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An Open Letter to the President and the Congress of the United States

Dear Mr. President and Members of the House of Representatives and the Senate:

Recently there has been an increase in the amount of dialog from Members of Congress from both parties and The President has spoken out on the need for action regarding our lack of a comprehensive Energy Policy. The two presumptive Presidential nominees have also had much to say about the matter. While we are sure this is not the sole reason for the actions taken, the amount of attention given to the matter has gained momentum in the last several weeks since Mr. T. Boone Pickens began a grass-roots movement to gain support for his plan to harness wind and solar energy to generate electricity. By doing so it is postulated that the freeing up of natural gas that is used for that purpose currently could simultaneously be diverted to transportation needs. The benefit would be to cut the amount of oil the United States imports from foreign sources.

Given the recent run-up in oil prices and the potentially devastating effect of our economy and therefore a grave threat to our national well being and security, it is time for immediate action to address this situation. The divide between the Democratic and Republican parties is not of interest to the American people anymore. The threat is real and, is perceived and experienced to be real, by millions of Americans. The opinion polls show that Americans want action. The polls also show a deep distrust and unprecedented unpopularity for the accomplishments of the Congress and the Executive Branch in addressing this most critical issue as well as others.

Congress is scheduled to recess August 2nd as is customary. We would ask that the Congress not recess at this time but stay in session and debate the various proposals put forth and stay in session until it can reach some agreement as to a proper course of action and enact for the President’s signature legislation to enable the pursuit of such course of action. Furthermore we would ask the President to report to the Congress as called for in Article II of the Constitution as to his recommendations as to such course of action and, if necessary, to convene both Houses of Congress to impress upon them the necessity to perform its duty to address this most critical threat to our nation’s welfare.

Mr. Pickens has sponsored a Web Site called the Pickens’ Plan and in a little over two weeks over 80,000 American’s have joined that website to offer ideas, trade opinions, and in general have the sort of honest debate we expect our leaders to have on such weighty matters. One member, Ms. Marilynn Roseberry Ward from Lewis Center, Ohio posted a letter she sent to the President regarding this issue. The theme of the letter was simply “Make Them Stay” – referring to the Congress scheduled to leave on vacation just as the debate has started to heat up on what is likely to most significant issue affecting American lives on a daily basis. Imagine if at the time of the founding of our Republic the Congressmen and Delegates to the various Continental Congresses and Conventions had left instead of sticking with the tedious debate hammering out the great compromises that are the basis for our Liberty? If you believe, as the undersigned and millions of other Americans do, that rapidly growing dependence on foreign oil – the lifeblood of our economy and therefore the foundation of our liberty – is a clear and present danger then how could you in good conscience believe you are fulfilling your duties by taking the month off? How could you not stay and do the work your constituents elected you to do by working together, putting nation before party or self interests, and setting this nation on a course to correct this perilous condition?

Were you to stay and work – showing Americans watching live on Cspan exactly what is possible when good men and women of all opinions and positions come together to address a problem that affects us all - you would earn our eternal gratitude and esteem by having abandoned the bitter divisiveness that has spawned the chronic inaction on this, and many other issues of similar import, that led us to this critical point in the first place.

We call on the Congress to stay and work – work until the job is done – and should the Congress fail in its basic obligations to serve its constituents in its most basic duty – We call upon the President to uphold his duty by, in reflecting the words of Marilynn in Ohio, acting to “Make Them Stay”.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/STAY08/index.html