Shelby covers issues in Roanoke

U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby said energy is the country’s number one problem but he seemed to downplay the effectiveness of alternative energy sources, such as solar, hydrogen, wind and bio-fuels.

“We don’t have an energy policy in this country,” he told an overflow crowd in city hall last Wednesday — his 22nd year of visiting every county in the state.

Gas in germany is about $7 a gallon, he said, but that kind of cost here “would cripple our economy.” He asked the audience if they would like another 40-to-50 cents added to a gallon of gas? Mayor Spec Bonner said citizens now pay 33 cents a gallon in taxes.

State Sen. Kim Benefield, who has visited Canada and Florida on fuel alternatives, asked about the encouraging work going on at Auburn University in the area of switchgrass and bio-fuels, but he said they would only replace 10 percent of the oil market. The country is now importing 60 percent of the oil it uses but he expects that to increase to 80 percent, he said.

This country is getting oil from Canada, Mexico, Angola and Brazil and the country’s sovereign wealth is going to China, Kuwait, etc., he said, and these countries are buying up this country.

He said he did not know if this country is getting any oil from Iraq—it goes into an international pool.

“I wish we’d go all nuclear, as much as we can. There are all kind of tax credits for solar and wind, solar and wind helps some. I’m going to stand before you and tell you it is not going to make that much difference,” Shelby said. He also supports drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

“Our economy is pretty good-at least in this state,” he said hoping the economy continues to expand. He admitted there is a little cloud on the horizon on the banking industry due to the sub-prime lending crisis.

He said he wants to back the troops but he did not want to be in Afghanistan and Iraq forever; however, he wants to do what is best for the country.

In Alabama 14,000 National guardsmen are going or have been to Iraq, he said. A citizen, D.J. Hammett, told him their drill days have been kicked from 15 to 21 days while most companies have a two-week policy and they have to take vacation days to complete the requirement.

Shelby said that shouldn’t happen and Congress needed to look at it. The guard and reserves are overtaxed, he said.

A disabled Vietnam veteran in a wheelchair asked for help in getting his agent orange claim handled and Shelby turned it over to his staff.

Supporters of the animal shelter, including Chuck Smith, thanked him for the money he obtained to build the shelter and District Attorney E. Paul Jones thanked him for funding he provided for district attorneys and others for the war on drugs. Jones said 85 percent or more of crime is related in some way to drugs.

Shelb said he has worked on and is working on the issue of people getting certain television channels but so far has been unsuccessful.

He said he has probably brought $1 billion to the state for roads although he hasn’t gotten funds to four-lane U.S. Highway 431.

He supports a national sales tax or flat tax, saying 80 percent or better would vote for it.

This country does not protect its borders and has no immigration policy, he said. Some people say there are 10-to-15 million illegals and some project that to expand to 400 million in a few years, he said.

“Our own president doesn’t enforce the law. Clinton didn’t before him. It might be getting too late. You can’t round up 20 million,” Shelby said.

“We can’t take everybody. We’re a great nation but we have got problems,” he said.

He pointed to the emergence of China and India as a labor pool and competitors for energy supplies. America has 300 million residents while they have three billion, he said.

To compete resources must be directed towards education, engineering and Alabama colleges must work towards innovation, he said.