Labyrinth

Now that gas is $4/gallon, people are starting to care. Fuel consumption has become small talk at work and radio stations are siphening out gasoline instead of free concert tickets. I thought all this caring would illuminate the need for serious innovation in the realm of alternative energy. A few weeks ago, though, I read an article about families in central California who spend upwards of 20% of their income on gas, who have to drive long distances to find work, and are truly being destroyed by the gas prices. The members of this demographic can’t afford to spend money on a new, fuel efficient hybrid. They need an immediate solution. I found myself wondering what that could be – perhaps an intense expansion of public transportation, but that would require precious tax dollars, and people hate forking out those. To my disappointment, people have turned to the immediate solution of domestic/offshore drilling. Somehow, we have managed to pick the worst possible approach that could very well be a deciding issue of this election. The only way people notice alternative energy is when it impacts them directly, as it does now. Unfortunately, it looks like we’re still going to reach for the temporary fix that’ll land us in the same place we are now…