC, but firms in our very own country who have limited production in the refineries, thus creating artificial demand and driving up gas prices?

President Bush would have us drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) as a solution, having us roll back more than 100 years of precedent in setting aside land for the benefit of wildlife.

Why? For a paltry sum of oil that would barely have an impact on our overall need to be self-sufficient. Bush says the damage to ANWR would be insignificant, but that isn’t really the point.

The point is that if we make an exception to our own self-imposed limits, what is to stop us from doing the same again in other wildlife refuges and in our national parks?

President Bush’s energy policy is flawed and doesn’t trust that America can move beyond a need for oil alone.

Has America forgotten her strength?

Sen. John Kerry will help us find that age-old American spirit again by funding initiatives to find new solutions to the impending energy crisis we now face.

Alternative fuels once developed in full will be our best and greatest weapon against dependence on foreign oil.

By investing in new technologies we can overcome anything set against us.

John Kerry has the vision necessary to guide the United States during these troubled times and will do what is needed without catering to the interests of the oil companies.

For more information, please check out www.johnkerry.com, or stop by our meetings at 5 p.m. every Thursday in the U.C.