From the very beginning, comparing the current oil spill to the likes of Hurricane Katrina was an easy narrative put forward by media outlets.Both are considered disasters of epic proportions. And yes, both took place in the Gulf Coast. But that’s where the similarities end.The key difference between these two disasters is Katrina was started by Mother Nature and was exacerbated by human failure. Our current disaster is from plain old human failure.And to whom can we point for this failure?Because the oil companies were made unequivocally responsible for their spills after the Exxon Valdez spill, policy decisions were based heavily on the testimony of oil companies when recent discussions about the future of offshore drilling came up. When filing its plan for the Deep Horizon platform, BP assured regulators it could handle any potential accidents. But its worst-case scenario estimates for a potential oil leak have already been exceeded.Which brings us to our public officials.Sen. Mary Landrieu dismissed the likelihood of a major spill in the U.S. when congressional hearings about the safety of offshore oil drilling came up just six months ago.”I mean, just the gallons are so minuscule compared to the benefits of U.S. strength and security, the benefits of job creation and energy security,” she said. “So while there are risks associated with everything, I think you understand that they are quite, quite minimal.”Washington bought what BP and other oil companies were selling them — that offshore drilling is safe, with a clean track record of several decades. Such assurances led President Barack Obama to support opening new offshore drilling in a political concession to pass a new climate bill.Perhaps our government officials are guilty of naïveté. But responsibility is another thing altogether.Reflecting both frustration and misunderstanding, some point the finger at the federal government. One Associated Press photo showed a group of women standing behind a crude sign which read “Obama send aid.”Of course the federal government should provide any support it can. It has had an active role from day one — from the rescue missions performed by the coast guard to the allocation of booms and vessels.  But going back to the Katrina comparison, the federal government is equipped to deal with disasters requiring direct aid to individuals. It isn’t — nor should it be — designed to clean up the problems of private businesses.”Our job is basically to keep the boot on the neck of British Petroleum to carry out the responsibilities that they have,” Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said regarding the federal role in the disaster.That said, given the company’s failure, we should utilize all relevant federal resources and send BP the bill. But outside of skimming for oil and setting up booms, only BP can solve the most pressing issues — shutting off the primary valve, placing containment domes and drilling a relief well.We as individuals should still examine our own role in the disaster.Gov. Bobby Jindal rightfully said this oil spill “threatens our way of life” in Louisiana. He was speaking of the environmental, recreational and economic damages created by the spill. His point speaks to a larger issue: The role of oil in our society.Our reliance on oil makes us less secure. Buying oil from the Middle East puts consumers at the mercy of an oil cartel who sets artificial prices, indirectly funds terrorism, creates strategic problems for our country in times of war, limits our foreign policy ambitions, creates pollution and leads to an overall increase in cash flowing outside our borders.Halting all oil production is obviously not a practical solution, but this incident should raise questions about our long-term relationship with oil.The mantra “drill baby drill” is mostly wrong because it claims to have a simple answer to a complex problem. If we want to increase the health and safety of our country, we need to plant the seeds for energy independence today. That independence is ultimately not achievable through domestic oil production.Like Landrieu said, the only way to eliminate the risks of oil-related disasters is to not search for oil. While not immediately achievable, reducing our reliance on oil — both foreign and domestic — is a pressing goal of strategic importance.Mark Macmurdo is a 23-year-old history and economics senior from Baton Rouge. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_mmacmurdo.—–Contact Mark Macmurdo at [email protected]