Albert Einstein said, “We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”
Everyone is feeling the pressure of higher gas prices. I'm not an economist and my thinking may be overly simplistic, but it seems to me that higher gas prices are a simple function of supply and demand. More countries aside from industrialized Western countries, India and China in particular, are using gas for cars far more than ever before.
Some people say we should ask the oil producing countries to lower prices, but why should they? Others say we should drill our own oil off of our beaches and in our wilderness areas. This modest dentist says we should stop using oil--or at least drastically lower our consumption.
We have the technology available now for electric cars which can be plugged in at home for charging. Yes, the electricity produced may come from power plants that burn oil. But what if every roof in America had solar panels that produce electricity? Not only is this technology also available now but there are even photovoltaic shingles that look like a good old fashioned roof. It may temporarily rock our economy if the oil companies and electric companies lose business but we will adjust. And building the new infrastructure--solar roofing and electric cars--will boost our economy on another front.
While we're at it, let's expand our trains, subways, and other public transportation so that it's just as convenient (and cost effective) to take public transit as it is to drive. Less traffic--gas or electric--would be nice.
Whether you believe in global climate change or you simply want to save money, electric cars and public transit make a lot of sense. And remember you can always walk or ride a bike!
Let's take Einstein's advice and move away from oil which is 19th century technology.