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This entry was prompted by a Thomas Friedman editorial. This is my twist on some of his thoughts.
Addicts, dealers and suppliers rely on South America and various Asian countries for the drugs that aren’t produced in large quantities here. Our drug addiction has spawned and sustains drug-producing economies. No one, except those making all the money, thinks drug addiction is good. Most Americans would like to eliminate it. But as we pour federal dollars into anti-drug operations in the exporting countries, millions more US dollars, drug monies, continue to filter into the pockets of corrupt officials and the cartels in those same countries.
I’m not sure how to curb America’s drug problem. (I’m not sure some of our own pharmaceutical companies aren’t just as unethically concerned about their bottom line as the Medellin or Cali cartels). However, I think there’s a solution to another of our addictions: gasoline.
What if we tacked on another fee or tax (gunk) onto the price of gas? The revenues would stay here in the US, perhaps even in Utah. Of course there are those among us who trust the Iranians and the Saudis with our money more than they trust our government. Some things will never change.
My point is that we are funding both sides of the War on Terror, the Long War, just as we’ve funded both sides of the War on Drugs. Where did Al-Quieda get the money to fund its 9-11 operation? Where does Iran get its money to develop its nuclear technology? Where are organizations which fund the insurgency in Iraq getting their money? Much of it came and comes from American gasoholics.
I heard Sean Hannidy say that the government needs to reduce the tax on gasoline. Such wisdom and foresight! If the price of gas goes down will our consumption also go down? If our consumption increases so does our dependency, our addiction. We will continue to structure our lives and activities around gasoline consumption. What motivations will energy or auto-manufacturing companies have to change their habits if we don’t change ours? Unfortunately, gas prices will have to get much higher before we’ll “kick the habit” and find alternatives.
Our addictions are killing us.
SUAS | 
