The government is only capable of thinking 4-years ahead, if that. That's the reality of politics. You can't expect them to do anything as intelligent as what you suggest, regardless of which party is in control.

The only current viable alternative energy source is nuclear power, and we all know how popular that is!

Dude, the gas companies are paying like 5 cents a gallon. otherwise how could they sell it in Venezuela for 12 cents and still make a profit. they're just GOUGING the richer countries

1. That too is a lifestyle choice. I have had to pick places to live that are close to work/school so that I can ride my bike. You could do the same. There will always be people who truly need their own vehicle for everyday use, but that is about 1% of the population.

2. True

3. As a physical scientist, I'm here to tell you that that is pure BS, dude. There are no secret alternatives. Energy humans can tap come to earth either as solar radiation, or it is generated by the decay of radioisotopes. Biomass is infeasible, wind is infeasible, hydroelectric is infeasible. all we have is either solar, or nuclear, and I'm sorry to say that solar cells simply aren't good enough.

Finally, there is no price-fixing conspiracy. That's simply ridiculous. Several gasoline refineries were taken out by the storm. supply has gone down, demand remains strong, therefor the price goes up. simple.

Wilson,

I wasn't suggesting we could use nuclear power in cars. However you could use nuclear energy to generate hydrogen, which could power vehicles. And, if done properly, nuclear energy use generates essentially no dangerous wastes.

Also, Hawaii has NOT caped their gas prices. What they have done is to tie them to an index of mainland prices. It still sounds like a bad idea to me, but it isn't nearly as stupid as a cap would be.

Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the oil business in Venezuela nationally controlled?

Wilson is entirely correct.

You could also think of it this way: if you are a farmer growing corn, well, you can pretty much have all the corn you want essentially for free, but that doesn't mean you are going to give it away at supermarkets!

Venezuela EXPORTS oil, therefore by definition they have a much larger supply than demand within their own country. If they have that much naturally it would only make sense to keep energy cheap for themselves because it gives their country a very nice competitive edge, which I might add, they need!

there was a clip on the news last week that told of some wind farms in england that are using their spare capacity (low demand times of day when it's still windy) to make hydrogen. this is being done as part of some partnership project with a car manufacturer. the hydrogen doesn't get used as a fuel in a heat engine, but instead is used in some new type of hydrogen eating batteries.

it all looked very green and interesting.