Oil Fantasies

The recent surge in oil prices to roughly $50 a barrel teaches some useful lessons. One is that surprises happen. A year ago futures contracts predicted today’s price would be $25. A second is that the economy has grown less vulnerable to oil “shocks.” Compared with 1973, we now use almost 50 percent less energy for each dollar of output. New industries (software, theme parks) need less than the old (steel, chemicals). But the largest lesson is depressingly familiar. Americans won’t think realistically about oil. We consider cheap fuel a birthright, and when we don’t get it, we whine — rather than ask why or what we should do.
WashingtonPost