A fuel perspective

A good day to you, folks! These are the first words typed on my new laptop, a nice Gateway that I picked up for a good price at Newegg.com . I’ve been impressed so far with the graphics and other capabilities of the machine, now to see how well the keyboard works! One benefit already is that I’m lying bed writing, rather than sitting at a desk!

One thing I’ve been thinking about lately is gas prices (who hasn’t?) and their effect on the average American life. The manager of the gas station/convenience store where I work part time was working out back in the stockroom with me the other day and said something to the effect that he would just as soon stay behind the scenes because up front, “all you get is people complaining about the gas prices. They figure that because we take the money, that somehow we’re responsible for the prices.” This is just one minor example of what I can only describe as an ignorant attitude on the part of a majority of Americans regarding current high gas prices. Phil Gramm said recently that we have become a “nation of whiners.” He was demonized by the media and even some conservatives for suggesting that the current recession is largely a mental one, but I agree in large part with what he said. From liberal politicians and media figures on down, there is a lot of whining and finger pointing going on that fails entirely to address the root causes of the low economic times that we are dealing with. It’s been said before (and better) by many others, but I’d like to say it again: the only way to truly solve our economic woes is to let the free market and deregulation of energy production naturally correct the problem! More government interference will not solve anything---but this is precisely what far too many in our “nation of whiners” want---a quick “fix” that ignores long-term consequences.

I am encouraged, though, by what I see and hear from many of the everyday Americans around me. One of my co-workers in particular takes a real beating at the pump---spending about half of his paycheck just to get to work. When you’re making not much more than minimum wage, and have only a hundred or so a week after buying gas, it’s really hard to save or get ahead at all. My friend, however isn’t really bitter---doesn’t whine and complain. Instead, he’s looking for a place to live closer to work, and is constantly optimistic about working, making money, and solving his fuel bill problem with his own two hands, rather than asking a politician to solve it for him. I think that a lot of Americans are like that---hardworking and willing to make do when times are tough.

I think what it comes down to then, on the political front, is the need for a leader who is willing to encourage them to do just that. A leader who will say, “Americans, we have a problem, but it’s up to you to fix it with American produced fuel, and with sensible conservation and alternative energy sources. What I will give you is less government interference in the form of taxes and regulations, and I will keep the government out of the energy subsidy business---letting the free market determine the most efficient path to energy production instead.” I don’t know where a leader like this is to be found (on the presidential scale at least) in a day when promises of government help are more and more the norm, but I trust that such a leader will be found for America in the near future.