How about $1.50 gas in Rome?

Yesterday, White House officials revealed that Bush's energy plan may include using decomissioned military bases for oil refinery sites. The advantage is that defunct military bases are frequently out of the way, mostly unused and their local communities in need of good paying jobs.

Griffiss Air Force Base sits on a huge plot of land, is in the center of an economically depressed community and the land is mostly unused. Of course, this city won't let facts get in the way. EDGE still lives in the fantasyland where new businesses are being located in the 'technology park' while old businesses vacate downtown Rome. Let's not forget the school board. The $50 million monstrosity of a high school sits on the edge of the base will never be sullied by the possibility of a smoke stack within 100 miles. Besides, those kids will have enough trouble with all the airplane activity from the new Oneida County Airport. You know, the one that did so well in Oriskany that it shut down all commuter flights years ago.

If you want to see an economic boom in this city, put in a thriving set of oil refineries. If you want energy prices so low you could warm your house with space heaters, how about a nuclear plant in the same place that used to house nuclear weapons? Or, if you want to turn into the next dead northeast city, we could just raise taxes every year and court another dime store warehouse.