What Are We Going to do About the Gas Prices?

Gas prices continue to soar, with Americans struggling to save money on gas or find ways to come up with more money for gas. As the prices continue to rise, Americans are increasingly strapped as their day-to-day costs skyrocket and the economy becomes even more strained. Worse, most Americans feel utterly helpless to do anything about it.

The most important decision each of us must make is to refuse to be a victim. We must instead take action. What kind of action? Allow me to offer some suggestions.

1. Write your US representative and both US senators, asking them to support President Bush's request for more aggressive domestic oil production. The President has asked Congress to lift the ban on offshore drilling as well as open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for drilling. Bush also wants restrictions on oil shale leasing lifted for the Green River Basin of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. And he wants to help expand the nation's oil refining capacity by easing federal regulations. These are all sound proposals, and will help the long-term situation.

2. Sign the "Drill Here - Drill Now - Pay Less" petition at American Solutions. With the worldwide demand for oil increasing, the US must increase its domestic output. Otherwise, we will be faced with unbelievably high gas prices for years to come!

3. In the meantime, take steps to curtail your driving by moving your extracurricular activities (church, sports leagues, etc.) closer to home, combining errands, and doing more shopping online (instead of going to the mall).

4. Make sure your cars are tuned up, free of excess weight (clutter, boxes, luggage, etc.) and your tires are properly inflated.

5. Shift your paradigm away from a single 8-hour a day job to what Robert Allen calls "multiple streams of income." Be wary of get-rich-quick schemes and fly-by-night money making opportunities. However, you're going to have to get creative and work hard at finding ways to increase your monthly cash flow. Digging yourself deeper into debt, however, is not the answer.

The important thing in all this is to be a keen and studious observer of the economy and marketplace. You want to be an informed consumer and citizen. As James Madison once said: "Knowledge will forever govern ignorance." Make sure you're in the "knowledge" category.

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