From the desk

Gas prices nationwide are taking a turn for the worst — and just in time for spring break.

However, this is nothing new — especially not for the White House.

President Barack Obama “feels” our pain, or at least that is what he claimed in his speech on energy development given in Florida on Feb. 23.

But, let’s be honest. How many times can the President spew the same speech at us while we idly sit by? Some of you may remember hearing a similar rant on gas prices and “no silver bullet” from President Obama’s speech back in April of 2011.

“The truth is there is no silver bullet that can bring down gas prices right away, but there are a few things we can do,” Obama said in his speech last April. “This includes safe and responsible production of oil at home, which we’re pursuing. In fact, last year America’s oil production reached its highest level since 2003.”

Well, somehow this “long-term” plan has still found us in an even graver situation nearly a year later.

Gas prices are a record high for this time of year. Though the spring season has yet to grace us with its presence, gas is already pushing a national average of $3.60 a gallon, according to GasBuddy.com, an organization developed to track gas prices and ranges countrywide.

“Whenever gas prices shoot up, like clockwork, you see politicians racing to the cameras three-point plans for $2 dollar gas,” Obama said.

Well, this is almost exactly what he was doing back in April, and again last week.

However, although the gas prices are skyrocketing, the Obama Administration still continues to decline to comment on its solution to the problem. Instead, it seems to be following exactly what President Obama said other politicians do when gas prices rise.

“You see people trying to grab headlines, or score a few points,” Obama said.

In April of last year the President continued his speech by telling Americans he was fighting to “root-out” fraud and take control of our internal oil market, but as far as I can tell we are still sitting in the exact same spot — nearly a year later.

“Instead of subsidizing yesterday’s energy sources we need to invest in tomorrow’s, we need to invest in clean renewable energy,” Obama said.

Well, where are our investments in tomorrow, now? That is what I would like to hear the President comment on. After a year of economic struggle and political nonsense, I think Americans deserve an update on what the President proposed last April — not just a repeat of the same speech.

The President gave his speech last Thursday, hoping to bring an understanding of new energy conservation and preservation, but what I got from it is a need for a new plan.

Yes, having a long-term energy efficient plan is great, but what about right now? If the President’s plan will take years, as he said Thursday, then are we supposed to simply “deal” with $6 a gallon gas?

Someone needs to give us a solution for now — not just later.