Every time I pull Old Vern up to the local gas pump, I chuckle at the assessed cost of our gasoline. People are outraged at the recent increases of this out-of-pocket "expense." "Why Mary, if those tree-hugging environmentalists had their way, our blessed gasoline could soon reach $5 per gallon, just like Europe," exclaimed Mr. Leavitt. Then, just consider the mess we'd all be in:
1. The No. 1 cause of death to American teenagers would not be car accidents.2. People would drive fuel-efficient cars, even if improved air quality would be a result, not an intention.
3. People would transport themselves via their own energy, car pools or public transportation. Would this result in a healthier populous and tighter knit community?
4, People may begin to ask themselves, what's the correlation between gas prices and our fossil fuel dependent war machine? (Who said the Cold War was over?)
5. The real costs of our gasoline consumption would begin to reveal themselves.
6. Larry Miller would be really bummed.
But again, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong.
P. Reeves
Salt Lake City