Remember last summer when gas prices reached $4.00 a gallon.

Remember the rush to dump large SUVs, trucks, and mini-vans?  Remember how high mileage economy cars where all the rage?  Remember how the during the 2008 election cycle, Democrats including candidate Obama reluctantly agreed to increase the domestic oil drilling to help ease the crises?  Remember how the fall of the American automakers was blamed on their reliance on large gas guzzling vehicles?

What happened to the call to action?  What happened to the promises by Democrats and Barack Obama?  What happened to the all out war on dependence on foreign energy?  Well a funny thing happened when the gas prices got so high.  The economy went into recession (largely due to the price of energy), people reduced their driving, many people dumped large vehicles for small ones, the price of gas took a tumble, and the Democrats were put securely in charge of the House, Senate, and the Presidency.

Almost immediately the Democrats and President Obama dumped their promises to expand oil exploration, thinking that they could get away with it since it was no longer a hot button issue.  It was also in response to the Environmental lobby that holds a lot of power of the Democrats.  Ah but despite Democratic figure pointing at evil investers, there was another reason for gas prices to go so high.  And that reason was that world demand was increasing.  When the world economy went into recession, so did the demand for oil.  And now that the economy is starting to rebound, the price of gas is going up.

Now it doesn't take an economic geniuses (Congress aside) to know that as the world economies recover the price of oil will go up.  And once again, we will be stuck with a lame energy policy that was design to please political groups instead of helping our country.  One of the most lame excuses that Democrats give in their support of banning more domestic oil drilling is that it will take 10 years for it to make a difference.  Well they have been saying that for well over 10 years.  So if they would have allowed us to expand our domestic production 10 years ago, our deficit would be less today, and the price of gas would be less today, even if by only a few cents.  It all adds up.  And if they would have let companies continues with starting new oil drilling projects last year, we would have maybe 9 years or less before it started to help our economy.  Actually it would be less than 9 years because the increased employment in the country would be an almost immediate benefit.  And we all know we could use more jobs.  Isn't that what the trillions of dollars Obama is spending is for?

In addition to banning more oil production, the Democrats and President are doing other things to reduce our ability to be more energy independent.  They are reluctant to support new nuclear plants, and the reduced the amount of money going into fuel cell research.  Instead the Democrats are spending their money on the electrification of the automobile (a good thing in my opinion) and the holy grail of environmentalist, wind and solar power.  Now all of those things are good things, but energy experts agree that it will take a long time for wind and solar to make a significant dip in our energy usage.  That is were domestic oil drilling and nuclear power can help.  It is technology that we possess now, and it will help to keep our energy costs down until other forms of energy can take over.

Most everyone agrees that the solution to our energy problem is a comprehensive program that looks at expanding current sources of energy while developing newer forms.  But the Democrats keep their heads in the sand and refuse to compromise.  And is not just Congress that is to blame.  It is the American people and their lack of a long term political memory. A recent Neilson survey published on a Car Connection blog, shows that Americans have dropped the small fuel economy cars in favor of the larger trucks and SUVs.  I find it ironic that part of Obamas plans to turn GM and Chrysler around is to force them to build small fuel efficient cars that the public wants.  When what the public really wants is large vehicles and cheap gas.

America needs to remember that gasoline was at $4.00 dollars a gallon not that long ago and it will be going that way again soon.  We need to think real hard before we commit ourselves to 5 years of payments on a gas guzzling car.  And if you really need a large vehicle, like many do; consider some of the new hybrid SUVs.  You may be glad you did when the economy starts to rebound.  Congress needs to prepare for that day by allowing a wider range of energy production in the country not just the feel good green energy of wind and solar.  These technologies are important but so is reducing our deficit, and providing cheap energy to drive our economy.

We need more common sense and less politics.

 - Thomas Paine 2