calling all economists: suppose you could solve the gas crisis. . .

I am sick and tired of trying to argue about the price of gas within the frame of whether or not more offshore drilling is going to have an effect now, seven years from now, twelve years from now, or ever—that is just fucking lame. That is the Republican game plan, pure and simple, and we should be smarter than to play on their turf.

Further, a return to “cheap” gasoline may not be desirable. The increased consumption will force the price up, not to mention drive up pollution and greenhouse emissions and again undercut moves toward alternative energy options.

All that said, real people are feeling real pain every time they have to gas up—so what’s our answer? (And don’t you even start with trying to explain the windfall profits tax, it’s not only a political non-starter, and bloody hard to define, it probably doesn’t solve the immediate problem.)

I don’t claim to have all the answers—however, if you read what I have to say over on capitoilette, you might think that I do. . . claim, that is, claim to have the answers. . . . I don’t, really, but I give it the old college try, so go, read already. . . .

(And, if you are an economist or have similar skills, please help me with the numbers—I would appreciate your input.)

five years

That’s all we’ve got:

IEA warns of oil and gas crunch in five years

PARIS: The International Energy Agency warned Monday of the prospect of a global oil and gas crunch due to higher-than-expected demand and below-par supply from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and other suppliers.

"Not only does oil look extremely tight in five years time, but this coincides with the prospect of even tighter natural gas markets at the turn of the decade," the energy security watchdog for the 26-nation Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said in an oil market report.

The Paris-based agency forecasts escalating global growth will cause spare capacity of the OPEC to fall to "uncomfortably low levels" — and non-OPEC countries will not pick up the slack. Supply increases from non-OPEC oil producers will start receding starting in 2009, the report says.

No additional commentary from me this time—the headline really says it all. Truly terrifying, actually.

Plus, how could I resist such an easy Bowie allusion?