Not me, but that is what it seems the US is doing when it comes to oil.
Actually, as a I think about it, current US energy policy is similar to the crusade of angry mothers, who want to rid the world of the members of DAMM. ( Drunks against mad mothers). Their efforts to change the DUI laws have been long and fierce-but interestingly enough the DUI rate remains about the same-or in some places it has gone up.
The reason? Well, besides the fact that the BAC limit is too low( .10 is the only correct number-but that is for another post) the main reason that all these tough DUI laws don’t work too well is simple:
There is no other way to get your car back from the bar.
E.G. When it comes to transportation, there is no good alternative way to get to the places you want to go.
Now the same is true for energy and drilling for oil. The powers that be can whine all they want about drilling offshore and in ANWAR and it still does not disguise the great fact that the US simply uses too much gasoline. Or as the S.O. says the US is a car society. And like our wayward friend tap dancing in front of the State Trooper, the reason is the same:
We don’t have any other way to get back from the bar.
Please, spare me the lines about taxis and designated drivers-those are all good ideas. But they sure don’t help the guy out there prowling for a pick up by himself. And for taxis to be a real alternative they need to be more plentiful and cheaper. They are not. Trust me, I know. As dedicated member of DAMM, I take a lot of taxis-I don’t want to dance in front of the road nazis. I’m still going to go to the bar.
Because I love bars. And in Tokyo I could go to a lot of bars-and never run afoul of the police. This in a country where the DUI limit is .03. They can do that with a clear conscience because they have decent public transportation.
Taxis are still expensive though. But the busses run on time.
And without viable public transportation alternatives, the US will keep paying higher prices for gasoline. Because the population is still going to go the bar. Or to work, or to school or wherever.
On the way up here to my parents house I marvelled at an e-mail I got from American urging me to sign a petition to urge Congress to go after speculators. Saying they are the problem with gasoline. I think I will pass. If I had the money, I would be a speculator too. Why do commodities traders drive up the price of oil?
Because they can.
It still comes down to a couple of hard truths. Demand is higher because of all those Indians and Chinese who are burning gas they don’t deserve to have. And they want even more.
And second, the war(s) in the Middle East make investors nervous. They make drivers nervous. They make countries nervous. So they stock up. Which further drives up demand.
So I’ve got an idea. Instead of taking all that money for drilling-and for the wars that make everyone nervous, and build some good trains.
And while we are at it, subsidize the taxi services too. So fares are low.
Then the mothers could be really angry-with good reason.
We could get to the bar without breaking the bank.