Sunday, April 23, 2006

Apocalypse Watch


The President says it's going to be a tough summer for drivers.

"We're going to have a tough summer because people are beginning to drive now during tight supply."

Currently, oil is at $75 a barrel.

He continues:
"We've got a real problem when it comes to oil. We're addicted, and it's harmful for the economy, and it's harmful for our national security."

Well, he's right. We have to change the way we live. For some reason, we seem incapable of imagining that, but it's the truth. Fossil fuels are finite. No kidding. Sure, his family wasn't complaining when they made their fortune dealing the stuff to us addicts. But, he's still right.

I know people are going to be pissed at him, but honestly, this has been a looming problem for decades, and nobody has yet said "Look, this is a finite resource, so you can't live this way forever." No politician was willing to tell the public that, as painful as this is to consider, you don't always get what you want. Blame the Republicans all you want, but nobody knows how to fix this.

Besides, where did we ever get this idea that we elect people and they, in turn, take care of us? Where does this infantilism come from? Why do we need babysitters? Isn't it concievable that we could think of other ways to live our lives aside from pawning our jewlery for gas and hoping that Big Daddy will make it all better? If everything is not exactly the same tomorrow, isn't it possible that life will be more interesting? That the Assisted Living Society will falter, but we will become stronger as people? Why is that so scary?

Is infantilism an inherent problem in democracies?

4 comments:

SecondComingOfBast said...

I'd like to see a boycott of summer vacation driving myself, if enough people latched onto it and it really caught on, I bet you would see prices plummet. Of course, they would pick back up in the middle of sumer vacation so you would have to pay even more to drive back. I think they're just doing this because they know people won't not drive to their vacations and they can make a killing.
The oil companies profits says it all, they are price gouging. Wasn't these tax breaks of Bushes, and holding down wages, suppose to help Big Business so they wouldn't have to charge so much? So much for that idea, but I am not surprised, in fact I expected it.

Rufus said...

I do think they're milking it for all it's worth. But, I think we'll never be at $1.45 again. On the other hand, if you figure in inflation, gas prices have actually been about a dollar higher before.

SecondComingOfBast said...

I would be satisfied if they stayed at an even two dolars a gallon, at least for regular. By the time it's through, todays prices might actually look like a bargain, and that is a realy scary thought.

Rufus said...

I just wish we could make the change to some other fuel source easily. I'm not really sure why we're so half-hearted about that option.