Posted by
C-Hayes on Monday, June 09, 2008 4:44:30 PM
"...a switch to European-style gas taxes would kill the American economy. But when you look at how many Americans reacted to $4-a-gallon gas -- including people who say they want to curb energy use -- you have to respect how Europeans enunciated a set of goals -- less congestion, less pollution, more public transit -- and agreed that everybody has to pay to achieve those goals. They don't just dump the burden on smokers and "the rich," and many Europeans are proud that they pay through the nose for gas.
"Back in America, a different dynamic is at play. Many voters say they want to fight global warming, while everyone wants to increase America's energy independence. Yet somehow many Americans seem to think that they are entitled to expect politicians to deliver greenhouse-gas reductions and energy independence -- along with cheap gas and big cars. Politicians duly tell voters that they will pass laws to reduce energy consumption, and voters like what they hear -- in part because they think they won't have to pay more at the pump or think about fuel efficiency at the car dealership."
"...McCain and Clinton have said that they want to sharply reduce greenhouse gases and decrease America's dependence on foreign oil. You don't get there with cheap gasoline. You get there by curbing energy use, which higher prices will do.
"Or you get there by increasing supply. Instead, McCain and Obama support Congress' refusal to allow drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, as well as bans on new drilling off the coasts of California and Florida. They say they support energy independence -- while they support policies that guarantee more importation of foreign oil."
In a nutshell - nobody gets it.