Dear Editor,

Our national debt is rapidly approaching $16 trillion. It seems that Obama may be afraid he may not be reelected, so he is trying to bankrupt our country between now and January when a new president may be sworn in.

To increase spending for the United States Navy, our government has decided to have the U.S. Navy begin using biofuels for our warships. Last week, Fox news did a story about our Navy going green with the fuel for its ships. This all sounds well and good, until you look at the cost for fuel now and what it will be to run our ships using biofuels.

The Navy currently pays about $3.60 per gallon for a ship’s fuel. To power our Navy ships using biofuels, according to Fox news, will cost the American taxpayer about $26 per gallon. This is more than a 700 percent increase in fuel costs per gallon. According to Fox news, the average American warship carries approximately 100,000 gallons of fuel.

The old or current cost for fuel would be about $360,000 to fuel the average ship. By requiring our Navy to use biofuels at $26 per gallon, the cost to fuel that same ship would jump to $2,600,000. It does not take a rocket scientist to realize that requiring our Navy to use biofuels will plunge America toward bankruptcy at breakneck speed.

Our Navy and Merchant Marine are the fastest and cheapest way to move large quantities of military supplies anywhere that they are needed throughout the world. In addition, the Navy projects our military presence and might all over the world. Most of the time, the mere sight of our Navy off a coast is enough to preclude military action. In addition, our Navy supplies humanitarian aid to countries throughout the world during natural disasters.

Since Obama took office, he has increased our national debt by approximately 1 1/3 trillion dollars per year, with the national debt rapidly approaching $16 trillion without the increased cost of our Navy using biofuels. For the last 60 or more years our Navy has used a very heavy crude oil called bunker C to run those ships that have non-nuclear steam propulsion. That fuel has served the Navy well and will continue to do so into the future at minimal cost to the taxpayer. This grand idea of using biofuels for Navy ships is nothing but a pipe dream and an expense that our country cannot afford.

The only solution to stop the madness in spending is to vote a Republican Congress, Senate and President into office in November, thereby eliminating the foolhardy, extravagant spending plans of the Democrats.

Jack Parker

Patrick, S.C.