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glatt · 08-17-2006, 10:12 AM

Ahem.

I have a potential solution. One where nobody is told what they have to do.

First, the oil crisis is primarily that we are using too much foreign oil.

We shouldn't use any. Foreign oil is the most costly oil there is. It's costly because we have to meddle in the Middle East to keep it flowing.

How many billions of dollars have we spent on Isreal? How many billions on Saudi Arabia? How many billions in Iraq? How much did our economy lose as a result of 9/11? You get the picture. If we could just eliminate our dependence on foreign oil, we could completely cut out all that spending. As a bonus, if we were no longer meddling in the Mideast, the terrorists would probably leave us alone. Wouldn't it be nice to never have to pay attention to the Mideast again? Let the Chinese or the EU worry about them for a change. I'm talking about pulling out completely. No aid for anyone.

So eliminating our foreign oil dependence is our goal. But we're obviosly not there yet. So in the meantime, we can shift the cost of that dependence to where it really belongs. The gas pump.

This is a pie in the sky solution that will never happen, but I think we would go a long way toward solving our oil problems if gas was sold for its true price. If all that Mideast meddling was payed for with gasoline taxes instead of income taxes, we would have more money in our wallets after we get paid, but we would be facing a higher price at the pump. That's when you get to make a choice. That's when the market helps to decide the direction we should take. Nobody is told what to do. You can buy an SUV or an econobox car. If you buy the SUV, you will be spending all your extra paycheck money at the pump. If you buy a fuel efficient car, you can maybe take the wife out to dinner once or twice a month. Alternative fuels, which have been proportionately more expensive would suddenly be able to compete. Consumers would be shocked at the price of gas and would be more likely to choose more fuel efficient vehicles and/or public transportation.

It's really just a simple shifting of costs, but will have the tendency to reduce our dependency on foreign oil.

I don't have all the details figured out, and the devil would be in the details, but the basic idea is that you have more money in your pocket, but gas costs a lot more.

Added bonus is that as the price of gas goes up, alternative fuels are able to compete. Also, people will tend to use less, so carbon emmisions go down, and the global warming situation is improved.

No terrorism. No global warming. No wars in the Mideast. We become self sufficient and more secure. What's not to like? All with a little accounting trick.

08-17-2006, 10:12 AM	#28
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	Ahem. I have a potential solution. One where nobody is told what they have to do. First, the oil crisis is primarily that we are using too much foreign oil. We shouldn't use any. Foreign oil is the most costly oil there is. It's costly because we have to meddle in the Middle East to keep it flowing. How many billions of dollars have we spent on Isreal? How many billions on Saudi Arabia? How many billions in Iraq? How much did our economy lose as a result of 9/11? You get the picture. If we could just eliminate our dependence on foreign oil, we could completely cut out all that spending. As a bonus, if we were no longer meddling in the Mideast, the terrorists would probably leave us alone. Wouldn't it be nice to never have to pay attention to the Mideast again? Let the Chinese or the EU worry about them for a change. I'm talking about pulling out completely. No aid for anyone. So eliminating our foreign oil dependence is our goal. But we're obviosly not there yet. So in the meantime, we can shift the cost of that dependence to where it really belongs. The gas pump. This is a pie in the sky solution that will never happen, but I think we would go a long way toward solving our oil problems if gas was sold for its true price. If all that Mideast meddling was payed for with gasoline taxes instead of income taxes, we would have more money in our wallets after we get paid, but we would be facing a higher price at the pump. That's when you get to make a choice. That's when the market helps to decide the direction we should take. Nobody is told what to do. You can buy an SUV or an econobox car. If you buy the SUV, you will be spending all your extra paycheck money at the pump. If you buy a fuel efficient car, you can maybe take the wife out to dinner once or twice a month. Alternative fuels, which have been proportionately more expensive would suddenly be able to compete. Consumers would be shocked at the price of gas and would be more likely to choose more fuel efficient vehicles and/or public transportation. It's really just a simple shifting of costs, but will have the tendency to reduce our dependency on foreign oil. I don't have all the details figured out, and the devil would be in the details, but the basic idea is that you have more money in your pocket, but gas costs a lot more. Added bonus is that as the price of gas goes up, alternative fuels are able to compete. Also, people will tend to use less, so carbon emmisions go down, and the global warming situation is improved. No terrorism. No global warming. No wars in the Mideast. We become self sufficient and more secure. What's not to like? All with a little accounting trick.