I won?t apologize for using gasoline

I?m sick and tired of folks trying to make me feel guilty about driving my car.

Have you noticed since the oil price spike and the current war in Iraq how experts have tried to blame America?s reliance on foreign oil as the overriding reason for the state we?re in? They make the American motorist out to be the bad guy because we make use of our cars and trucks, like so many gluttons who could care less about the environment or the future economic survival of our country. They say we use a quarter of the world?s oil supply like we should feel guilty about it.

I don?t know about you, but, even when gas was a buck and a half a gallon, I didn?t get into my car and drive in circles for fun, wasting gas because it was cheap. Like most of you, I use my car to get from point A to point B and rarely drive to just see the scenery. And, being somewhat lazy in my free time preferring to lie around on the couch, I tend not to even travel anywhere unless I have to. Therefore, it?s hard for me to understand how I?m being a wasteful consumer.

Should it stun anyone that our demand is high when it comes for oil? The oil producing companies marketed America to intentionally promote our dependence on oil. They intentionally flooded the market to keep oil prices low until we once again went to the low mileage vehicles like SUVs and big trucks. The American consumer was intentionally targeted by the major oil companies to boost our use of oil and now the oil companies are seeing their profits. Like I said in a column a few weeks ago, they will continue their profit taking for a few years until the small, more gas efficient cars come back into popularity, and then the whole process will begin again.

Not only are we made to feel guilty about driving our cars, we?re basically being blamed for the demise of the entire world because we like modern conveniences. It seems like anyone who has gotten out of the stone age is contributing to global warming whether it?s us running our air conditioners, driving our cars and even warming up a burrito in the microwave. Heck, even passing gas is destroying our environment. Is there anything we can do, other than breath, which isn?t going to destroy the earth? Oh wait, breathing causes carbon dioxide and that?s what?s destroying the ozone. Maybe we should just all hold our breath, sit around in our sweltering homes and ride our donkeys into town so the North Pole doesn?t melt.

Yes, we are stewards of the Earth and yes, we have a responsibility to preserve what God gave us. But, at the same time we shouldn?t be pointing fingers at consumers, making us all out to be the bad guys because we live in 2006.

Actually, the United States has made great strides in reducing emissions which hurt the environment. A large amount of the prices we pay at the pump come because we have to pay extra for different gas formulas for each portion of the year for environmental purposes. Even China, with their new booming economy, is having to pay mind to environmental issues as they are enacting environmental standards for their own good.

Yes, we should be vigilant to preserve the Earth for our grandchildren, but at the same time, I don?t think we should set the clock back a century to accomplish this feat. We?ve put men on the moon so I believe we can save our environment without having to live like the Flintstones.

Duane Sherrill is a reporter for the Standard. He can be reached at 473-2191 or by e-mail at [email protected].