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Would you suspect that our Georgia senators would be on the take from big oil?
They continue to support the oil companies' policies, their drilling and their subsidies. Sen. Johnny Isakson took $166,400 and Sen. Saxby Chambliss took $435,500, both more than the average given to all senators, which was $34,647. Our senators have consistently supported these policies even while the country was suffering from the biggest oil spill in our history.
Apparently they see no reason not to. Perhaps it's their eyesight that is the problem. They do not see the loss of livelihood by residents along the Gulf Coast, the oily pelicans and dolphins dying, the decline in income from the tourist business, which should be at a peak now. I hope it doesn't take a similar disaster along the Georgia coast to open their eyes, but the possibility is there.
Nobody knows for sure how much oil is under the surface in the Gulf or what the long-term effects will be on the creatures there, but the evidence from the Exxon Mobil spill in Alaska is that the oil will not disappear. We can only hold our breaths and hope for the best, and that our senators will realize their responsibilities.
Adele Kushner
Alto