America’s dependency on foreign oil?

A question posed in my collage class with my answer:

To decrease dependence on foreign oil, should the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge be open to exploration as an interim solution?

Absolutely and unequivocally not. I believe it would be a step in the continually (same old, same old) wrong direction. Here is an analogy:

An American parent as been feeding their family hamburgers everyday for 25 years at a restaurant over the Mexican border. In the last 5 years, a doctor has discovered that the whole family will only live another 8 years if they continue to be fed in that way. The parent is now given the choice: (a) Farm vegetables out of there own garden which would mean a change in lifestyle and adding 30 more years of life to the family. Or: (b) Spend valuable time looking for a restaurant locally to buy more hamburgers, before getting serious planting the garden.

Question: Do we really think the parent will start the garden in a timely fashion (if start at all), once they find a restaurant to supply all the family’s burger needs? More likely, the parent and family will not change their lifestyle out of convenience and financial stability; and, will die in 8 years.

If America does not make a lifestyle change by harvesting healthier, renewable energy resources within her own borders, she will waste her time, life, and money looking to consume herself out of existence within her own nationhood.