The unrest currently taking place in the Middle East, along with the resulting sharp increase in world oil prices, illustrates just how dependent the U.S. has become on foreign oil imports. A generation ago, the U.S. imported approximately 30 percent of its oil, today we import in excess of 60 percent. With a sluggish economic recovery and oil prices hovering near $100 per barrel, many average Americans are having a difficult time making ends meet, and it may be time to revisit the issue of oil drilling in the U.S.