Tire Gauges, Drilling, and Pure Drivel

So the Republican Cause Celebre for today is Obama saying that people should keep their tires inflated and get tune-ups to keep us from having to drill offshore.  They're sending tire gauges to congresscritters labeled "Obama Energy Plan".  Rush Limbaugh has gone completely out of control ridiculing Obama. And it's all one big silly joke amongst the always-humorous right.

Thing is- Obama is right.  Off-shore drilling is expected to be able to increase our oil intake by about 1% eventually.  Simple conservation measures like - oh, car maintenance, turning down your thermostat at night, changing your light bulbs to something more efficient - these all save one hell of a lot more energy than that.  God forbid someone should point it out.  It's really not the case that our thirst for energy needs to be ever-increasing.  It's really not the case that we need to freeze in the dark to lower our energy consumption.  Why is the right so determined to deplete the earth's resources that they won't even consider alternatives?  Not to mention any good energy-conserving public policy like backing public transit - according to our own state intelligentsia, there's no point in public transit because it's only used by "fringe" people.   Count me as a proud fringe person.

But hey, I've never been one to let the facts get in the way of a good joke myself.  If only it were a good joke.  Mostly it's just stupid. Conservation is a good thing.  Let's have lots more of it, and stop ridiculing people who argue for it.  Or in the long run we really will all end up freezing in the dark.  And it will be too late to do anything about it.