Open letter to Lisa Murkowski

To the editor:

Lisa, during your recent visit to Wasilla, you said (as reported in the Frontiersman April 30) that the Democrats “found the bogeyman and it’s the oil industry … because they are getting federal subsidies. What Democrats are doing is appealing to the emotional front-page headlines.”

Well, Lisa, here are the headlines: oil company profits up — Exxon 69 percent, Conoco 43 percent, Chevron 36 percent, Shell 40 percent. And local headlines: gasoline over $8 a gallon in the Bush.

So, are you saying that is not something to be upset about? I think you need to look at who is hurting. It is certainly not the oil companies. It is absolutely true that we need to promote energy production on a broad spectrum. We need a federal energy program, that doesn’t just focus on oil, something that Congress does not seem capable of coming up with. But I think that the oil companies can get along without federal subsidies.

Patricia Fisher

Wasilla