"Eric Dreher" <ericd DeleteThis @cox.nét> wrote in message
news:pl5651t42obq323al4b75cp3t1vh7s2p97@4ax.com...
> On Tue, 05 Apr 2005 22:44:31 GMT, tz <nospam@sp`am.com> wrote:
>
> >In article <xqidnbxJxf9gj87fRVn-iQ DeleteThis @comcast.com>,
> > "D.D. Palmer" <ddpalmer DeleteThis @hotmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >> I remember thinking in 1981 that we'd never see $1.25 again and it was
$.999
> >> as late as 1996 or 1997.
> >
> >My guess is we'll see $2.50 per gal by July 4, maybe more, but I hope
> >I'm wrong. We here in the U.S.A. still enjoy the lowest gas prices in
> >the world. We here in the U.S.A. still don't take this seriously. We
> >keep buying gas guzzlers and drive like hell. I think about six bucks a
> >gallon will finally open some eyes.
>
> I was listening to an interview on either CNN or MSNBC about three
> weeks ago. It was estimated that if everyone with a small truck
> or passenger vehicle was given a hybrid free of charge on the
> condition that they rid themselves of their current vehicle, gasoline
> consumption would be reduced in the U.S. by a whopping three percent.
>
Who was being interviewed? If you can remember who or by who and pin the
date down a little, maybe I can search for it.
Trade only the "small truck or passenger vehicle[s]?" Maybe only a 3%
reduction would result from that, the small ones already get decent gas
mileage. Now I really wonder who was being interviewed. It would be like
some Bush Administration / Oil Industry Shill to dream this up: trade out
the vehicles that already get the best mileage. The sensible thing to do is
swap out the vehicles that get the worst mileage. Eliminate the Hummers,
Tahoes, Yukons, Explorers, Expeditions, etc.
Reducing fuel consupmtion nationally would have a number of beneficial
primary effects:
1. Improve our balance of trade. Between the deficit and the poor balance
of trade, we're selling something like $75 billion in notes overseas every
month. It wouldn't improve this situatino as much as I'd like to see but it
woud be a start.
2. Improve the environment. Our atmosphere is changing rapidly. A few
atmospheric scientists and climatologists think this may be OK, that our
atmosphere may be able to absorb all the carbon we're putting into it but
nearly all of them believe this is bad. We're taking a huge gamble with the
health of the planet. I don't know about you but I don't think I'm ready to
move off-planet. Too far from the relatives, you know?
3. Reduce the flow of money to terrorists. A significant fraction of the
money that goes to the Middle East supports terrorism or, at least,
anti-Western agitation. Let's stop funding our enemies. That alone would
slow them down, some but the loss of easy oil money will force them to build
real economies, they'll be too busy working at real jobs to do us any harm.
Where did Saddam Hussein get funds to arm Iraq? Where do Iran's mullahs get
funds to pay off A.Q.Khan and buy critical nuclear weaponry technology? For
the matter of that, where do Iran's mullahs and the Saudi ruling family get
the funds to keep their own people in chains?
4. Reduce the power of some despots in the Middle East. With less cash,
they'll be less able to interfere with democratization - or fight our
military if we must use force again.
Any one of these things would be a sensible thing to do. We can make a
start on all of them by just buying smaller cars. Why not do it?<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
>> Stay informed about: Crude Oil Price Bubble 
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