Blackouts: Should we get used to them?

It's amazing to me to know that rolling blackouts may become a more common occurrence during the peak power usage periods of the year, especially during the summer. A country that is so rich in resources and simply wealthy as a whole, cannot do anything about the annually expected increase in energy consumption during times of extreme hot and cold weather. Or can we do something?

We have become accustomed to certain means of energy production and delivery. We know all we have to do is call our local power company and have electricity delivered right to our homes. So we sit in the comfort of our air conditioned domiciles pondering ways to better our golf swing, plan our next party, or protect the environment. Dare I say it, we may even consider the cost of our luxury and what we are really willing to do to maintain its existence.

There are those who have another lot in life. Those who feel that government owes them, that humanity is destroying the environment, and that keeping things as natural as when God made them is essential! We all have heard about these people, and maybe even know a few. They are the ones that have made it possible for you to pay more for your electricity, natural gas, and even gas for our automobiles. You see, they don't appreciate the need for responsible change. They seem to believe that anything other than going back to the days before electricity and steam is unacceptable.

The facts of this matter are, because of restrictions placed by their governmental extensions (the liberal, focus group types) we cannot free ourselves from the limitations of conventional energy generation sources such as coal and hydro-electric power plants. We are bound by the fear mongering of those who believe that nuclear power generation is dangerous to humanity and the environment. These are the very same individuals who oppose the placement of 100% clean sources of power, wind power, because it supposedly destroys the natural look of the areas that would best suit its purpose.

Of course who can forget the ever rising gas prices, rising because of our severe dependence on foreign sources of oil. It is the same tree-hugging extremists that will not allow the United States to harvest the vast untapped reserves that is available in areas such as Alaska and the gulf of Mexico because they believe the environment will be harmed or even destroyed by the very process of collecting the crude oil. Not to mention the transportation of the necessary resource to existing refining facilities. The same facilities that have been severely reduced in number due to ever tightening governmental restrictions on the construction of new refineries. This is another situation that has working us into a corner. Even if we finally got the ability to start tapping the reserves currently sitting undisturbed, the United States does not have the facilities to refine any more crude. So you see, we have succumb to the wills of the shortsighted and the highly influenced all in the name of the environment.

If we cannot persuade the right individuals to listen to reason, by advocating responsible use of new and efficient technologies for energy generation, by persuading those in power to permit the responsible harvesting of our natural resources, and by providing incentives not penalties to oil companies to build new modern refining facilities, then we might as well sell our cars and homes, our laptops and cell phones, our PS2s and our MP3 players and move to a remote area of some third world country where at least we'll have a reason to sweat during the summer.