Getting It Right- The “American Way Of Life” Is In The Process Of Change

6/12/08

"The Process Of Change
In America Has Begun"
The American public is reacting to the high cost of gasoline. The changes that will occur over the next decade will give new meaning to the term "The American Way Of Live". In the process, our standard of living will undoubtedly diminish, and many things previously taken for granted will warrant consideration and evaluation.
As I stand holding the pump handle at the filling station and watch the numbers whizz by on the dial at a speed that threatens the ability of the device to keep up with the calculation of how much I will owe, I can not restrain the feeling of anger that develops within me. By the time I complete the job and return to the seat of my car, I am disgusted and enraged.
I do not blame the oil companies. I do not blame the Mid-eastern Oil Lords. I do not blame the speculators. I do not blame the gasoline retailers.
My anger is directed at the pompous herd of Washington politicians who have been proclaiming every year for the past thirty years, how they are dedicated to developing a national energy policy formulated to making America energy independent - while they actually did little or nothing. In fact, in my opinion, the actions they took actually worsened our condition and made us MORE dependent on the Mideast Oil Barons who have traded their camels for Rolls-Royce limos.
Instead of investing in incentives to encourage development of energy reduction processes and substitute sources of energy, they passed legislation that has crippled our ability to utilize what resources we have at hand to ease the public pain at the pump. In order to appear to be on the "Green" bandwagon and to be sure they had a voting record that showed their deep concern for the environment, they thus bought the environmental votes by passing legislation that prohibited drilling in vast oil reserves that exist in Alaska and off shore in Florida, they discontinued all interest in nuclear energy, and refused to allow any new refineries to be built. They got the votes from the environmental loonies…..and the nation got the shaft.
We should not forget that the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) drilling approval bill was passed by both houses and put on Bill Clinton’s desk twelve years ago. He vetoed that bill!! He took this action in order to appease vocal displeasure from those who put the needs of the spotted owl, the snail darter fish, or caribou ahead of the needs of our nation. Had that bill been signed that inflow of oil would now be on line and delivering over one million barrels of oil per day. As a result, cost at the pump would be 25% less than the torture we are now enduring.
Don’t get me wrong. I can not totally point my finger at the Democrats, there are plenty of weak, misdirected politicians on both sides of the aisle. They have almost all played the game of putting personal politics ahead of the interest of the nation and the citizens of America. As a result we are now becoming a nation with a crippled economy, with a diminishing standard of living, that is held captive by leaders from nations in the Mideast that we neither trust nor enjoy.
The citizens of America have always risen to meet any challenge that threatens our homeland and all we enjoy. I believe that will happen again over the next twenty years as we respond to this threat. However, we are many years away from meaningful solutions, and in the interim we are facing conditions that most of our living population has never experienced.
Changes In Our National Transportation Systems - In my opinion, we will see a re-emergence of the rail system in our nation over the next twenty years. Until the 1950’s, the rail system was the primary means of transportation for our nation. Our highway system was narrow and difficult, and airliners were in a development phase. Most of the nation’s freight and travelers were moved by rail.
However, disruptive union activities, combined with bad management to create an unpleasant, unreliable, transportation experience. During the 1960’s the emerging airlines engaged in extensive lobbying activities in Washington and began to lure federal infrastructure financing away from the railroads and into the creation of the national air system.
As a result, the use of the railroads for travel began to diminish and the traveling public began to take to the airways. At the same time our national highway system developed into a modern, interstate network that fostered speedy, inexpensive delivery of freight by trucking for a significant portion of the goods that had previously been shipped by rail. Gasoline was relatively inexpensive and the extra cost for travel and freight delivery over rail service was justified by the added levels of service, convenience, and speed.
Due to this reduced importance, although the railroads remained a huge business, the level of investment in rail technology for creation of the rail infrastructure required for bullet trains and monorail networks was never made. The U.S. rail network became a system for movement of heavy, bulky products and lagged far behind the systems in use in other nations around the world…….now, in 2008 gasoline costs of $4.00 and perhaps eventually $6.00 per gallon or more are introduced into the picture.
At the same time air travel has become a terrible, inconvenient experience for a traveling public that is becoming increasingly dissatisfied with airline service and unable to meet the escalating costs of air travel. Thus I predict the reemergence of a reliable, efficient, national rail travel network. The new system should be designed to interconnect efficiently rail travel with air travel. Air travel should only be from major hub to major hub, or international connections. All regional travel connecting with these hubs should be by high speed rail systems. Additionally, high speed cross country rail service will be made available.
Much of the freight that is not critically time delivery sensitive will convert from truck transport to rail transport. Thus, the cost of delivery of products will be significantly lowered as rail freight is enhanced. The gallons of fuel expended per mile in a train system is much, much more efficient and less expensive than the gallons of fuel required per mile in a truck or air system. These changes will occur.
On the highways a flood of small, efficient "smart cars" type of vehicles will replace the lumbering SUV’s, Hummers, and Pick-Up Trucks that now fill the lanes. We will be seeking those vehicles that will perform at 50 miles per gallon or better. Vacations for many families will become more often focused on local attractions instead of tours around the country.
Living as close as possible to your place of work will become more and more important. This will change development patterns for new construction and will increase in-town condominium style living over suburbia and commuting lifestyles.
For many products, decentralization will become more efficient than the continual move to consolidation and centralization that has been the philosophy of the 90’s and thus far this century. The economies of scale that are realized through centralization will be overshadowed by the high cost of delivery for many products. This will foster a move to decentralization and increase localized production and delivery networks. This will especially be true for food products and building materials.
It is imperative that our nation’s leaders develop a meaningful ten year, twenty year, and fifty year energy plan. This plan must be devoid of political influence and earmark type logic. It is time to put the needs of our nation before selfish personal interest.
Changes are just beginning, but the speed of implementation will increase as the needs become more extreme because of ever increased fuel costs. The day of change is at hand!
Rudiments – Odds and Ends Worth Mentioning:
♦ The Chinese are all getting off their bicycles and buying automobiles, while the American public begins pedaling. When gasoline reaches eight dollars a gallon I think I will start a rickshaw business.
♦ I see where Jackson County just had its second incidence of Eastern equine West Nile infect an area horse. This was the twenty third case state wide. I can not help but believe the State EPA requirement for ugly, expensive water retention ponds for every new building in all towns and subdivisions is causing a public health hazard from mosquito borne diseases. We need to rethink these requirements and only put the ponds where they are actually needed. Under the present requirements, if a structure was built in the middle of a desert, the owner would still have to dig a huge depression in the sand for a pond.
♦ If our County Commissioners would just go ahead and purchase the old Wal-Mart building while the market is depressed they would also be taking an action that would save a lot of fuel cost for the citizens of the County. They would no longer have to drive around and around the square trying to find a place to park.
Well, I am again out of room and fingers are becoming fatigued. I hope you will all help us get rid of the politicians that have created this mess over the past three decades. I say Out with the Rascals. Help in this endeavor this fall and you will be "Getting It Right".