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The Register Star has brought together a group of people from all over the Rock River Valley to serve on our Election 2008 Voters’ Panel. These men and women are Republicans, Democrats, Independents and Green party members. Some are high school students. Some are retired. And some fall in between those two age groups. They all share this: The upcoming election is important and voters do have voices. They’ll share them in this blog.

Let’s Not Become Gasoline “Victims”

April 28th, 2008 at 08:53pm Jon Murray

We cannot allow ourselves to become gasoline price “victims”!  Sure, prices are up,  I don’t like it (I drive 48 miles round trip each day) and it’s easy to complain about.  The fact is, however, we can be in control of our destiny when it comes to travel and fuel use.  We can choose to drive reasonably sized vehicles; we can purchase hybrid vehicles; we can car pool; and for you lucky ones who live close enough to work you can ride your bikes.   I’m not sure that politicians can do anything about the high prices. What we can do, however, is insist that our politicians provide for more incentives for gas conserving vehicles for both the consumer to purchase and the manufacturers to develop.  Furthermore, we can expect our government to encourage and demand for increased research and development for more high tech batteries and hydrogen as fuel sources.  For a country as technologically advanced as the US, it’s pretty hard to accept that we are still years away from reasonable options in alternate fuel technologies. There is no overwhelming reason to drive gas guzzlers.  Do we really want to give the oil producers the kind of control over us that is currently happening?  Let’s take control and use lemons and make lemonade!

Jon Murray

Jon Murray 

Entry Filed under: Uncategorized

3 Comments Add your own

  • 1. Dan Campbell  |  April 28th, 2008 at 9:49 pm

    I agree with your opinion regarding personal consumption of oil. I agree that we must look for alternatives to oil as well as conserve oil. One issue I believe your have failed to address is the inflationary pressures the price of oil has put on day to day items that your average American needs. The cost of food continues to rise because of increased costs of delivery. The cost to heat and light your home has went up as well. Personal incomes have not kept up with this inflation. With less disposiable income our economy will shrink which will result in a loss of jobs. A vicious cycle.

  • 2. Don R. Gugliuzza  |  April 29th, 2008 at 10:13 am

    I agree with you both. A few other things to be considered as part of the problem. We have spent ourselves into a deep deficit hole. That has reduced the power of the dollar thus making everything not produced in this country more expensive. Our federal government can bring the dollar back up by being fiscally conservative. As we pay down the debt, the dollar will increase. We can also start to bring back our manufacturing jobs. Those products that used to be manufactured here are now produced elsewhere and imported for our use. The resulting huge trade deficit also contributes to the devaluation of the dollar.
    My solution to the outsourcing of jobs? Make the corporations pay a fine equal to the difference in wages between this country and wherever they send the jobs, for every article imported. We could also create jobs by doing as other countries do, insist that everything shipped to this country be shipped on American owned and flagged ships. We need to have our merchant marine back again and this is the only way to do it.
    There are those who would argue that unions and the high wages and benefits they have won are the cause for exporting jobs. How can that be when less than 14% of our work force is unionized? No, it’s caused by the greed of the large corporations and their lack of concern for the country and it’s people that made their very existance possible.
    Want to save oil? Give a tax break to any company that ships their goods by rail. The over the road truckers that lose their jobs can be employed bringing the goods from the railhead to the consumer. This would save oil and our interstates.

  • 3. James Harnden  |  April 29th, 2008 at 11:32 am

    Oil needs to be replaced as our main source of energy.
    Hemp is a good option. it came be grown in marginal land requires no pesticides or herbicides, increases soil health, and has the highest cellulose content.

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