Joey is WALKING! I have video, will post it soon, but I am having some hardware issues with my computer. It has forced me to migrate to Lindsey's computer, but for some reason my video software won't load on hers. As I type the problems are being resolved though.

Anyways, the purpose of the post is to share the "good" "breaking" news I saw on CNN today. I usually avoid all of those pop news channels out of respect for my own dignity, but it is nice to every once in a while pop on there to see what "framing" is going on in the popular press i.e. shale oil will save us all, saddam=Al Queada etc.

Well today the "breaking" news was that high gas prices might be good for us! Shocker, I know. Believe it or not, people are driving less, the freeways are less crowded, projections are that local pollution in larger cities is going to decrease if these trends continue. And mass transit is seeing record numbers of use, which in turn is leading to increased revenue, leading to increases in service. Estimates are that people are walking more (something all of us can use, and as a nation won't do anything but help our obesity problem.) With the decrease in traffic, officials are projecting roads will last longer (less taxes to repair over worn roads). Those that are driving are on average driving at much slower speeds, presumably to save fuel. This is leading to a reduction in automobile accidents, which inevitably leads to a reduction insurance premiums. In addition many people are switching to 4 day work weeks in an effort to mitigate commute days. This leads to more time at home with family, less days of child care and more relaxed weekends. Eventually leading to better overall health (the average American work week is well over the average for other industrialized nations.) Of course this means a generation of kids actually getting to be raised by their parents (less need for public monies to be spent on child services and future prison costs). AND, while there has been a significant slow down in housing starts, the report was pointing to some indicators that people in metropolitan areas are abandoning the subburbs and looking for ways to live closer to where they work. Whew! I haven't even gotten to the overall reduction in everyone's carbon output, in fact I will leave that alone, simply put, the high gas prices might actually wind up saving our society money! Who knew?

It seems that when a commodity is priced what it is truly worth it will be used in responsible ways. Specifically a commodity as important as oil can have a huge impact on the way we live our lives. I am sure oil prices are not all supply side driven, much of it probably has to do with speculation etc (re: Enron), but still the less you use the lower the price should become. I just wish someone would in form John McCain about this principle. His solution to percieved problem of having high gas prices is simply put, "let's lower them". He wants to temporarily suspend the federal taxes on gas, taxes used to fund our roads, oil supply lines etc. That makes no sense, that's like giving the hungry baby a piece of candy. It may satisfy the crying for a short time, but when that sugar is digested, the problem of hunger will come back in an even bigger way.

If we artificially reduce gas prices, won't that lead to increased consumption of a limited resource? I know I slept through or skipped most of econ 101, but what I remember from studying for the tests was that cost of a good is inversely related to supply, and both are tied to demand. If you reduce the cost, demand will increase, leading to a reduction in supply, which in turn leads to an increase in price. Not really a complex idea (probably why I passed econ 101 with minimal attendance), so why does McCain miss it? Because he is playing rhetoric politics, "I feel the pain of the working man." Or perhaps it is more that he believes Americans to be short sighted ignorant nationalists who believe all of our problems are a result of bad congressional democrats and non-Christian (muslim) terrorists, and have nothing to do with their life choices.

Of course Obama doesn't seem to be doing much good either. He wants us to penealize the oil companies for their "windfall" profits. Please, they are companies making profits no different than any other company in this country. Why are people still willing to pay $1000 for a computer that has $40 worth of hardware in it? Because the market perceives the value of that item. If there were people artifically pushing the price of oil up, that should be dealt with. But in reality, the writing is on the wall for the big oil companies. They are the bad guys, the term "carbon footprint" is everywhere (I actually read today that Orin Hatch used the term in a public bus dedication here in Logan). The days of oil are numbered, maybe more in decades than years, but the current western society push is to reduce our dependence on oil, in the states it's often "foreign" oil, but the fact remains the same, the average citizen is looking for ways to use LESS oil. In addition as it becomes more expensive to find, collect, and process oil, someone will need to pay for that. This is the price we pay for severing ties with oil rich latin American countries and disabling the infrastructure of one of the largest oil producers in the middle east.

So to sum it up. Suck it up. The high oil prices are not that bad. It may mean we need to change our life styles some, but this does not mean we were evil in the past. We had lived our lives according to what was available. Now we must do the same. The days of cheap oil may be gone, if so it leaves the market wide open for solutions. I say....about time. I just wish this would become more of the public dialog, specifically in an election year. It is a great opportunity for a leader to demonstrate their commitment to truth and honesty by calling these high oil prices for what they are. An excellent market incentive to improve American's way of life (yes people it can get better than it currently is). If one candidate would do that, I would become a single issue voter in an instant, until then I'll just keep listening to try and determine who will cause the least damage over the next 4 years.

One other positive note. The report on CNN mentioned that many companies are starting to consider bringing outsourced jobs back to the States, as travel for executives and transportation of goods is becoming increasingly expensive.

Two final words!!! BUY LOCAL!