It's a start.

The main stream media (MSM) ran an article this past Monday about increasing gas taxes "A big fat, European gas tax."  Some highlights:

   - suggests wholesale gas prices could be lowered by "crimping" demand;
   - recognizes that a gas tax would often be particularly tough on those with lower incomes (and that this wold need to be addressed);
   - spells out the $1 - $2 per gallon tax Europeans pay vs. the $.18 federal tax plus state taxes that are "generally lower than $.40 per gallon."
   - a skeptic of the idea from MIT says that the combination of a gas tax causing lower wholesale prices and extra dollars going from oil companies to the government as a result is "absolutely fantastic thinking."

With a tax shift (income tax rates down while taxes on non-renewable energy sources go up): energy demand will decrease leading to lower wholesale prices.  Lower than what?  Lower than they would be at higher consumption levels.  Could OPEC cut production and raise prices?  Sure - THEY CAN DO THAT NOW.  And, the higher our consumption, the higher our vulnerability.  With our current, increasing consumption levels, WE HAVE NO CONTROL.  (Control is a good thing to have over a key component in one's economy - that's why (unfortunately) we're at war.)





We need to solve four big problems.  The path to action is through wallets/pocketbooks.  Shift taxes from income to energy; make non-renewable energy more expensive to reduce consumption and stimulate the alternative energy industry.