On Feb 8, 2006, at 12:43 PM, Jed Rothwell wrote:
These things are caused by stupidity, greed, bad management and -- in the face of terrorism -- energy policy that is tantamount to treason. (These policies have been endorsed by both parties and the last six presidents, but I still think they are close to treason.) Myriad technical solutions to these problems have been available all along, in plain sight.
You certainly have a good point there. Moving forward requires a substantial attitude change, the good old American "can do" attitude. This can do attitude is the opposite of that demonstrated by Exxon Mobil Senior Vice President Stuart McGill. A united political position that we have to break our addiction to foreign oil should go a long way toward the needed attitude change. A fully united position is not there yet, but with Bush's State of the Union address, the possibility of such a united front seems to be there for the first time. If driving big gas guzzlers is clearly unpatriotic, then most people won't do it. The rest can be handled by energy taxes collected to build a new energy infrastructure. The entire nation was mobilized in a few years to fight World War 2. It won't take that kind of full mobilization effort to achieve energy independence if we really get motivated and united.
