To Honor A Hero, BE A Hero

We’re honoring heroes today. Which is well and good and proper.

But why aren’t we following in their footsteps… and trying to become heroes, too?

Most of us don’t have to go to war. But we’re still in a war today. Rampant, choking inflation. Climbing interest rates. Pollution. Dependency on the Middle East.

Brave men and women gave their lives for us to have a better world. And when it comes to our big moment to contribute… to be counted on…

… what the hell are we doing?

Squat.

Here’s something you can do to be a hero TODAY: Drive less. Ride a bike. If you have to drive, drive 55.

We ALL can do that. Right now. This very minute. We can reduce our oil consumption by 10-15%.

Let’s throw out the lead foot (i.e., fast starts/stops) and we save another 10-15%.

Why does this make you a hero?

Because we lessen our dependency on oil politics… whether that’s Middle East or in our own backyard.

Because less oil consumption means less pollution.

Because less oil consumption means less demand and therefore falling oil prices. And — CRITICALLY — there is a one-to-one correspondence between oil prices and inflation. Higher oil, higher inflation.

But LOWER oil, LOWER inflation. Everyone has more money in their pockets. Interest rates are lower. Less pollution so everyone is breathing a bit easier, including the Planet Earth.

And just like that… without government intervention… without having to watch the market painfully spiral downward… without really anything more dangerous than a slight change of bad habits… YOU’RE A HERO.

Just like that.

Btw, if you’re someone who’s saying, “forget that, my freedom is the ability to burn as much gas as I please!” … then you’re someone that doesn’t deserve the sacrifice made by our fathers and mothers… because acting irresponsibly does NOT equate to personal freedom… it equates to you being a selfish, unappreciative jerk.

We’re at war… no one is asking you to risk your life… just sacrifice a little bit of speed for a whole lot of good.

Be a hero. Drive 55.

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If I Were President: Here’s The Solution To Gas Prices (And Inflation And Pollution)… Stop Driving For A Month

I’m not suggesting we go into lock down, but there certainly were a few unintended yet welcomed consequences from the early days of Covid.

We learned that we could work remotely, at least those in corporate America.

We learned that we could hold meetings — work or personal — quite reasonably on Zoom.

We learned that even a month of reduced driving made a big impact on our environment. CO2 levels started coming down. You could see fish in the Venetian waters again. And all kinds of other miraculous things, too.

Most importantly, we learned that even a month of reduced driving made a big impact on oil supplies and gas prices…

… and since the price of a unit of energy affects the price of everything else in our world, we were reminded that the price of everything in the world comes down as oil prices come down.

So if I were the President of the United States, here’s what I’d do:

(1) I’d gather the top 50 employers in the country to an emergency meeting at the White House… hey, I can do that, I’m POTUS! :) I’d remind everyone that we’re in a time of extraordinary crisis… whether it’s Ukraine, Russia, China, inflation, deficits, interest rates, supply shortages, pandemics, whatever. I’d ask the CEO’s of all of these companies if they would consider voluntarily having their workforces work at home, just like they did during the early days of Covid. I’d suggest 90 days, to correspond during the spring, where temperatures would not be too cold nor too hot, so easy on home heating and/or cooling needs.

(2) I’d address the nation… and remind all Americans that we’re in facing multiple, life-changing crises… and just like great Americans have done through difficult times, we all can make a contribution. Nothing is locked down. But walk to a local restaurant or shop. Ride your bike to school. Take public transportation. If you have multiple cars and have to drive, take the one that gets the best gas mileage. Plan trips better, do all your errands in one trip rather than three. Get together with your friends and neighbors and carpool when possible. Want to show solidarity with the Ukrainians? Want to stop run-away inflation and pay less money for everything? Want to put a lid on pollution? Want to sock it to Russia (and the Middle East while we’re at it) where it hurts, in their oil pocketbook? For the next 90 days, let’s make a wartime-effort to reduce or eliminate driving if we can.

(3) I’d met with the leaders of other countries, talk about what we’re doing in the United States, and ask each and every country if they would join the battle.

Here’s what I love about this plan: It literally has a huge impact ON DAY ONE.

And it shows that we control our situation… our situation does NOT control us.