Monday, June 09, 2008

How Best to Address Energy Problem

Columnist Charles Krauthammer on how best to address energy problems.

So now we know: The price point is $4.

At $3 a gallon, Americans just grin and bear it, suck it up, and, while complaining profusely, keep driving like crazy. At $4, it is a world transformed. Americans become rational creatures. Mass transit ridership is at a 50-year high. Driving is down 4 percent. (Any U.S. decline is something close to a miracle.) Hybrids and compacts are flying off the lots. SUV sales are in free fall.

The wholesale flight from gas guzzlers is stunning in its swiftness, but utterly predictable. Everything has a price point. Remember that “love affair” with SUVs? Love, it seems, has its price too.


2 comments:

Alice C. Linsley said...

I guess this suggests that Americans, like most teenagers, have to learn the hard way? They don't change their behaviors until what they are doing hurts.

I suspect we don't trust our government when it comes to taking care of our energy needs. Some Americans have been so long neglected by their government (since their states don't much influence Presidential elections) that they only rely on themselves. Like South Dakota, here: http://college-ethics.blogspot.com/2008/06/south-dakota-breaking-ground-on-energy.html

Alice C. Linsley said...

Peter, I was thinking about this last night and calculating the cost of heating an average American home (1300 square feet)this winter. The picture is grim for poorer Americans. Perhaps this is something that St. Patrick's could look at in terms of future ministries? I suggest a few ways to help here:

http://college-ethics.blogspot.com/2008/06/winter-energy-crisis-how-you-can-help.html