"Americans’ Diet-Pill Solution to High Gas Prices
I have received countless emails about not buying gas on Wednesdays, not buying from Exxon or not buying in large amounts, but not one suggesting that maybe we should just drive less. The best that these kind of group demonstrations can hope to accomplish is to show that a large group of people care about the price of oil. Not enough to alter their spending habits, but enough to drive a few extra minutes to the next station. Without knowing it, they are actually crippling their cause by proving how truly dedicated they are to Big Oil’s product; that despite being upset with the situation, they are unwilling to alter their total consumption. At the end of the day it's the consumers’ demand that keeps prices up. Unless the government steps up to subsidize gas even more than it is now, the upward spiraling price of oil won't decrease until the demand falls off. (*note: except for elections, the price of oil almost always dips going into an election to make people happier with the incumbent party. But that’s another post for another day.)
The "don't buy on Wednesday" plans are American's diet-pill answer to the energy crisis. It's taking action that isn't that difficult, but doesn't really do anything either. It does make people feel like they're doing something, which eases their consciences enough so they can eat that forbidden bowl of ice cream or, in this case, take the scenic route home.
And yes, America is unique in that its cities and suburbs were developed later than most European or Asian cities, at a time when engines played a larger role in transportation that foot or horse traffic. (Something which was exacerbated by government-altered lower gas prices, btw.) So, naturally, not everyone can ditch a car for a bike or a pair of running shoes and places that are seemingly perpetually covered in snow and ice are not ideal for mopeds. I'm not saying that every person should switch over to a bike, and mass transportation cannot by any means get you everywhere you want to go- especially if you live outside a city- but that doesn't mean that everyone can't take steps. It isn't a huge lifestyle change to keep your car well-tuned, combine errands, obey the speed limit, carpool, or make your car lighter by emptying out your trunk.
The bottom-line to this is why not? Save yourself some cash (by paying less at the pump), get healthy (by upping your exercise), protect your national security (by reducing our dependence on unstable countries and unstable resources), preventing thousands of lung-related ER visits each year (by keeping chemicals out of our air) and do the environment a favor while your at it. You have literally nothing to lose and everything to gain. So why not?"
No comments:
Post a Comment