February 08, 2006

Quitting oil this way should be easy

Sent to the Washington Post, February 7, 2006, destiny unknown

Quitting oil as proposed should be easy and, as Mark Twain said, we should be able to do it a thousand times. Analyzing what is on the table for battling the habit of oil reminds one of a new-year pledge to quit smoking based exclusively on the use of low tar cigarettes and patches of nicotine, and zero will. Before politicians dare to express the need for a substantial tax on the consumption of gas, no one should be compelled to believe in their determination. But, what about cars with lower gas consumption? Well as it just reinforces the current no-public-transport-model, this could indeed worsen the withdrawal symptoms when, on doctor’s orders, the country finally has no choice but to quit.