[Jamie79SC]

Peter,

I think I was a little obtuse in my opening statement and didn’t make my point clearly.

It appears that people are willing to pay more than they do for gas.

Because they are willing to pay more for gas, like it or not eventually they will.

Rather paying more to the oil companies, and foreign owners of oil, instead confiscate that extra money in the form of taxes. I’m not suggesting that we tax to reduce consumption. I’m suggesting that you could add a tax to fuel just to the point of reducing consumption.

Then invest that money to eventually reduce the economic demand for oil.

You are quite right; if the government ever did levy that tax they’d spend it on the same BS they spend all the rest of our money on. (That’s why I said earlier on this is just a thought exercise.)

I hope / wish that Island is right about energy companies investing this windfall on future energy, I’m just not sure it will really happen in our best interest. They’ll make every dollar they can on petroleum and then make every dollar they can on the next technologies that they own. I know I sound like a socialist here, but is it possible that some things are not best left to the free market? (I really don’t know, but I’d like to discuss the possibility.)

We were in Germany and England as the aftermath of WWII and stayed there and went to Korea for the Cold War. I think we’re there now largely out of habit and want out.