All Summer in a Day

One of the interesting side effects of bus and bike commuting is that I hardly ever listen to conservative talk radio anymore.

Today I was out working on the car rotors and listening to Hannity, who I don't really enjoy as a host...it's not his opinion on things so much as it is how he presents them. He's not all that entertaining. No flair. Anyway, he's convinced that demand has absolutely nothing to do with high energy prices, and that supply is, obviously, constrained by above ground factors. Resource scarcity is not at all an issue because the earth's core is a creamy caramel center full of oil just waiting to be drilled and released.

An English caller suggested to Hannity today that perhaps demand in the U.S. should be questioned, and he was immediately dismissed. Again, Conservatism, in my view, is all about each individual's right to control as large a slice of the resource pie as possible. Government has no (or little) responsibility to maintain equity in its distribution. So when we limit the drilling of oil, we are limiting certain individuals of control over that resource. This is a restriction of choice; in this case, the choice to burn up as much damn oil as you want anytime you want. Limit choice, and Conservatives go apeshit. They will be the very last group of people on the Walk of Shame...up to the door on the bus, because private automobile ownership epitomizes freedom, choice, and personal preferences.

However, it is a powerful philosophy. Most people in the US see themselves just to the right of center. Some days it seems I subscribe to it, but those days are as infrequent as a sunny day on rainy Venus. I cannot pinpoint exactly when I was unlocked from the closet...perhaps late 2005. I blog to archive my thoughts, to see how I evolve. What will I be blogging about in 2015? Will I be the same person in seven years?