I love high gas prices.
When I see my local gas station's numbers sneaking slowly upwards, ever upwards, I simply could not be happier. In fact, I look forward to the day when a gallon of gasoline in America costs four dollars. Dare I dream of five dollars a gallon? O joy! O rapture!
Sure, I wince when I have to fill up at the pump myself and I do not necessarily relish the thought that topping off my 11-gallon gas tank now costs upwards of thirty dollars. But the long-term benefits of high gas prices so far outweigh the immediate negatives that the recent jump in oil prices should be a cause of celebration to most Americans. Most, that is. Not all.
Some people, it must be admitted, suffer more than others at the record-high gas prices. Taxi drivers, for example, and others for whom driving their cars is an integral part of their jobs have it tough when gas climbs to $3.00-plus a gallon. And it is for them, and only them, that I feel even an ounce of pity.
For the rest of us, the luxury of low gas prices in recent years has turned this nation into a country of fuel hogs. Even as we decry our junkie-like reliance on the Middle East to slake our unquenchable thirst for oil (and make plans to destroy our natural wildlife habitats in the search for more fuel), we have continued, as a nation, to line up for oversized SUV's with sub-par fuel standards all the while underfunding the search for alternative sources of energy. We are now getting precisely what we deserve.
Though I was only a child at the time, I still vividly recall the energy crisis of the mid-to-late-70's and its affect on Americans' behavior towards energy. The high fuel prices, the long lines at filling stations, rationed supplies- these were chilling reminders that America was on a fuel binge and that our reliance on this finite resource could not last.
Bad as it was, however, the energy crisis proved in the long run to be a great boon to Americans. To combat high fuel costs, engineers began to produce automobiles that could go farther and farther on a single gallon of gas. The miles-per-gallon rating became the most important information on a new-car sticker price. Car companies that could boast of fuel efficiency- Toyota, Volkswagen, Honda- saw a huge surge in sales. Detroit automakers ceased production of "gas guzzlers" and began to emulate their Japanese and European counterparts.
The result? Our dependence on foreign oil dipped dramatically. Fuel efficiency soared. As demand dropped, so did fuel prices. Eventually, the embargo was lifted and Americans faced a future where cars consumed less energy than ever before and gas was again affordable.
This utopian era didn't last very long.
When low gas prices returned, so did the gas guzzlers. Fuel efficiency became passè. What did it matter how many miles-per-gallon your car produced if a gallon of gas was under two dollars? Americans' desire for bigger and bigger cars launched the era of the sports utility vehicle- those behemoths of the road- whose mileage was tagged at an average of just under 14 miles per gallon. America was big-car-crazy again. Good-bye, Volkswagen Rabbit. Hello, Hummer.
By forgetting our past (and thus condemning ourselves to repeat it), we have once again ventured into an energy crisis of sorts. True, the more shocking aspects of the previous crisis have not reared their ugly heads (no rationing- yet), but the high gas prices have returned with vengeance.
The high cost of fuel, of course, will also cause may other prices to creep upwards. Retail stores, for example, who rely on ground transport, must raise prices to match the higher cost of shipping. These higher prices are passed along to everyone. But since these record prices were born of bigger demand by consumers, those who are unhappy with the resulting jump in prices at Wal-Mart and Jewel have only their SUV-driving brothers and sisters to blame. When demand goes down, so will gas prices.
But then, of course, the cycle will begin anew.
If the trend of high fuel costs continues, 2006 may well be remembered as the Year of the Hybrid. Americans, hungover from their years of mindless consumption, might once again begin conserving energy in earnest. The SUV's will be left behind to rust and future generations will shake their heads in disbelief at the once-profligate waste that these machines represented.
Vice President Cheney once famously opined- "Conservation may be a sign of personal virtue, but it is not a sufficient basis for a sound, comprehensive energy policy." If this is true, then Americans are about to get a heck of a lot more virtuous.