Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Common Interests Gas goes up 50 cents/gal in one day?!

The United States has 4 % of the worlds population, uses 35% of the worlds energy, and generates over 50% of the worlds solid waste.

Obviously there is a price to pay for our conspicuous consumption. Actually gas has been too cheap for too long in this country, and that fact contributed to the popularity of low milage SUV's and the like the past 15 years. Gas milage actually went down in this period because of this. We all see everyday one person driving a 5000 lb. Excursion or similar vehicle that almost never goes "offroad". Just think about it. ( Interesting that in this thread a prevalent topic is that of conservation, i.e. riding bikes, mopeds, getting a high milage vehicle etc).

Early in the Clinton administration, there was a proposal to have an energy tax based on a BTU basis. The objective was to lessen our overall energy consumption and to lessen our dependence on foreign oil through conservation. But Congress failed to act ( much the same as Congress failed to act on Clintons health care proposal).

Today our glutonous consumption of foreign oil and failure to enact an energy policy in which conservation is the cornerstone threatens our economy and weakens our national security. And the runaway costs of our broken health care system, which includes 45 million Americans who have no health insurance at all, is a national disgrace in the richest country in the world.

Think about it next time you fill up at the pump, or are unable to pay medical bills.