A Quick Fix?
Touted as a way to reduce gasoline prices, President Bush recently lifted the executive ban on offshore gas and oil drilling put in place by his father, George H.W. Bush. Congressional leaders as diverse as John McCain and Dick Durbin also are raising the prospect of ending the 20-year legislative moratorium on off-shore drilling as a way of getting more oil onto the market.  Meanwhile, Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, recently called on President Bush to release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in hopes of reducing gasoline prices.
 
Denial . . . The Blame Game
Some critics blame high gasoline prices on speculators, those who buy or sell options on future oil contracts. Others say oil producers and big oil companies are manipulating prices and reaping huge profits. Still others say it is a combination of many factors including the weak dollar and credit crunch.  Feeling the growing anger and frustration of their voting constituents, political leaders have been rushing to conduct hearings and pass legislation to provide short-term relief from the crisis. 

Underlying the frantic scramble to find scapegoats and short-term answers to rising fuel prices lies a fundamental reluctance to seriously confront the social, environmental and economic dangers of our dependence on fossil fuels, and to accept the probability that we entering a new era - one where an ever-increasing demand and competition for oil is eclipsing our ability to produce it. Such is the mindset of the addict.