What the US Should Do About The Price of Oil

I like to follow politics and am currently routing for Obama. Nonetheless I frequently am disheartened that the political process is so... well... political. By this I am referring to the way that politicians often pander to the electorate by offering non-solutions and anti-solutions. Have you ever noticed that every time there is a perceived problem, politicians felt that must appear to be addressing/solving it.

Once such issue is about the price of gas and/or oil. McCain is now saying that he'll address the issue by suspending federal taxes on the purchase of gasoline. Not only does this not help, but actually makes the real problem worst. A major part of the reason why the price oil has increased is due to rising demand by the 3rd world coupled with diminished supply and production capacity. Certainly the war in Iraq is a contributing factor, but that's for another post.
Anyway, our decreased dependence on oil is a long-term project that will only be expedited by the economics of the situation. The current high price of oil has begun to make alternative fuel prices competitive. Taking measures to lower the cost of gas would encourage its continued use and put alternative fuel companies out of business.

The transition from an oil-based society to one based on conservation and alternative fuels will certainly not be an easy one. But it is much preferred to sticking our collective heads in the sand as the crisis becomes larger until one day there simply isn't enough available to meet even our basic needs.