Mobility is Good

Our Freedom Seeking Forefathers Would Agree

Centuries ago our ancestors risked everything to journey to a new land. The promise of freedom was strong and the cost was great but the ability to chart one's destiny led to the founding of our unique nation. Railroads followed canals to provide the ability to move about and unify our nation at the same time. The automobile added new flexibility to the lives of millions. A free people will both create and demand a society with a high level of mobility. This allows competitive markets and healthy free association.

Now we face unique challenges in maintaining our mobility. We've outsourced our energy provision for many years and now the bills are coming in! Oil is high for a number of reasons. The weak dollar puts us at a disadvantage as demand rises in places such as India and China. OPEC seems to know it needs to squeeze what it can out of the market now. Why are oil prices so high? Depending on who you listen to it may be a combination of all of the above, or any one factor in particular.

So it was refreshing to read Kathryn Lopez' Article on Solving the Energy Crisis. She points out the need to pursue domestic resources, such as the Bakken and Colorado, while planning new technology to serve us in the 21st Century. We need to make our own energy again and the answer is in a diverse offering of new and already existing technology. Go to a large European or Japanese city and the electricity you use is likely from a nuclear power plant. We have enough experience with this technology to use it safely -- look at our Navy's sub fleet and you'll see a long track record with managing this type of power plant. Add wind, solar and better efficiency in utilization and I'll bet you are already feeling more optomistic.

There is a new engine for large trucks that runs more efficiently and uses natural gas. Of course that is a medium-range solution but that is better than short-sighted 'solutions' like 'tax holiday' and 'even-odd days' [remember gas rationing in the seventies]? A new generation of plug-in hybrids will come into being. E85 will likely be a force, but hopefully quota requirements will be replaced by market driven demand. Simple efficiency with existing technology will be a player as well. I have a little Mazda that can be driven smoothly and get close to 40mpg. No need to rush to replace that! Looking at today's oil-heavy transportation system it makes a lot of sense to diversify our technologies.

In the Nineteenth Century it was actually suggested in all seriousness that the Patent Office be closed since "everything that can be invented already has." That sentiment is less true today than it was when uttered then. Perhaps we will look back on the gas crisis of the beginning of this Century as the beginning of a new era of clean dependable mobility!