How About A War AGAINST Oil?

First, read this article: http://www.newsmax.com/ruddy/oil_dependence/2008/03/13/80091.html

I know, it’s NewsMax, hold your nose and take a risk for God’s sake.

What? A conservative who wants alternative energy development?  Say it isn’t so!

I have been telling folks that I can’t wait for $5 a gallon gasoline.  I think most of them think I am kidding.  But I am not.  Here is why:

We don’t get off our butts about anything in America until it effects our wallet.  I’m not judging here, just stating fact.  In my perfect world, life and liberty would be enough.  But we don’t really care about either.  Not as much as the pursuit of happiness.  So, when 3000 people die in a terrorist attack, we get mad at first, but it isn’t long before we don’t care any more.  We claim we value freedom, but we are willing to let it be siphoned away by more and more government programs in the name of “protection” or ” entitlements.  No, in the end, all we truly care about is the wallet.  Mess with the wallet, and you mess with America.

When we talk about oil, we are really talking about the wallet.  In the article above, Ruddy makes the point that over 70% of American electricity comes from burning fossile feuls.  It also points out that the money we spend on much of it ends up in the hands of our enemies: Russia, Iran, and Venezuela.  I am outraged at this, and many people would be if they realized it.  For a little while.  Then, they will go back to filling up at Citgo.  Until it really starts to hit the wallet, that is.

I believe that once gas hits $5 a gallon, it will mean more inconvenience to us than having to carpool.  Food will become almost unaffordable.  Virtually all we eat comes from California, Texas, and Florida.  The fuel costs to transport all this food will go through the roof, and be passed down to the consumer.  Ready to plant a garden?

Virtually everything we buy is shipped, railroaded (to a lesser extent), and trucked to retail outlets.  Then, we drive our cars to the outlet to purchase the stuff.  The cost of services will go up along with products.  Virtually everything we consume will be affected by raising fuel costs.

But, I think that will be a good thing, if it happens.  It will force us to adopt alternative energy sources that are cleaner, and renewable.  After the research and development is paid for, it will be cheaper, too.  Remember, that is the real reason we don’t use it now.  The initial costs make most of it unattractive to investment.  Once oil becomes expensive enough, investment will be more lucrative and the capitalist system that many blame for the oil dependency we have now will take over and do what it is supposed to do.

Imagine a world where oil producing nations have a product that no one is willing to die or kill for anymore.  Oil will become what it was, nasty sticky goo that sometimes irritated people by polluting water wells.  And frankly, it couldn’t happen to a more deserving group of people.

So, bring on your $5 a gallon gasoline, OPEC.  I’ll plant my garden or do whatever I have to do to get through the bumpy parts.  I’ll walk to work if I have to, but I’m ready for a paradigm shift in world diplomacy.  Are you?