The High Price at the Pump

It has been over a month now since I have posted anything on this blog. There are probably several reasons for that, but the two that rise quickly to the top of the list are a lack of anything I particularly wanted to write about and my inherent laziness. The latter seems to be increasing at an alarming rate, but that could be the subject for a later entry. Today I am going to make a rare foray into the world of important things. I realize that is sort of a violation of the stated purpose of this blog, which is to address things that “barely matter.” But, just for today, let’s talk about gasoline prices and what we are or are not doing, and what some folks propose that we do, and most importantly, of course, what I propose we do, or do not do.

In the unlikely event that future generations may stumble upon this entry, let me just give a quick recap of our current situation. In short, gasoline prices are in the $3.60 per gallon range and forecasts say the price will reach $4.00 per gallon by summer. In response to this perceived crisis, four general courses of action have come to the forefront. George W. Bush, in the last stages of his historically disastrous presidency, again urges more exploration for domestic oil. In particular, he wants to drill in the protected Alaskan Wilderness Wildlife Sanctuary. Presidential candidate, Senator Hillary Clinton, wants to suspend the 18 cent per gallon federal gasoline tax. Some in Congress, including local representative Joe Donnelly, want to tap the nation’s oil reserves. And finally, the American people just wring their hands and bitch.

Well, folks, to paraphrase Jimmy Buffett’s classic song of self-discovery, the reason for the high cost of gas, is “our own damn fault.” Until we get very serious about curbing our voracious addiction to oil, prices will continue to rise out of control. To date, we have been unwilling to address the “energy crisis” on the demand side. Every effort, even the laudable effort to find renewable sources of clean energy, addresses the problem only on the supply side. We cannot solve the energy crisis on the supply side, or at least not on the supply side alone.

Bush’s proposal is ludicrous and, by far, the most dangerous of all. Estimates are that it would take a minimum of ten years to bring approximately a 6-month supply of oil to market. And the environmental damage would be irreparable. The people complaining about gas prices today will be dead or in nursing homes before Alaskan Oil would bring any relief at the pump. For those who do benefit, the benefit would last about as long as a summer-time tan in Chicago. Clinton’s proposal to suspend the gas tax, while relatively harmless, would be at least equally ineffective, and, some economist argue, could even worsen the situation. Their reasoning is that by artificially decreasing the cost of gasoline we would be driving up demand which would in turn increase the price. If someone is addicted to a drug, you do not treat that addiction by making the drug more available or by making it available at a cheaper price. The same reasoning holds for our addiction to oil.

During the Oil Embargo of 1973 I remember standing behind the counter in the lobby of a Howard Johnson’s when a man came in and lamented, “I just paid $1.00 per gallon to fill up my car.” A few months earlier, gas had been about 35 cents per gallon. During the Oil Embargo, there simply was no gas. Our national response was dramatic, and to many, painful. Gas was rationed. You could only buy gas on certain days of the month. The national speed limit was reduced to 55 mph, daylight savings time went nationwide and even Christmas lights were turned off. NASCAR shortened all of the races by 10% and even the Indy 500 cut the number of days for qualifying and practice. For some, the pain was even greater as factories shut down or cut hours and workers were laid off.

I am not suggesting that we go to means anywhere near that drastic, but our political leaders on both sides of the aisle have done NOTHING to cut down on the demand for oil. People still buy SUVs, teens still cruise around in their cars, newspapers are delivered in plastic bags made from oil, and major cities light the night sky for miles and miles. And, I spend half of my day shutting off lights in unoccupied rooms here at work.

I know this will likely disappoint you if you have read this far, but I do NOT have the answer to the energy problem or to the high cost of gasoline. I do not have a 12-step program to rid us of our addiction. But, I do know this much: Never is a long time, and so I will refrain from using that word. But, it will be a long, long time before we are able to develop sufficient alternate sources of energy to make a significant dent in the crisis on the supply side. We, as a nation, must be willing to address the issue on the demand side. We, as a nation, must be willing to make at least moderately painful sacrifices to reduce not only our dependence upon FOREIGN oil, but our dependence upon ALL oil. Until we do, the high price at the pump will continue, and we will be paying with more than just our dollars.