Broadside Blog

Gas Prices and other matters.

OK, you are tired of paying high gas prices right? Rest of the world pays much higher but that does not make you feel better either so what is the problem? The answer is easier to find than you think. It’s not the idiot congress preening before TV cameras either. Here it is or what it should have been.

In 1973 the arabs decided to cut off the flow of oil because of our support of Israel. Long lines, rationing and all of a sudden the small cars from Japan that everyone made fun of became popular. Lots of talk about what was needed to be done to solve the problem and as soon as the oil started to flow again any solution was forgotten.

No active or passive solar home construction was mandated. Mandate it by building codes. By in large the gas mileage for our cars got better then the cars got bigger and then the gas mileage got worse and then over and over again. If you want to use less gas, buy a small car. If you do not care, buy a large car.

Here is the really stupid part. No new drilling was really done except for Alaska and a few places in the lower 48. No new refineries were built. You know, not in my back yard thing. The nuke plant construction was stopped. So now everything went to a large carbon based fuel society and the large percentage being brought in from overseas. You know, the very same bunch that shut it off from us in 1973.

So the big ass circle is back. Now what? I know, let’s hold hearings in Washington and grandstand. I wonder how many of the blowhards that are on TV have actually taken oil money from them for their re-election? Now what needs to be done is to drill and drill now. Everywhere and I mean everywhere. Screw the beaches and the animals. Build refineries. Then research had better start NOW to get us off of the carbon based energy we are dependent upon. If not, then better get a bicycle and an axe because you will pedal to work and build a fire to stay warm.

Of course, none of this will make anyone happy so start your path to solution.

posted by Jay @ 5:08 PM