$150 Oil – The Environmentalist’s Best Friend

With the recent run-up in oil prices, I can’t help but think of just how the free market has become the environmentalist’s best friend. Think about it, with oil prices where they are, and gasoline prices over $4 at the pump, people are flocking to economical small cars and leaving their gas-guzzling SUV’s in the driveway.

I must add though, typical of the poor supply/demand knowledge of the average american, many SUV owners are trying to sell their vehicles into a major down market for big trucks. The result is people saying the same things that homesellers are saying – “I can’t get the price I want for this truck.” Well smarten up buddy, the free market doesn’t cater itself to what you want – trying to sell a truck and buying a small car now is like ‘buy high/sell low – bad timing.

now back to my point: people are becoming more fuel-consumption savvy. Small car sales are soaring just as truck sales are becoming non-existent.The use of public transportation is climbing with subways and buses featuring “standing room only” crowds. People have rediscovered walking. Even the Police are being required to walk more (for some of them, this could be very good thing).

This is what an environmentalist has always dreamed of. And, it was done without the usual blow-hard congressman trying to legislate habitual changes. You would think that those who support environmental causes would be happy – and I think legitimate environmentalists are pleased. However, this situation of higher oil prices has drawn the biannual attention of another group of blowhard congressmen – the ones who know dam well that the market controls oil prices, but still feel the need (perhaps to protect their pensions) to blame oil companies for the high prices.

I am instituting a new award- the “Chooch Award,” which will be awarded from time to time as I see fit. Today, I would like to name The House Judiciary Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee as winners of The Chooch Award.Why? Number one, either they understand the supply and demand issues of the oil market and still blame oil execs in order to curry favor with naive voters or they really don’t understand supply and demand issues with oil. Either way, this is unacceptible for American leadership – Playing games or being that dumb is UNACCEPTIBLE. .

Number 2, they waste our money with these foolish meetings which become simply opportunities for them to get in front of the TV – to make it appear as if they are doing something in the eyes of previously-mentioned naive voters.

As a corollary to number 1, these folks are simply embarrassing themselves because they look ridiculous. Their questions are not thought out and their discussion of the matter is choppy and seems to come from the pens of their aides and interns.

Besides, these folks need to realize that their constituents often are in favor of improving our environmental standards. Therefore, these congressmen should be enthusiastic about high oil price effects on how much oil we use. You would think that, by the way they complain about oil prices, they would prefer more oil consumption, SUV’s, and waste. they need to make up their minds – one thing that makes alternative power economically viable is the high price of oil. This is a good thing in environmentalists’ eyes and they should seriously reconsider whom they support at the polls when they watch the Senate and House show off their simplistic thinking/vote-seeking behavior on our dime.

Chris Grande

5.28.08

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