It’s not just the oil companies… there’s plenty of blame to go around.

Obviously, one of the hot button topics being beaten into the ground these days is the high price of gasoline. And many, if not most Americans have laid the blame squarely on the oil companies. Now, I’m no defender of big oil, far from it. But I feel that not enough attention has been paid to the other culprits in this whole oily mess

Take, for example, the automakers. The big three in the U.S. continue to offer and promote gas-guzzling SUV’s, trucks, luxury vehicles, and vans. They claim that this is what the public wants, and who are they to argue with John Q. Public. And perhaps this is what the public wants – Americans are not known these days for their practicality. However, I would submit that if offered an alternative that would save them money, many Americans would jump on the bandwagon. Also consider the fact that Detroit continues to lobby for the status quo as far as the CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards are concerned, even though raising the standards would force America to be more fuel-efficient. Not to mention the fact that the big three, as well as their Japanese and German counterparts, are offering products in Europe that get 50, 60, even 70 mpg, while simultaneously having better emissions. So why, may I ask, aren’t the automakers offering the same products to American consumers?

And then there is corporate America in general. Perhaps big oil has no incentive to develop cheaper alternatives to petroleum-based fuels, but what about the rest of corporate America? Who wouldn’t want to be the innovator who came up with a gasoline replacement that was cheaper and friendlier to the environment? Don’t tell me it can’t be done. Brazil is doing to today. Perhaps we’re too lazy. Perhaps we don’t have the resources. Perhaps we need some of that good, old-fashioned Brazilian ingenuity. Nope, I think we’re just too lazy.

What about the government, whose job it is to promote the welfare of the nation, and provide for our national security? I would certainly say that this nation’s energy needs falls into the government’s realm of responsibility. So screw Detroit! Screw big oil! Increase the CAFE standards, and I mean a serious increase. Nothing sold in this country under 40mpg. You want an SUV? Fine. But it’s going to have a fuel-efficient engine under the hood. Offer generous development incentives for alternative fuels. And while you’re at it, tax the living daylights out of the oil companies. I’d even propose an additional tax on fuels produced from foreign oil. And put a cap on gasoline and diesel prices in the U.S. If we did that, how quickly do you think the oil companies would start re-thinking their approach?

And then there’s us. You and me. We as a society have been far too complacent, for far too long. This is not a new problem. It’s not like we didn’t have any warning. OPEC fired a shot across our collective bow 30 years ago!! And we’ve done nothing. We don’t hold our government accountable, we don’t hold corporate America accountable, we just grin and bear it. And until we demand action, that is what we will continue to do. Because Uncle Sam, GM, and Exxon ain’t gonna do anything that they don’t have to do. So it’s time for We The People to get off of our fat, lazy asses and make things happen. Now, where’d I put my bicycle?