I submit the following proposal: That the United States offer to buy, lease or rent Siberia from Russia (CIS). The benefits for doing so involve the immense resources of oil, coal, metals and others.
It would mean hard cash for Russia, alleviate some of its economic turmoil and the possibility of civil war and ease the pressure to sell nuclear weapons and/or technology. It would facilitate the spirit of international cooperation.It would improve the U.S. economy by creating more jobs for Americans. American money would stay with American-owned corporations, lessening the trade deficit. Oil prices in this country would be lower; this, in turn, would make a tax on gasoline in this country more acceptable to the American taxpayer.
The United States would be using "domestic" oil reserves, yet without the typical environmental hassles that frequently impede domestic exploration and production while still being more environmentally conscious then the Soviets ever were.
American oil companies would serve as a more reliable source of petroleum than do several of the current oil-producing countries. The United States may even become an oil exporter to other nations because of this reliability, bringing money into our economy rather than taking it away.
These issues address only oil; similar benefits could be made for the tremendous abundance of coal, metals, lumber and other natural resources. The initial cost of this undertaking could be offset by the extraordinary financial gains to be realized.
J.D. Keetley
Salt Lake City