Published: August 09, 2008 09:35 pm            

Vasicek : Sense and nonsense

Tragedies

The Kokomo area has been shocked by the tragedies of the previous weekend. Monday’s Tribune, headlined, “Deadly Weekend,” recounted the events surrounding four tragic deaths in our community. We extend our prayers and sympathy toward the families of these individuals.

When it comes to tragedy, it seems we can run but cannot hide. Wherever we live, we find ourselves vulnerable to natural disasters, and the uncertainties of life affect us all. The same is true when it comes to terrorism. A recent AP article informed us that Islamic extremist terrorism can even penetrate the Great Wall of China:

“In an audacious and deadly attack just days ahead of the Beijing Olympics, two men from a mainly Muslim ethnic group rammed a truck and hurled explosives at jogging policemen in China’s restive far west Monday, killing 16.

“The attack in a city near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border brought an immediate response from China’s Olympic organizers, who pronounced security precautions ready to ensure safety in Beijing and other Olympic venues when the games open Friday.”

With the rise of China’s influence and massive economy, it may soon join the ranks of becoming one of the “Great Satans.” As long as terrorist ideologies abound, no one is safe.

Gas, politicians

This past week, the political talk has been about high gas prices (it’s about time). While Sen. Barack Obama rightly suggested that properly inflated tires can save gas, the potential savings amount to about 3 percent – but only for those whose tires are improperly inflated.

The suggestion is a good one, but certainly far from a solution to our energy dilemma. Most Americans are not into conservation (despite their claims otherwise); they would rather find cheap supplies of energy – and splurge.

Many drivers insist on zipping to a stop sign and then brake at the last minute. Anticipating a stop, releasing the gas pedal and gradually braking saves gas. But are they willing to change their habits? I predict a few will, but not many.

Driving at 55 mph rather 70 can cut our gas bill by more than 20 percent – at least when we are on the highway. But most of us would rather waste gas and spend less time on the road. We might purchase a fuel efficient car, but no way are we going to slow down! Since time has become as valuable a commodity as money, most of us prefer to pay more and have more time. We are not all that serious about conservation. See.

Congress failed to pass an energy bill addressing offshore drilling before its recess. Some politicians oppose offshore drilling because it could make the oil companies richer.

Do you realize the implications of such a statement? This is the illustration “par excellence” of cutting off ones nose to spite ones face. They prefer to send hundreds of billions of dollars exported out of our economy rather than see some wealthy Texans expand their ranches.

There are some good arguments against offshore drilling: It could damage the sea environments or remove the pressure to develop alternate energies. These arguments bear some weight with me. At a minimum, they are reasonable.

Keeping oil prices high to prevent oil companies from becoming richer – that is classic absurdity, in my view. It is reminiscent of a Monty Python movie.

Apparently some of our leaders prefer we all become poor rather than allow the rich to become richer. In a way, this thinking reminds me of communism. And communism worked: It made everyone poor. But at least the rich didn’t get richer!

This spiteful, bitter attitude toward the rich may play well with the resentful masses, but it is destructive to our economy.

On the other side of the aisle, some Republican politicians implied that offshore drilling would fix our problem. This is likewise offering a partial solution in place of a comprehensive one. We do need to innovate our way out of oil dependency as soon as possible; drilling can bring some relief in the interim. If we couple offshore drilling with the Pickens Plan, we might approach a medium-term solution.

Ed Vasicek is pastor of Highland Park Church and a weekly contributor to the Kokomo Tribune.

        

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