Thanks to our Congress, crude oil prices are kept artificially inflated

Re: “Agree? Disagree? The U.S. should start tapping its own domestic oil supplies,” April 21

While drilling won’t make us completely independent of imported oil, an increased supply will lower its market price, significantly lowering the enormous share of our wealth now being handed to OPEC. Crude oil’s market price will bottom out by being set by those willing to sell it the cheapest, rather than by those willing to pay the most.

Additionally, no one will invest the billions needed to produce alternative fuels in meaningful quantities until alternatives can compete with crude at its floor price rather than, thanks to Congress, its present artificially high price.

High-priced crude also forces underdeveloped countries to use more environmentally destructive practices than using oil (yes, there are some). Even in the U.S., people will turn to burning wood for heat in increasing numbers. When practical, trees should be turned into durable goods rather than allowing their carbon to revert back to the atmosphere.

Lester Via

Springfield

Funding embryonic stem cell research wastes tax dollars

Maryland state Sen. Mike Lenett boasted that he grossly overfunded and sanctioned large-scale waste with $19 million in additional taxpayer funds for embryo-killing embryonic stem cell research (ESCR). Only $7.1 million of the previously allocated $38 million was spent.

It’s much more efficient to use skin cells than embryonic stem cells. The chairman of the U.K. National Stem Cell Network recently said that ESCR is simply not working and may never treat anyone.

Meanwhile, the Defense Department just announced the establishment of the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine to treat the wounded using their own adult stem cells to reconstruct bone, skin, muscles, tendons, and even ears, noses and fingers.

Sen. Lenett disregards the fact that adult stem cell treatments are helping people, and that is where the funds should go — not to ESCR.

John Naughton

Silver Spring

Carter’s passport should be revoked for aiding terrorists

Former President Jimmy Carter’s decision to meet with the terrorist organization Hamas is deplorable. Our State Department tried to persuade Mr. Carter not to meet with the enemy, but he rejected its sound advice.

For a former president to consort with one of the worst terrorist organizations while we are involved in a war is nothing but a disgrace. I call on Congress to officially admonish and chastise Mr. Carter for this unwise decision. His passport should also be permanently revoked.

Carter was one of the worst presidents this country ever had, and his latest actions make him one of the worst ex-presidents.

Al Eisner

Wheaton

War in Iraq is also unregulated killing of the defenseless

Re: “U.S.’s only unregulated killing industry,” April 21

Melanie Scarborough’s column comparing the regulation of animal slaughter with the slaughter of unborn babies made some interesting points, but it is a shame that she linked it with political criticism of Barack Obama.

I would suggest that the Iraq war qualifies as another unregulated killing industry. George Bush’s decision to wage a pre-emptive war on Iraq, together with his administration’s unfair and incompetent abuse of our brave soldiers, has reduced any “regulation” to his whim.

And while abortion deaths exceed war deaths (even counting Iraqis), the president has far less direct control of abortion than of our waging war.

I’ll take Obama and work toward limiting abortion before I’ll accept the dangers of John McCain and more years of Bush/Cheney policies.

Gilbert Adams

Washington