Leaky Faucets

I’m starting to get a little impatient and fed up with the way American politicians talk about how to solve the energy crisis.  All of them—Republicans and Democrats alike—talk about ending our dependence on foreign oil.  It’s a worthy goal but probably unrealistic.  And really it is beside the point.  The goal should not be ending dependence on foreign oil; it should be ending dependence on all oil.  Obama continued to repeat the former showing that his ideas are not always so fresh, while only Al Gore—who is not running for anything so I guess he can speak more freely—used his Convention speech to mention his desire to free ourselves from the yokes of carbon-based energy sources whether imported or domestic.

And how do we propose to do this?  Well, again, if you listen to any of the mainstream politicians in the country, we need to find more oil or harness wind or solar or bio-fuel.  Wind and solar are obviously worthy pursuits, but the others are not the answer.  They may win elections by bringing down gas prices (temporarily) but they will not change things.

Something else needs to be done.   Something that you never hear Dems or Republicans talk about.  We need to change our consumption habits.  We need to reduce our dependence on the automobile rather than find different ways to fuel them.  Mass transit.  Bicycles.  Walking.  Of course, these means of transportation are not convenient or realistic for everyone, but they should be encouraged and increased.  Remember back in the 70s when videos of China showed everyone riding bicycles and cars were scarce?  Look at Beijing now.  It’s more choked with traffic and black smoke than most places thanks to economic prosperity and the mass introduction of the automobile.  I dare any politician to introduce tax breaks for bicycle owners into the tax code.  Only bicycle manufactures would benefit and I suspect that their lobbying power is not as strong as Detroit’s.

I don’t claim to have the exact solution.  I’m just saying that it’s time we start talking about the other side of the problem and not just focusing on supply.  It would require asking people to change their personal habits and perhaps make some sacrifices which politicians are afraid to do.  But it must be done if we really want to address this problem.