Wednesday, May 10, 2006, posted by Q6 at 7:22 PM
When I heard that our illustrious (okay, comical) federal government was proposing a $100 "rebate" to make up for the rise in gas prices, I couldn't help but think of that scene in the first few minutes of The Godfather where Sonny breaks the reporter's camera, then throws a little money at him. The whole thing seemed . . . well, insulting. Now they're proposing better fuel economy, which makes sense if you think about it like you've got the president's IQ: better economy, less gas used. But is it a solution? A short term one, perhaps. My suggestion--and I doubt that the president reads my blog, but whatever--not only solves the problem, but solves it for good: mandate that no automobile will run on petroleum products by January 1, 2026. I think twenty years is long enough to come up with viable solutions and get them into the marketplace. Hell, if I had the money I'd convert mine over to natural gas in a heartbeat. Automakers can start looking to the future now, but they shouldn't whine if someone else steps in with an economical alternative before they get there. Big Oil is just gonna have to face reality; the age of gasoline is rapidly coming to an end. And the public is going to have to, at some point, get up out of their chairs, go to the window, and scream, "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!"