Weekend Update

CNN has a series of quotes regarding the energy situation in America, from ... regular Americans. And a bunch of lunkheads [what should I expect?] Increase taxes! That's the answer! Europe is so far ahead of us!

And who would get the taxes and what would they be spent on? And isn't a fuel tax punitively regressive?

Whenever I hear someone asking for increased taxes, I say to them, "Why don't you get your checkbook out, and write a check to the government? They'll take your money without a new tax being passed."

That is not to say that I believe that the markets will solve every problem. The markets are only as good as the individuals participating. And, as we've seen with Microsoft, the fact that the market has selected MS as the dominant leader, might does not equal right.

But that does not mean that the government can or will do any better. Sure, the government gave us the Hoover dam, but it also bailed out Chrysler.

And secondly, Europe is a TINY LITTLE landmass.

What people generally fail to realize is that changes to the infrastructure are expensive. If you want mass transit, or if you want to drill for more oil, or if you want to get people to live in urban areas, thus decreasing their consumption, those changes are expensive.

Do you know what else is expensive? Transitioning from fuel platform A [fossil fuels] to platform B [anything else]. In terms of dislocation in the economy. Transitioning those giant empty fuel processing stations into ... giant jungle gyms.

I was on a conference call on Thursday, and a senior executive said that China was a "socialist" country [her actual quote was much funnier and pathetic]. The disease of ignorance does not discriminate by title.

I broke my own rule about writing about work. Sorry.

Speaking of apologies, if my earlier post upset Owen Wilson, I apologize. No need to do anything drastic, my highly talented friend. It's always Owen Wilson and never Carrot Top. It's always Mitch Hedberg and never Pauly Shore. It's always Richard Jeni and never Tom Arnold.

Or am I wrong?