This is going to be as pretty as a middle aged guy in spandex...
I've had a long history with Superman. Years ago when somebody would express serious confidence in my ability to do an impossible job, I'd say, "...Well, I don't have an S on my chest, yet..." Lately, I like to joke about my twice-daily change ritual(I'm a bicycle commuter http://www.dailykos.com/... as the "Superman" routine. Just this past week, a student asked me, "Mr. Barr what superhero would you be?" I tried to think of somebody obscure, but all I could think about was Superman. So the other morning, my back stiff from too much driving, stress, lack of sleep, and myriad other issues, I knew it was time to do some Yoga. As I was doing my routine, I looked down...I had my Superman pajamas(my wife gave them to me for Christmas) on. I laughed. Does the Man of Steel ever have to work the kinks out? What this has to do with anything, I will explain below the fold.
Prior to my arrival in the Mountain pose, I had been working on a position statement regarding gas prices. The truth of the matter is that we are in bad shape. I don't have to tell you the effect gas prices are having on your daily life. The bad news is that there is no magic bullet to solve the problem. I'm neither the Lone Ranger nor am I Merlin. Similar to the fact that I am a no-longer-young athlete whose body gets grumpy with him, the world has hit a phenomenon known as Peak Oil. Grunting my way through life and drilling our way to prosperity are not options. We must get smart. Our health and our way of life depends on it.
I'd love to tell you that you can sit on the couch, eat chips and ice cream, smoke and drink, and that by doing this you would lose twenty pounds, have more energy, and peace would come to both our neighborhoods and the Middle East. But, I know that you know that this is snake oil. Well, anybody who tells you that solving the challenges that we face right now painlessly and easily is peddling snake oil. Can we solve our challenges? Can we solve peak oil, global climate change, and globalization? Yes, we can. It won't, however, be easy.
We'll start with energy efficiency. I doubt if there will be much argument about insulating our houses and replacing drafty doors and windows. Next, we will have to replace our vehicles. There will be some grumbling here. I understand. I replaced my 15 mpg four-wheel-drive pickup truck for a car that gets 45 mpg. Even with paying the cost of diesel it's still a bargain. Lower fuel costs make it an easier pill to swallow. Getting even more aggressive, we are going to have to use public transportation! YeeGods! Anything but that!
I know. All the so-called Conventional Wisdom folks are screaming, "The people won't use it." I say baloney. Compared with what I'm paying for gas now, I'd glady pay a couple of bucks for bus fare. I'd love to have a bus running down I-99 and US 30. I'd love to ride my bike off the mountain, pick up the bus, and let somebody else drive me to work. I'd love to have the time to read, write, talk on the phone, or sleep even. I think there are a lot of other people out there like me. After 60 years of Detroit selling us on the car (then the SUV), we realize that we've been trapped in boxes that wouldn't pass the Geneva Convention.
Now, I know that some of you will never take a bus or train. In these cases, we are going to have to rethink how we experience the "freedom of the open road." To these folks, I would suggest getting a bike. Whether it is a motorcycle (great gas mileage), a motor scooter (excellent gas mileage), or a bicycle/human powered vehicle (awesome gas mileage, It's unlimited!), you can still experience the "freedom of the open road" without using so much gas.
I'm guessing that a lot of you are saying, "Hmmm...smaller cars, public transportation, motorcycles, I can live with that." I wish that I could say that I see it ending there. It's not. A couple weeks ago, I saw a piece on the news regarding how the high gas prices are affecting the ATV crowd. The one guy said that he spent $150 just to get to the ATV park. Oof! I'm sorry for those folks who engage in motorized recreation. When I was younger, I waterskiied in the summer and snomobiled in the winter. Even now I downhill ski in the winter. What is going to happen to these sports when crude oil is $200/barrel? I understand allegiance to one's sport, and I understand the pure, simple joy of doing something physical outside. To the ATVers, might I suggest hiking or mountain biking. To the powerboaters, might I suggest canoe, kayaking, or surfing. I know it won't be same, but it will be doable.
I have to admit,thought, that my biggest concerns are with the farmers, truckers, and the tradespeople. They have a lot of machinery that they need to run, and without it, they are out of business. In the long run, I am confident that this nation's engineers will find a way for those tractors and trucks to run without costing an arm and a leg. In the short term, there are no easy answers. We are going to have to roll up our sleeves, and find a way to make it work for these groups. If we don't, food will not be grown, food and goods will not be transported, and there will be precious few houses or buildings constructed. Our economy, in short, will shut down.
It's not all gloom and doom. There are some hopeful options on the horizon. Hybrids are here, Plug-in electric vehicles should be here soon. More and more freight is being shipped via rail. Hybrids are coming to diesel locomotives cutting down on fuel used. Maglev trains are being talked about again. Traveling at 340 mph while using 1/3 the fuel of traveling at 65 mph, excites me greatly. Sails (ok giant kites) are coming back to ocean shipping.
There is much that can be done. Forget the hand-wringing about fuel cells, the first-step technologies already exist. We have the people. Many folks out here in Central PA would rather open up the hood of a car than open up a laptop. What we lack, and what we desperately need, is leadership.
I'm not Superman. I'm just a guy with kids and a job and a house. But, I can read and think and listen and dream and plan and execute. Unfortunately, these are qualities that my opponent, the incumbent Bill Shuster, lacks. The first step to solving any problem is to admit that you have a problem. My opponent is putting out literature that says we have enough oil and gas in the country to run 60 million cars and heat 60 million homes for 60 years. We don't. If we did, gas would not cost $4/gallon. The time has come for new leadership. I promise to do my homework, to tell the truth to the best of my understanding, and to work for the best interests of the people not oil companies.
For those of you who are tired of the last 8 years of plans from Fantasyland, join me at http://www.tonybarr2008.com