Enjoying this discussion a lot.  Wish I had more time to kick around some thoughts on it at length.  I think about this political / technical / economic puzzle a lot while trying to make sense of it and think (like everyone else : )  that I've figured some of it out. 

 

 Not enough time to give the background right now but my conclusion is that the current 'oil crisis'  is a temporary and artificially induced thing and will last long enough to 're-calibrate' energy research, usage and priorities.  (2 - 4 years is my WAG)   In an ideal world it would not be necessary but given all the variables and imperfections (a book length list) in the real world, it might even have been the right thing to do, and no, this is not coming from the 'green' perspective.

 

What makes me angry is the fact that none of our 'leaders' will come close to saying what they know to be true.  We like to criticize their apparent stupidity but the fact is that there are some pretty smart people in Washington who have unlimited access to expert scientific opinion.  The 800 pound gorilla that we are ignoring is that they can't possibly be this stupid.   True, they are lying, power hungry political animals focused mainly on maintaining that power but this apparent level of stupidity is incompatible with their success at what they do.  Again, they can't be that stupid.  The thing that pisses me off is that they believe we (as a nation) are.   The thing that pisses me off even more is that they might be right.

 

Was Jack Nicholson right with that line in "A Few Good Men", "We can't handle the truth" ?

 

The fact remains that a Leaders job is to tell us the truth whether we can handle it or not and they have failed that test miserably.

 

But back to how this affects us.  I agree with several opinions already posted here.  Don't cancel your plans for aircraft building.  Energy is not destined to go up in price forever and the current conditions are temporary. There will be fuel for airplanes that we can afford.

 

Tracy