Talking Points For An Energy Crisis

The Nation: In The Face Of The Oil-Price Crisis, America Had Better Come Up With A Plan

Airlines are cutting back on water for plane toilets to save weight and fuel. They had better come up with a better business plan than that. And in the face of the burgeoning oil-price crisis, America had better come up with a plan as well.

Single-issue fixes — like John McCain’s plan to grant consumers a summertime gas-tax holiday, or Barack Obama’s proposal for a windfall profits tax on oil companies — just won’t do it. America needs a comprehensive plan to deal with post-peak oil — and that is going to involve some serious long-term thinking. To get the thought process going, here’s a list of ideas — some good, some not so good — about how to address political, technological and social dimensions of the planet’s most pressing issue.

CBS