Letter: Gas prices rising again

A gas pump at USA Petro gas station in Freeport, NY, Dec. 29, 2011. Credit: Photo by Ed Betz
As the cost of gasoline continues to rise, the American people must face the fact that their vulnerability to foreign oil cannot be questioned ["Stat Pack: Energy costs," Business, Feb. 12].
As we search for a scapegoat for our painful dilemma, we must ask ourselves why Detroit enticed us with dinosaur-sized sport utility vehicles and trucks while the government stood in the shadows offering little intervention to loosen the grip oil-producing countries have on our back pocket.
Had stringent requirements been enacted to produce more economical vehicles over the decades, our economy would not be manipulated by foreign demands and the whim of commodity speculators looking for a safe haven from the declining value of the American dollar.
Jason E. Hill, Ridge