Energizing American Politics
May 16, 2007 by jritch
Spencer Reiss over at Wired.com put up a snazzy article today on why $5 gas is the greatest thing for America. The article goes on to make some excellent points about what I’ve always thought, alternative energy sources will not become a realistic option for the US economy until the incredibly inexpensive infrastructure built on petroleum products becomes too expensive to maintain.
The truth is that the often maligned oil companies could do a lot of good if they threw their super budgets into alternative fuels research. And they do already. The problem is that it is just too profitable to maintain the status quo. There is tons of money to be made in alternative fuels, and when the current system reaches a “point of no return” (e.g. $5 gas) then solar, nuclear, wind, etc… will become the mainstream of American energy.
One of the best things that I learned on my trip to the old red, white, and bleu… is that France has it right. The air was so clean, even in Paris. Most of the country is powered by nuclear energy and as I rode through the countryside on a train, I saw windmills generating power.
There are a lot of forward thinking experts in the US, our government just has to give them ear time to make their case. That’s why my vote in the 2008 presidential race will go to the candidate with the best energy policy. I hope that the rest of America realizes the impact that oil has on our current distribution methods for everything from plastic to our daily meals The next 10 years of American history won’t be determined by “housing bubbles”, internet economies or wars that are justified or not.
America will establish itself as a world leader for the next century only by developing an energy infrastructure that can put the country ahead of the curve as oil becomes a less viable option for powering the engine of the world economy.
