I think that people are taking home a message from the conservative campaign that this is a temporary, short-term problem and that long-term conservation of fossil fuel really isn’t necessary. We just need to find new sources of fossil fuels so that we can exploit them at the rate we did in the last 30 years.

People hated Jimmy Carter for sounding the alarm. They hate Al Gore for bringing back Carter’s message. How would the situation be different if Reagan had continued Carter’s programs for developing alternate sources of energy. When Carter was president people looked at the energy problems as something artificial caused by the “Arabs who Hate America.” We only needed someone like Reagan who wasn’t afraid to stand up to those bullies (ignoring that Aramco was a largely American company,) and brought the price of gas back down. Conservation pretty much went out the window and people praised and thanked him for giving them back their huge cars.

I think we are too fickle to take much courage from the trend. I wonder how many people are simply putting their guzzlers in storage until ANWR and the Atlantic Coast, and Los Islas Malvinas are pumping out enough oil to bring down prices?

So funny!

I’ve read some economics reports that say the fuel prices are driving up the cost of other household expenses (electricity, heat, hot water, etc.) faster than the price of oil. It’s the fact that gas prices are so glaring because people literally watch the meter go up as the fill the tank. That’s why they’re desperate to get out of their cars.