whining about gas prices

One front-page story after another paints a picture of how high gas prices are killing Americans. You would think it is the end of the world. Prices are around $3.50 a gallon average nationwide -over $4 in the Bay Area, and, if we are to believe the media, Americans are having trouble making ends meet. Somehow that does not make a lot of sense to me. This is the richest country in the world and people are whining about $3.50 gasoline?

Suffice it to say that the rest of the civilized world has been living with $3.50 a gallon gas for decades now. Decades during which consumption has steadily risen, despite the high price. Prices in Europe have always been this high and these days they are more than double the amount Americans have to pay. Yet Europeans are living well and they are happy. They often strike me as being happier than us Americans. Maybe it is because the Euro is so high and they feel rich when they are staying over here. In any case, they are not in distress like we supposedly are.

When I look around, all I can think is that gas is way too cheap. Traffic density has barely budged. We read that people are driving less, carpooling more, and -god forbid- are using public transportation, but I still see way too many cars on the road. And way too many big cars with just one occupant. I used to think gas had to be at a minimum of $5 a gallon, but now I am tempted to believe that even $5 is way too cheap if we are to ever wean ourselves of our oil-addiction.

This week the WSJ suggested that we stop filling the national petroleum reserve and sell gas instead. That would make us some money which we desperately need to pay for our adventure in Iraq. And it would ease gas prices. So far so good. But then, in a twist of logic one can only find in the WSJ, the author suggested that this might actually help the environment by spurring investment in alternative energy. Go figure. Make gas less expensive so people can keep up their wasteful gas guzzling and we will save the environment by promoting alternative energy. Only in the journal baby!

No way folks. The only remedy for global warming is steady high gas prices. Think of all the tax money we will collect. It can be used to help education, social security -our next disaster, universal health care, highway repair, better city planning, and what have you. No need to sell petroleum from our national reserve. Just tax those who guzzle gas. A new sin tax. It is the American way. We did it to tobacco and it worked. Time to focus on a more devastating addiction and one that leads to greater ills.