Pain At The Pump

While the Bush Misadministration is totally deserving of our ire and disgust we do have to stay in the realm of what is true and they can't be the only target if one wants to send for the reason that Americans are suffering with gas prices in the -4 range . But its shortsighted energy policies mean the country is far too dependent on oil that is both ruinously expensive and ruinous for the environment.
There are several reasons for oil's dizzying price spiral. Soaring demand in fast-growing developing countries like China and India means there is more demand than ever before. The turmoil in financial markets- the White House can take a good chunk of the blame for that - has driven prices even higher, as investors have bought oil and other commodities as stocks and the dollar plunge.
Not everyone is unhappy with oil at 0-plus a barrel. "Mouse That Roared" governments in countries like Venezuela and the Sudan are pocketing the profits and enjoying the political impunity that comes with such riches.
If there is any silver lining to this very dark cloud then it is the shift in public awareness and also industry activity towards clean alternative energy sources.
Let's look at the automotive industry. This past December, the White House and Congress raised fuel efficiency standards for the first time since the 1970s!
Americans are known worldwide as the most wasteful, garbage producing consumers in the world The average German or Japanese uses little more than half the energy consumed by an average American. In Germany and Japan, per-capita emissions of carbon dioxide spewed by cars, power plants and other sources of energy are half those in the United States. In France, they are a third.
There is some motion in the right direction amongst us obese Americans. Gasoline demand declined in the first 11 weeks of the year for the first time since 1997. It's way too little, too slow and the government lethargy is not helping.
A lot more needs to be done to prepare the American economy for a world of scarcer, more expensive energy. To start, the nation has to replace the oilmen in the White House with leaders who have a better grasp of the economics of energy and the interests of all Americans.
On an individual basis we can lower our fuel usage significantly, help safeguard the environment and have our cars running better too by following the instructions made available to members of Water4Gas