America is sliding into a depression at the present time because oil production and refining are like a parachute strapped to the American economy's back. Our economy is dependent on gasoline and diesel fuel and is plunging toward a depression. Food is high. Jobs are being lost daily. Wages can't keep up with inflation. People are losing their homes. Americans are truly hurting.

No matter what your occupation -- whether white collar, blue collar or no collar -- or your political affiliation, if you have a retirement account it is tied to the stock market. You stand to lose part, all or get a diminished return if gasoline and diesel fuel do not come down and stay down until alternative energy solutions come on line.

In 2004, 2005 and part of 2006, stock markets were robust, and gasoline and diesel cost less than $2 a gallon. In 2008, gasoline was $4 a gallon and about $4.60 for diesel. Result: Stock market down and inflation up. Is it too hard for Democrats to understand the difference is in billions of dollars lost that would be spent on other products that feed the economy?

Democrat leaders in the House and Senate do not seem to care how fast we hit bottom or who gets hurt. They say use oil stored in the U.S. strategic oil reserve. This would help reduce oil prices for about two months, maybe three, and six months at the most. Should Israel attack Iran's nuclear facilities (and it will), Iran will close the Strait of Hormuz, causing the shutdown of oil from Saudi Arabia. At this point, you would indeed be lucky to get a gallon of gasoline for $20. It seems like everybody except the Democrat leadership understands this.

Democrats control the offshore and Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (Alaska) oil drilling up-or-down (rip cord) vote. This vote would bring down gasoline, food and housing costs. Ask yourself why House leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate leader Harry Reid refuse to pull the rip cord and let the up-or-down energy vote open the parachute that would provide the help we need so much. Ask yourself: Is there some hidden agenda here they would put ahead of our wellbeing and the country's best interest?

How much would the up-or-down vote on offshore and ANWR help? Gasoline back to $2 or less, food costs down, as well as everything transported by truck or train, and airline tickets less expensive. The list goes on and on. If you and I understand, why in the world can't elected Democrats and the top two Democrats, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reed, understand?

E.M. Bennett

Dumping animals

I wish I could dump the person in the middle of the desert with no food, water or shelter who dumped his four puppies on our country road last week. I believe it reached triple digits that day. I went the other direction that day, so no it was not me who picked them up. Thank you to the person who hopefully did.

The person who did this only needed to go a few hundred more yards, and they would have been in the shade. That is where the last kind person dumped his dog in front of our property in a cardboard box a few summers ago. No, wait a minute. I forgot about the chihuahua my husband found last summer at the end of our driveway eating a dead rattlesnake. Or the other chihuahua I picked up still running to catch the vehicle that had left him behind. Or the shepherd mix I picked up; it had 12 puppies a week later. This is not even counting the cats and kittens.

I know Lampasas County is in the Dark Ages when it comes to humane treatment of its disposed animals, but hopefully this will be changing soon. I am not saying Texans are the only ones at fault here. No, we see these little guys all along our roads when we travel the United States. Let's take, for instance, the lab mix in Tennessee that I had to call 911 to get animal control to come take care of. That one was lying in the median with a broken back where he had been hit by a car on a nice, hot, summer day.

There is no excuse for the people who dump their pets like trash along our highways. But then again, maybe they do not view them as pets like most people do. If you cannot afford to spay or neuter your pet, give them the love and attention they deserve, maybe you need to think twice about owning one. It is not up to the rest of us to do it for you!

Laurie Smith

Lometa

Media bias shows in reporting

It seems the majority of the national news media is working very hard to elect the next president of this country. Not all, but most news media are very biased in favor of one candidate over the others, and it shows in what they report and how it's reported.

The people of this country, the voters, decide who will be our elected officials, not the news media. People who are influenced by biased media coverage of candidates are being manipulated by this same media to vote a certain way.

The original purpose of news media was to report the "true news" and not include their own, one-sided commentary to sway public opinion or enhance someone's personal agenda.

Voters should look at the track record of a candidate, such as their voting record in the Senate, which is a good indicator of what to expect from them in the future. Obviously, there are many questions to be answered regarding a candidate, but the track record is a good starting point to understand their objectives, if elected. For example: If a senator consistently votes for tax increases, voters should expect this senator to pursue and support tax increases if he/she is elected president.

I think it's important the controlling majority in Congress and the president not be of the same political party. If these two branches of government are represented by separate political parties, it offers a means of checks and balances, which could keep a spend-crazy Congress from going overboard with our tax dollars. I'm not suggesting this idea be made into law, but it is something to give some thought to before voting.

At any rate, it's up to the voters to decide who will run this country, raise our taxes, protect our homeland and many other things. I hope common sense will prevail at the polls in November and not the influence of an emotional and biased news media.

Ray Lawrence