Vote smart

Energy issues we face are a matter of national security. Our country faces one of the biggest challenges our nation has seen since World War II. As we send $700 billion dollars overseas per year to buy oil from people who don’t like us, our “do nothing” democratic congress stopped our ability to drill within 50 miles of our coastlines, which holds the majority of our oil and natural gas. We have to come to grips with our dire need to develop our natural resources in a responsible way. Nationally we have enough resources in a responsible way. Nationally we have enough resource to meet our demand. With gas prices pushing $3.50 to $4.00 a gallon the Democratic majority leader in Congress wants us to make sure our tires are inflated at the proper pressure so we can save fuel. Hello, is any body out there?! (NEED I SAY MORE)

It is up to us, the citizens of this great country, to tell our national, state and local officials to get it together or face our freedom and our economy going down.

There is not enough oil supply to meet the world’s demand. We need leadership locally and nationally to get us off foreign oil. We need to bridge to future technology in developing alternative energy sources. We need to drill. We need wind, clean coal, solar, hydro, and nuclear power. WE NEED IT ALL!!! And we need to produce it in the U.S.A.!!! Could you imagine the job growth that $700 billion could create locally and nationally?

It does not start from the top down. It starts from the bottom up. We have seen our good paying timber jobs disappear from Sanders County. We have left 97 percent of the timber in the Chippy Creek fire to rot because of liberal agendas. If Co-Gen does not open, Thompson River Lumber could be at risk because of high energy prices. We could be looking at 80 fewer jobs in Thompson Falls. The Rock Creek Min has the potential of creating 300 jobs, local purchasing power of $10 million per year, state and local taxes of over $6 million per year, salaries significantly greater than county and state averages, with medical and retirement, with an estimated annual local impact of over $35 million per year.

I hear a lot of complaining about the price of goods and services going up!! Putting air in your tires is not going to bring you relief. We can cut our timber, mine our silver and copper, drill our oil, mine our coal and toap into solar and wind in a responsible way. Good paying jobs will be created. Revenue will be created throughout the state and locally to support not only private sector jobs, it will also support and secure state and local county workers.

We need some real leaders. As I said it starts from the bottom up. This upcoming election is huge and we need to vote for candidates who have our best interests in mind. Paul Clark and Jim Elliott, the two Democratic candidates for our senate and legislature, are liberals-cut and dry. What you see and hear is what you don’t get. You cannot stand in front of a skidder with a John Deere hat on or a cowboy hat on as you’re shutting down logging, coal production, oil exploration and following and pandering to progressive liberal agendas.

Glenn Schenavar

Thompson Falls