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The recent Senate Energy Bill that passed with flying colors (85-12) is more than disappointing. It’s pathetic. Not only did the Senate agree to, once again, give tax breaks to oil and gas but they also opened up loads of protected habitats (ANWR and the Outer Continental Shelf to name a couple) for future drilling of natural gas and oil. Add to the mix the energy sector’s “donation” of over $50 million this election cycle (second highest only to the 2000 election) and one begins to wonder about the continuing love affair between government and corporate society. So what happened to the bold new visions our leaders said were in the works? What happened to the American ingenuity that created the assembly line, put a man on the moon and found cures for polio and measles? Why can’t we get all the smartest people into a room, lock the door and not let them out until they come up with uber-efficient solar cells or cars that can run on water? The point is, the answers are out there; its just a matter of getting the initative to find them and put them in motion.

And the worst part? The House Energy Bill makes the Senate Bill look tame in comparison.