Let's see...

1. Ill conceived? Check
2. Being pitched by Republicans as a means of solving a national crisis? Check
3. Will do nothing to solve this crisis? Check
4. Benefits a corporatist agenda? Check
5. Will cause far more damage than the public is being made aware of? Check

So, submitter, how is he wrong here?

KaponoFor3: Would offshore drilling help us become less dependent on foreign oil sources?

The problem isn't oil; the problem is energy.

The problem isn't whether or not offshore oil is being utilized. The problem is oil's dominance in the American energy market.

The problem is that the US is only spending $4 billion annually - mere pocket change - in R&D for alternative energy sources. Your country is like an alcoholic, trying to solve his depression by finding new ways to get alcohol.

KaponoFor3: All true. But these magical renewable energy technologies and sources are not going to appear out of thin air. We will not be able to snap our fingers and make a 100% change to renewable energy overnight. We will still need oil while we ween ourselves off of it. I'd prefer it come from US offshore drilling as opposed to the Saudi sheiks.

Yes, this is true. You know what the problem is, though?

That I see Republican Congressmen and oil companies shamelessly promoting the same agenda on offshore drilling. Yet, all of them are eerily silent about committing more federal dollars towards creating alternative fuel sources.

They talk about it, as though one energy source is just supposed to step in and replace oil, leaving the archaic energy infrastructure intact. Instead of oil, cars will arrive at stations and fill up on, I dunno...unicorn tears? Which will also power domestic water heaters, public transit vehicles, home appliances, and traffic lights.

I was speaking to the head of Ontario Power Authority a few weeks ago, and he brought up a great point. That our means of finding the most concentrated forms of energy (oil, hydroelectricity, coal, etc.) have nearly been exhausted, and we are running on reserve supplies - for however long they last. The less concentrated forms of energy (Wind, solar, wave, etc.) are indeed more expensive to deliver to consumers. But that's only assuming that we use them in the same way.

For instance, in Japan and China, many homes have solar panels on the roof for the sole purpose of heating the water tank. The installation costs are moderately expensive, but as the project grows in scale, the costs are dropping. This is one way to reduce oil and coal consumption. The streetlights and parking slip dispensers (We don't use meters any more) right here in Toronto are also powered by panels.

It's almost like the way one would lighten a car for performance racing. You're probably not going to find a single hundred-pound object to remove, but you likely will find several objects weighing one, five, and ten pounds that can be removed. That is the approach we need to be taking with energy; using multiple streams, rather than holding out for the one great energy source that will replace coal and oil.