No, Jen, that’s not the way it works. When cars and trucks were invented, the government didn’t artificially raise the prices of horses and mules to push the alternative means of transportation. People saw the obvious advantages. When Edison invented the electric light, the government didn’t artificially raise the prices of kerosene and candles to encourage the new technology. People made their own decisions.
If people aren’t rushing to switch to wind power, it’s because they know it’s erratic and can be relied on for only perhaps 15% of our power needs. If people aren’t breaking down the doors for solar power, they know that our greatest need is in the late afternoon and evening when the sun has set, and we have no way to store useful amounts.
Meanwhile, people see the government stopping pipelines and blocking fracking, making us dependent on hostile Mideast regimes when we had achieved energy independence. They see prices of gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel rising sharply, although everything we need comes by truck, train, or plane. They see prices of food and other necessities going through the roof. They see winter approaching with prices of home heating oil, natural gas, and electricity going up steeply.
And people get angry. When their government tells them their problems are deliberately engineered, they get angrier. Even we ignorant, unwashed peasants know that the reason the streets aren’t filled with horses and mules is not clever government manipulation. How about letting us make our own choices? You know, it’s called freedom.
